De’Anthony Thomas will visit Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears helmet against the Minnesota Vikings. Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon Ducks product De’Anthony Thomas was one of the finest offensive weapons in the country over the past couple of seasons, and he heads into the 2014 NFL Draft with questions pertaining to his role, durability, and chances of success in the NFL. But nobody can question Thomas’s speed, athleticism, agility, and explosiveness, because he is a weapon in its purest form. DAT could be a nasty complementary piece for a high-powered offense, and he’s received looks from two of those kinds of offenses.
After visiting the Atlanta Falcons a couple of weeks ago, FOX Sports’s Ross Jones reports that Thomas will visit the Chicago Bears tomorrow. The Bears have one of the league’s most fearsome offenses with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery forming arguably the league’s best wide receiver duo, possible second-year breakout player Marquess Wilson (a Pac-12 foe Thomas is undoubtedly familiar with), talented tight end Martellus Bennett, superstar running back Matt Forte, and cannon-armed franchise signal-caller Jay Cutler.
Adding De’Anthony Thomas to those list of names could make the Bears even more explosive, and I could see him succeeding as a chess piece in the Bears offense. The success of explosive athletes makes the position more coveted, and I could see him working out as a mid-round pick for a number of teams. His rawness and durability questions are one thing, but I’m sure many people are worried that he’s a gimmick player who might not even end up being as good as Dexter McCluster. DAT won’t be picked high enough in the draft to where he could be tabbed as a bust or cause the team that picks him to risk something, so he looks like a solid flier on paper due to his upside and athletic ability.