2018 NFL Draft: Georgia’s Trenton Thompson could be late-round steal
Georgia defensive tackle Trenton Thompson has early-round talent that could be picked up in the later days of the 2018 NFL draft.
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One of the more caution areas for NFL teams when looking at collegiate prospects is how healthy, or unhealthy, a player has been in recent years. Even when presented with the most skillful and talented players, a person’s medical history can sometimes sway his draft stock.
This is the case for Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle Trenton Thompson. While he appeared in 13 games in 2017, Thompson played in just 35 percent of the team’s defensive snaps and was unable to get a consistent presence within the scheme. Thompson still managed to make the most of it, posting 38 total tackles — more than half of which were solo.
A big sophomore year from Thompson showed the potential and skill-level of the Bulldogs defensive tackle. In 2016, he had 64 total tackles and five sacks. With this type of season, it is clear he is made for the NFL, but teams will need to find a fine line in which to balance his talent and the recent nagging injuries.
Strengths
Despite his position and size, Thompson has a motor on him that allows to him make athletic plays in the open field. In some cases, once a play or ball carrier moves pass the line of scrimmage, it can be hard for defensive tackles to remain in on the play. For Thompson, this is not a problem as his constant pursuit can help shut down plays once they are down field.
The same is true when the play goes away from him as well. His brute strength can allow him to push through the line on any given play, but its his speed and lateral movement that allows him to remain relevant on each down.
Thompson holds all of the basic fundamentals needed to be a successful tackle at the professional level and his good mix of speed and strength will allow him to compete with even the best players in the world.
Weaknesses
As mentioned, Thompson’s medical history and proneness to injury will make for a challenging start to his NFL career and a reason for teams to pass on him. Due to his wide array of injuries, ranging from MCL to shoulder, at any time these problems could be aggravating again and even if they are not re-injured, they will affect his play, whether it be his strength or speed.
In order for Thompson to be an immediate contributor to an NFL roster, he will need to be 100 percent healthy, and at this point that is far from a sure thing.
Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: Complete 7-round projections
Draft Expectations
Thompson has first or second round talent, but the injury issue will be sure to drop him down a few rounds, making him an extremely worthwhile pick if a team can grab him in the latter half of the draft.
Projection: Round 5