Ouch, Bay-Bay! Tech’s Thomas breaks foot as stock soars
Demaryius Thomas shakes hands, not with Mel Kiper. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
File this under really lousy timing. On the same day Georgia Tech receiver Demaryius Thomas saw his name listed on Mel Kiper’s mock first round on ESPN.com, he broke his foot while training in Scottsdale, Ariz. So reports Tony Pauline on SI.com.
Thomas, known as Bay-Bay, broke his left foot in a three-cone drill. He’ll miss next week’s NFL combine. More from Pauline:
His agent, Todd France, told SI.com that it was a clean break and doctors expect a recovery time of four to six weeks. “There are no longterm effects from the injury and Demaryius will be 100 percent by the time OTA’s begin,” said France, who added that surgery is a possibility. “If surgery hastens the healing process, that is something we will consider.”
According to observers at Athletes Performance, where Thomas has been training, the 6-foot-3, 227-pound receiver had been turning in sensational workouts in preparation for the combine. He recently ran a verified 4.38 in the 40, which was recorded on film and will be sent to every team in the league, France told SI.com.
That glowing report jibes with Kiper what offered in his second mock draft on ESPN.com. He had Thomas projected to be taken by the Bengals with the 21st pick of Round 1. That was higher than Tech tailback Jonathan Dwyer, who’s excluded from Kiper’s Round 1 and also from his Big Board, which lists the top 25 overall prospects. (Links require registration.) Thomas was No. 21 on both, with Kiper offering this:
Here’s the big riser of the past couple of weeks. Thomas will be red-hot after the workouts get going. He’s a big target (6-3, 225 pounds) and a downfield threat. He averaged more than 25 yards per catch and remained productive in a run-based offense based. Carson Palmer needs weapons, and Thomas can be one.
And what of Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan? He’s No. 8 on the Big Board, and Kiper has him going 11th — to Jacksonville — his mock.
And what, you’re asking, of the Falcons? Well, Mel sees their Round 1 pick the same way Don Banks of SI.com saw it a few weeks ago — Kyle Wilson, a cornerback from Boise State. Here’s Mel K. on K. Wilson:
Wilson is another player who jumped at the Senior Bowl. He’s fluid, excellent in coverage and an immediate help on special teams. Wilson had a quiet season, but great cornerbacks often do. He simply wasn’t challenged enough. Stock is now back on the rise.
Scouts Inc. rates Wilson as the 28th-best player available and the third-best cornerback. (The Falcons will pick either 19th or 20th, depending on a coin flip with Houston.) Todd McShay of ESPN.com sees the Falcons taking a different cornerback — Kareem Jackson of Alabama — in Round 1. Scouts Inc. rates Jackson the 21st-best player and the second-best CB in the draft. But I’ll say it again:
Just because the outside world believes the Falcons need a cornerback doesn’t mean Thomas Dimitroff will take one in the first round. Dimitroff is especially picky about that position. (He’s considered one of the best judges of defensive backs in the business.) If he doesn’t think a guy has the potential to be a No. 1 NFL CB — a shutdown corner, in the vernacular — he’s not apt to draft him in Round 1. And Dimitroff doesn’t believe there are many shutdown corners in the entire league.
To reiterate: Were I betting, I’d still say the Falcons will take a pass rusher — be it a defensive end or an outside linebacker — with that first pick. But I’ve been wrong once or twice.
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122 comments Add your comment
JD
February 17th, 2010
10:36 pm
Mark – when are you picking the NERDS to beat the Dawgs again this year?
loldawgs
February 17th, 2010
10:42 pm
“If you are a high school player that wants to play in this offense in college you must not be interested in the NFL”
Because the star RB and WR are projected 1st round picks? Sense, your comment makes none.
AlabamaRamblinwreck
February 17th, 2010
10:43 pm
RomeDawg: Try as you may to tear down the program on the rise, but you know CPJ is got it going on. If you didn’t believe that, you would have something better to do with your time than try to convince recruits (or parents) that playing for PJ puts a player behind the 8 ball in regards to the NFL. You are an idiot, and when 4 of our players are drafted in the first 3 rounds, and probably 3 within the first 35 players drafted, your mythical beliefs will be quelled. Public schools there in Rome, GA are still pretty bad, and I know, since I went to one of them. I had to work extra hard at Tech to get the redneck out!!
Go Jackets!!
Koach "Rev" Richt
February 17th, 2010
10:49 pm
If you are interested in SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA sign up for the “University” of Georgia, and play for the Clarke County Penal Team! Two misdemeanors allowed per semester, one felony per season.
