Former Arizona wide receiver Mike Thomas had nothing to prove to the Wildcat faithful when he took the field Sunday in the Indianapolis Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium for his NFL Combine workouts.
After all, Arizona fans watched Thomas make play after dazzling play during his time in Tucson en route to becoming the Pacific 10 Conference’s all-time receptions leader.
Thomas, however, had plenty to prove to the nation and NFL scouts during his workouts, given the wide receiver has flown under the radar since the end of the season.
“”I wanted to go out there and show the world what I could do,”” Thomas said.
He did just that.
The former UA star predicted before arriving in Indianapolis that he would stun spectators with his 40-yard dash performance, and Thomas didn’t disappoint.
He ran the 40-yard dash in an official time of 4.40 seconds, good enough for the fifth-best time among wide receivers at the Combine.
“”(The 40-yard dash time) was definitely what I expected,”” Thomas said. “”I wasn’t surprised at all. I knew I could run. I have been running my whole life.””
While the dash performance is perhaps the most important drill at the Combine for skill position players, Thomas showed off his versatility in the other wide out drills as well.
The De Soto, Texas native finished in the top 10 in all but three drills, but particularly stood out in the three-cone drill, posting the second-best time of 6.65 seconds. His vertical jump of 40 1/2 inches was third best among wide outs at the Scouting Combine.
Entering the event, Thomas had been slotted as a third- or fourth-round selection, but that could change after an impressive series of workouts. Now, Thomas could be taken as high as the second round.
“”I think it helped me, I really do,”” Thomas said. “”I think I was pretty much top five in most of the drills, and that was a good feeling. I just went out there, man, and I did what I had to do.””
Thomas wasn’t the only former Wildcat participating in drills at the NFL Combine. Offensive tackle Eben Britton also made the trip to Indianapolis to make a case for himself.
Britton, a 6-foot-6, 309-pound tackle, probably couldn’t stand to gain much more than Thomas presumably did, given he could be found in many mock drafts as a first-round selection and one of the most highly-rated offensive linemen in the draft.
Even so, he also had a solid series of workouts.
Britton ran the 40-yard dash in an official time of 5.16 seconds, which was the eighth-fastest time in the offensive lineman group.
“”I think it (went) well, really well, and it was a lot of fun overall I think,”” Britton said. “”When the workouts came around I just went out there, had fun, and did the best that I could.
“”I think the (40-yard dash time) was good,”” Britton added. “”I think it was a solid number for me and I am happy with the way I did. Now, it is really time to focus, continue to work out, and playing football.””
