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PFF scouting report: Michael Thomas, WR, Southern Miss

DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 26: Michael Thomas #88 of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles celebrates a touchdown against the Washington Huskies during the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl at Cotton Bowl on December 26, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Here is the PFF draft profile for Southern Miss' Michael Thomas, which incorporates PFF’s college grades and scouting intel from our team of analysts. To see all of PFF’s 2016 scouting reports, click here.

Position fit:

Outside wide receiver; Thomas spent 654 of his 851 snaps in 2015 at left wide receiver.

Stats to know:

His 2.98 yards per route run average was the fifth-best of any wide receiver in this draft class.

What he does best:

• Creates separation on a variety of routes

• Impressive at the catch-point at times, can outmuscle a defensive back to the ball

• Caught the highest percentage of contested passes among the top receivers in the draft class

• Wins the subtle hand-battle downfield to create separation on deep passes

• Creates good separation on the deep dig route, accelerates out of his break

• Capable of some circus catches, we've seen him extend himself to win the ball numerous times

• Wasn't invited to the combine, so we don't know his timed speed, but appears to have the speed to beat defensive backs downfield

Biggest concern:

• Can get jammed at the line of scrimmage and struggles to break free when it happens

• Lacks polish as a wide receiver, more of an athlete playing the position at this point

• Dropped nine of 122 catchable passes between 2014 and 2015—not too high, but some really poor drops in there

Bottom line:

Thomas might be the first real sleeper at the position in this class. He needs to improve at getting off press coverage, but he plays much bigger than 6-foot-1-inch; Thomas has the ability to really surprise some people down the road.

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