Name: Zachary Thomas

School: San Diego State

Year: SupSr

Position: Offensive tackle

Measurables: 6’ 4 7/8^" 308 lbs

General Info:

Thomas attended Carsbad High School in California where he lettered for two years. He also played on defense and collected 47 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, and three sacks as a senior. He was a two-star recruit on Rivals and 247. His brother Cameron also played for SDSU and is in the same draft class. He redshirted his first season in 2016. In 2017 he played in all 13 games as a backup playing a total of 31 snaps on offense. For the 2018 season he started two games at right guard before tearing his ACL and missing the rest of the season. Playing in 12 of his team’s 13 games in 2019, he started nine games at right tackle. He allowed six pressures and 0 sacks on the season. For his senior season he started all eight games at right tackle and was second team All-Mountain West. He allowed a total of two sacks on the season and 13 pressures. Thomas decided to come back for his ‘super senior’ season in 2021. The coaching staff proceeded to move him to left tackle where he started every game and allowed 13 pressures again but did allow three sacks on the season. He was invited to the combine and participated in all drills.

Positional Skills:

Strengths

Thomas has good size at just under 6’5 and also has solid length with 33 7/8^th” arms. He brings versatility to the field having played both tackle spots and also left guard and right guard. He is very experienced having played five seasons at SDSU with a total of 2,254 snaps played. Thomas shows the athleticism on the field to get down the field and block on the 2^nd level. He also shows very good aiming points and rarely misses his target. Thomas plays until the whistle and gets physical with defenders in the run game. He stays on his feet and is rarely on the ground. In pass protection he shows quick and light feet. He also keeps his feet shoulder width apart and shows a solid anchor. The former Aztec does a very good job of keeping his head on a swivel, it has saved his quarterback a few times. Thomas has been used as a pulling offensive lineman and looks comfortable doing it. He also shows good hand strength on film; once he latches on defenders have a difficult time getting off.

Weaknesses

He is on the older size; he will turn 24 on May 26^th, so he is probably maxed out physically. His upper body is a little stiff. Carries his hands a little low when in his pass sets. While he shows a solid anchor against Mountain West competition it still needs to be better to face NFL competition. Quick edge rushers can give him some trouble. He will not play left tackle at the NFL level. Thomas will lean too far forward when blocking and lose his balance. His knee bend is inconsistent. Thomas will also let his hands get on the outside of the defender which can turn into holding calls. You would like to see him show he can use his hands independently. He hasn’t shown that on film.

Fit with the Packers:

Outside of his age he is a perfect fit for the type of offensive linemen that the Packers like to draft. He has tackle experience, tested out well athletically, and has decent arm length. He would be a great fit on day three. He could come in and provide depth at right tackle and guard as a rookie. The competition he saw in the Mountain West is a minor concern but not enough to be a reason for him to drop it’s not like he was playing Division II. The ceiling for him is not real high due to his age and experience, but there still is some untapped potential there and he may even be better off at guard. He is somewhat similar to Jon Runyan Jr. Although due to his longer arms and better agility he might be able to stick at right tackle. Also off his 2020 film where he played right tackle he did look more comfortable versus 2021 when he was playing left. If he clears up his technical issues he could be a solid starter, if not he should be at least a high quality back up.