.jpg) Thomas at the Saints'Super Bowl XLIV parade | |||||||||
| No. 85, 86 | |||||||||
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| Position | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1983-07-05)July 5, 1983 (age 42) Plainview, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 248 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Frenship (Wolfforth, Texas) | ||||||||
| College | Texas (2002–2005) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2006: 3rd round, 86th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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John David Thomas (born July 5, 1983) is an American former professionalfootball player who was atight end in theNational Football League (NFL). He was selected by theNew England Patriots in the third round of the2006 NFL draft, and also played for theNew Orleans Saints. He playedcollege football for theTexas Longhorns, where as a member of the Longhorns 2006 Rose Bowl winning squad, won the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season national championship.
Thomas attendedFrenship High School inWolfforth, Texas, and helped Frenship reach the state semi-finals in its division in 2000. Thomas excelled atlinebacker,running back and tight end for the Tigers, leading to speculation about what his role would be as a college player. After a heated recruiting battle withTexas Tech University, the University of Texas secured a commitment from Thomas to play tight end for the Longhorns.
At Texas, Thomas broke school records for receptions, touchdowns, and yards by a tight end, as well as for receptions in a single game. He was also a candidate for theJohn Mackey Award, given to the nation's best tight end, and for theDraddy Trophy, for academic merit by a student athlete. In both 2004 and 2005 Thomas was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First-team for accomplishments in the classroom. Long a favorite target ofquarterbackVince Young, Thomas played a prominent role in the Longhorns' 41–38 National Championship upset of then No. 1USC in the2006 Rose Bowl, hauling in a game-high 10 receptions for 88 yards. He majored inkinesiology.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+1⁄8 in (1.91 m) | 252 lb (114 kg) | 31+5⁄8 in (0.80 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 4.67 s | 1.64 s | 2.73 s | 4.34 s | 7.05 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) | 9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) | 19 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[1][2] | ||||||||||||
Thomas was selected by theNew England Patriots in the third round of the2006 NFL draft with the 86th overall pick.[3] In the first 14 games of his rookie2006 season, Thomas had only six receptions for a total of 76 yards, though three of those catches were for first downs (including his first two NFL completions which went for 29 and 11 yards, respectively). His breakout game came against theJacksonville Jaguars in Week 16 when, filling in for an injuredBenjamin Watson, Thomas caught five passes for a total of 83 yards, including his first NFL touchdown on a 22-yard pass fromTom Brady.
Thomas suffered a foot injury during the Patriots' 2007 offseason conditioning program and was placed on the team's Active/Physically Unable to Perform list for training camp and the preseason. After catching only one pass in one game played for the2007 season, Thomas was placed oninjured reserve by the Patriots on October 3, 2007, in what was suspected to be a re-aggravation of the foot injury he suffered before the start of the season.[4] The Patriots went undefeated during the season while Thomas was absent until losing to theNew York Giants inSuper Bowl XLII.
In2008, Thomas started 10 games as part of a two-tight end formation that also included Watson, who started 9 games. Thomas had nine catches during the season for 93 yards, but none after November 2. He was also a healthy inactive in a December 7 game against theSeattle Seahawks.
Thomas was traded to theNew Orleans Saints on September 5, 2009, in exchange for a sixth-round draft choice in the2011 NFL draft. He had 35 receptions during the 2009 season, a career-high. The Saints would go on to winSuper Bowl XLIV after defeating theIndianapolis Colts 31–17. In the Super Bowl, Thomas had 1 catch for 9 yards. On February 19, 2013, it was announced that the Saints had terminated Thomas' contract.[5]
