The NY Times profiles Walter Thomas, a mountain of a defensive tackle with only two games of college playing experience in the last two years who is turning the heads of NFL scouts before this weekend’s draft because of his combination of freakish size and agility:
Football teams everywhere are filled with big men, but many of them can barely move. Thomas has run the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds, faster than some N.F.L. tight ends. He is the rare tackle who can catch a running back from behind.
“The guy is a dadgum Russian gymnast,” said Randy Pippin, the head coach at Northwest Mississippi.
Thomas’s flexibility has become part of his lore. He does handstands and handsprings, broad jumps and cartwheels. When he gets excited, he will do a back flip.
Stay tuned.
