Michigan Wolverines football cornerback Ambry Thomas became the fourth U-M player to hear his name called in this year's NFL Draft, with the San Francisco 49ers selecting him late in the third round (102nd overall).
He went significantly higher than most analysts projected, with numerous prognosticators expecting him to go anywhere from the fourth to the sixth round.
Defensive end Kwity Paye (No. 21 to the Indianapolis Colts), offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield (No. 68 to the Atlanta Falcons) and wideout Nico Collins (No. 89 to the Houston Texans) were the three Maize and Blue players who went higher than Thomas.
"He plays in the slot," NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah observed. "He’s at his best, to me, on the inside but can play outside. He had a rough game against [Notre Dame's] Chase Claypool, but it turns out Chase Claypool is pretty good, so I wouldn’t hold that against him.
"Thomas is little bit sticky coming out of his plant-drive, but his eyes are very good. He’s an interesting player."
"They run so much man coverage and bracket coverage in [former Michigan coordinator] Don Brown’s defense, so he was on an island throughout his career," analyst Joel Klatt added.
“He has a lot of physical tools and is slender at 6-0, 180 pounds," ESPN's Louis Riddick said. "He can get on his horse and go, and has coverage skills that are special — he just needs to be able to put it all together.
"Thomas has the speed to keep with a deep vertical route and finish. He also has return skills and breakaway speed — if you get him out in the open field, he can take it the distance and to the house.
"This is another good developmental pick by San Francisco, because they need more play-making defensive backs.”
The cornerback originally came to Michigan as a four-star prospect from Detroit Martin Luther King High School in the 2017 class, checking in as the No. 146 overall player nationally out of high school.
He played sparingly on defense as a freshman in 2017 but made a name for himself as the club's primary kick returner, averaging 19.8 yards per return on 20 attempts. The storyline was much of the same as a sophomore in 2018, though he chipped in nine tackles and a pick on the defensive side of the ball.
Thomas also averaged 21.7 yards on 19 kick returns, including a highlight reel 99-yard return for a touchdown in the season opener at Notre Dame that year. He was taken off kick return duties as a junior in 2019, but on the flip side, became a lockdown cornerback on defense.
Thomas finished his junior year with 38 tackles, three interceptions and seven pass breakups, helping anchor a Michigan secondary that finished 10th nationally against the pass.
He also earned third-team All-Big Ten recognition from the coaches at season's end. Thomas decided to opt out of the 2020 campaign when the Big Ten announced its cancellation of the football season, with the Detroit native never opting back in and subsequently not playing his senior year.
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