Thomas Graham Scouting Report

remydat

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PROSPECT SUMMARY - THOMAS GRAHAM

Thomas Graham has average reactive athleticism, as evidenced in his agility and overall quickness. He is a willing tackler in the run game and has shown the ability to be a wrap-up tackler against the run. When he is the force player, he does a good job getting the runner on the ground. In the passing game, he plays with good technique. Because he lacks top-end speed and short-area agility, his good technique helps him open his hips on time and get to the football. He has excellent timing and ball skills and is extremely competitive at the catch point.

Ideal Role: Subpackage outside-only corner.
Scheme Fit: Zone scheme with some press concepts.

FILM EVALUATION

Written by Drae Harris
Games watched: Stanford (2019), Auburn (2019), USC (2019)

Best Game Studied: Stanford (2019)
Worst Game Studied: USC (2019)

Man Coverage: He has good man cover skills. He does a good job with his technique, which puts him in a position to make plays. He also does a good job of competing at the catch point when the ball is in the air.

Zone Coverage: He does a good job in zone coverage. He has a good understanding of route combinations. He also does a good job playing the ball in the air to get deflections.

Ball Skills: He demonstrates good ball skills. He has been very productive against the pass in his career. He could improve at getting more interceptions instead of settling for the PBU.

Tackling: He is a good tackler against the run. He comes up courageously and has shown the ability to be a wrap-up tackler. His tackling against receivers is very good.

Versatility: He lacks true positional versatility. He is not a great athlete and doesn’t have ideal size. As a result, he is best suited to play outside.

Competitive Toughness: He demonstrates the competitive toughness necessary for the position. He closes hard and will compete at the catch point. He also shows good physical toughness as a run defender.

Functional Athleticism: His functional athleticism will be an issue for him in the NFL. He is not a dynamic athlete. He lacks elite top-end speed and also lacks the short-area agility that’s essential in coverage.

Football IQ: His football IQ overall is average. He will at times forget his responsibilities in an effort to get his hands on the football. He has been successful at getting his hands on the football, though.

Run Defense: He is a good run defender. When he is the force player, he does a good job of showing up in the run game. He has shown proficiency as a wrap-up tackler.

Length: His length overall is average. He is 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds and lacks good height, weight, speed measurables. He also lacks the length necessary for an effective press/zone corner.

Prospect Comparison: Darius Phillips (2019 NFL Draft, Cincinnati Bengals)

SCOUT GRADES

TDN Consensus: 72.50/100
Joe Marino:
72.50/100
Kyle Crabbs: 72.50/100
Jordan Reid: 72.00/100
Drae Harris: 73.00/100
 

remydat

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He profiles as the off man outside corner opposite a press corner like Johnson. In that regard he is a very raw version of Fuller. This assumes Desai wants to play a Fangio D where one CB presses (Prince or Johnson) and one plays off and watches the QB (Fuller or Graham).
 

dweebs19

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Bears kinda lucked out that he opted out this past season. I think he's a 3rd round talent
 

dabears70

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Why is Marvin Wilson (DT FSU) still on the board? Was he that bad in 2020 cause he was mocked as a top half of the 1st round pick after 2019 if he would of entered the 2020 draft, if i remember correctly.
 

Bearly

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Heads up, aware player.
 

rawdawg

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Big fan of his game. I agree with this scouting report for the most part. I thought he had the 2nd best feet I've seen in this draft.

There are guys like Jaycee Horn, who just get in a WRs face and press and get physical with them and win that way. There are guys like Caleb Farley, who are just super athletes who have the change of direction skills, and general speed and athleticism to either keep up with WRs or close with the ball in the air. Then there are guys like Graham, and the guy I thought had the best feet, Greg Newsome II. They can mirror a WRs movements and don't get juked out of position. The difference between Graham and Newsome is long speed where Newsome can recover better if he does have a misstep, but I trust Graham's technique enough to not misstep too often.

A lot of Bears fans think he's a nickel guy. While I do disagree with this scouting report that he can only play outside, I do like him better on the outside. I do think the ball production could actually be better. 8 INTs and 20-something pass breakups, but he could still get his head around a little better in coverage down the field. I love his potential in off and/or zone coverage. I don't think he's going to make anyone forget about Kyle Fuller, because he's not as much of a pure talent as Fuller, but I think he's a guy that can be a bottom half starter in the league. Passable, but if he's legitimately your 3rd or 4th best CB, you have a solid coverage group.
 

94c4lt1

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Loved this, the reaction to Nagy telling him he got drafted is just awesome
That's my favorite part of the draft. It's the life long actualization of a dream for these young adults. Such a momentous occasion for them! Great stuff!
 

dabears70

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Loved this, the reaction to Nagy telling him he got drafted is just awesome
Everything about hearing that is what makes watching the draft so much fun. Love this kid being mad about it being a long wait and telling Nagy the Bears won't regret drafting him. Was already a fan but this kid will now have my eyes even more to see how he progresses.
 

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