Ink on Indy
Fansided

Colts Met with Edge Rusher Solomon Thomas at NFL Combine

By Kyle Nishida

Mar 5, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stanford Cardinal defensive lineman Solomon Thomas participates in a workout drill during the 2017 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stanford Cardinal defensive lineman Solomon Thomas participates in a workout drill during the 2017 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The NFL Combine is beginning to wind down, but the Indianapolis Colts are making sure they meet with as many players as they can. Earlier Sunday, they met with top talent Solomon Thomas.

Fox 59’s and CBS 4’s Mike Chappell reported that the two sides met. He also mentioned Florida‘s Marcus Maye, Ohio‘s Tarell Basham, and LSU‘s Davon Godchaux also met with the team.

Thomas spent three years at Stanford, but the Cardinal redshirted him in 2014. As a result, he only played two seasons of college football as a defensive end. However, he played very well the minute he stepped onto the field for the Cardinal.

More from Indianapolis Colts

He had 98 combined tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in his college career. He exploded up draft boards after posting 61 combined tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks as a redshirt sophomore.

He has propelled so far up draft boards that he could potentially be a Top 10 pick, which is amazing considering there was not much draft talk surrounding him entering the 2016 season.

The two things that stick out about Thomas are his explosiveness and high motor. He jumps out of his stance and instantly puts pressure on opposing linemen he faces.

Plus, he will do it on every play. There were not many times, if any, that Thomas took plays off. He kept attacking and constantly made plays in the backfield as a result.

Here are two plays that best demonstrate his unbelievable quickness and motor. The first clip shows him sacking UCLA‘s Josh Rosen, and the second one shows him tormenting North Carolina linemen on multiple occasions.

Thomas has the sort of quickness and explosiveness the Colts have desperately been looking for since 2014. Scouts seem to think he best projects as a 3-4 outside linebacker, which is exactly what Indianapolis needs.

The team’s top sack masters are leaving or probably not coming back for 2017. Robert Mathis retired once the 2016 season ended. Meanwhile, Trent Cole, Erik Walden, and Akeem Ayers are all free agents. There has been no news about re-signing any of these guys.

The Colts have struck gold with recent draft picks from Stanford; namely Andrew Luck, Coby Fleener, David Parry and Henry Anderson. It seems very likely Thomas would be another name they could add to that list, if they draft him.

Thomas has the potential to be an elite pass rusher in the NFL. That fact intrigues the Colts, but it also intrigues the rest of the league.

Next: Colts to Potentially Target LB Paul Worrilow in Free Agency

Indianapolis owns the 15th pick overall, and there is a chance Thomas is off the board by that point. Hopefully, he falls to them because he is a talent that the Colts would like to get their hands on.

Home/Indianapolis Colts