2016 NFL Draft: 5 Wide Receivers You Need to Know

Sep 26, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Michael Thomas (left) evades Western Michigan Broncos safety Rontavious Atkins and dives into the end zone for a first quarter touchdown at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Thomas, Redshirt Junior, Ohio State

When you play the wide receiver position at Ohio State, you are likely going to get a lot of attention when it comes to your ability to play at the next level. But when your bloodlines connect to a former NFL receiver who accumulated 10,571 yards receiving, 64 touchdowns and 814 receptions in his 11-year career, the spotlight shines just a little bit brighter on you.

That is exactly the case for Buckeyes redshirt junior, Michael Thomas.

The nephew of outspoken NFL standout, Keyshawn Johnson, Thomas stands 6’3” and 210 pounds and has already drawn first-round projections for next year’s draft. During the Buckeyes run to the National Championship last year, Thomas reeled in 54 receptions for 799 yards and nine touchdowns. For those of you not familiar with the Buckeye brand of football, those are pretty good numbers considering the high run percentage of their offense.

Despite the Buckeyes offensive struggles thus far in the 2015 season, Thomas has caught 27 passes for 399 yards and four touchdowns through six games—including his best performance of the season on Saturday against Maryland, which yielded seven catches for 107 yards.

You will not see him put up the eye-popping numbers others on this list will, but that doesn’t mean he is not worthy of a first-round pick. He is a polished route-runner who has excellent ballskills and just has a knack for catching anything thrown his way. Thomas will not put up gaudy 40-yard dash numbers, but he has no issue gaining separation from defenders and finding his way to the endzone.

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