Dan
February 17th, 2010
10:50 pm
RomeDawg, you really reflect poorly on UGA fans. The kid breaks his foot and you post – anonomously – a comment from another column earlier this week about his perceived weaknesses, which are not accurate, but you never really watched the games did you? I mean, did you plan on plagiarizing the whole thing for us?
It’s really a sad state of affairs. Most Georgia fans are perfectly reasonable people but you manage to make them look guilty by association.
GoodSense
February 17th, 2010
10:50 pm
F**k the SEC. I can’t believe anyone would want to be affiliated with the likes of UGA, Tennessee, Alabama, LSU or Mississippi State, et.al. over Duke, Wake Forest, Boston College, UNC and Virginia. Get real. It shouldn’t be about 100,000 seat stadiums full of drooling idiots. It should be about academic integrity and not letting football run your university.
Dan
February 17th, 2010
10:50 pm
loldawgs, don’t forget about our DE too.
wesleywhatwhat
February 17th, 2010
10:57 pm
that sucks for thomas, but he will be fine in the long term. let’s hope he heals fast and can get plenty of individual workouts in for interested teams before the draft.
todd grantham
February 17th, 2010
10:59 pm
Mark, you truely have the gift of jinx.
todd grantham
February 17th, 2010
11:00 pm
I’ll bet you thought to yourself tonight “Georgia will hang on against Tennessee”. and thats all it took.
Smart Guy
February 17th, 2010
11:08 pm
Georgia Tech would raise the average IQ of the SEC by about 50 points.
Jon Contract
February 17th, 2010
11:09 pm
Is there such a thing as the Bradley jinx?
If so, has it taken on SI or Madden cover type proportions?
I think we forget only one team gets to win. The other 20-30 come up short.
uberVU - social comments
February 17th, 2010
11:19 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by MarkBradleyAJC: Ouch, Bay-Bay! Tech receiver Demaryius Thomas makes Round 1 of Kiper’s mock draft, then breaks foot. http://bit.ly/aMFpbI…
Mark Bradley
February 17th, 2010
11:31 pm
I’ve already picked Georgia to win this year, JD.
Mark Bradley
February 17th, 2010
11:33 pm
You know, it’s amazing. When I came to work at the AJC — the date was March 5, 1984 — people were talking about John Dewberry and Tyrone Sorrells. And here it is Feb. 17, 2010 … and I guess we still are.
Jon Contract
February 17th, 2010
11:34 pm
Kiss of death
Jon Contract
February 17th, 2010
11:39 pm
When I came to work at the AJC — the date was March 5, 1984
You just missed the Herschel days
Mark Bradley
February 17th, 2010
11:42 pm
I did miss Herschel, and I didn’t. I saw him in person each of his three seasons when I was covering UK for the Herald-Leader.
Golden Rule
February 17th, 2010
11:50 pm
Don’t worry Rome…u still have King to cheer for…didn’t all you educationally challenged mutt fans say that ugump got the better back years ago…JD will play in the pros…King will never set foot on a pro field…except to cut the grass.
Jon Contract
February 17th, 2010
11:57 pm
Did Herschel break one on the blue grass? Memory serves correct he did.
Mark Bradley
February 18th, 2010
12:00 am
Scored on a 64-yard pass from John Lastinger in 1982. The pass itself traveled maybe 10 yards. Herschel was alone in the right flat and just ran down the sideline. Kentucky was very proud it held him under 155 yards rushing all three years. (Still lost all three games big.) His longest run against UK was 21 yards.
Jon Contract
February 18th, 2010
12:01 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyKLeXP2XOU
Benjamin
February 18th, 2010
12:03 am
To clarify my earlier comment, Bradley, I think Thomas is going to be a very good receiver. I just see a draft stocked with them.
Dez Bryant, in my opinion, is the absolute cream of the crop — in my view, he’s going to be a top-of-the-league guy — but there are a good 5-6 more that I think could turn out to be at least one-time Pro Bowlers. Bay-Bay is in that group.
Benjamin
February 18th, 2010
12:06 am
Golden, don’t sell Caleb short just yet, in regard to his pro stock.
He likely won’t be a starter, but King’s got a lot of talent. He’s just been hidden behind Moreno and his health, and Ealey earned the starting spot this season. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of CK.
Jon Contract
February 18th, 2010
12:35 am
Lastinger
Wow that brings back memories,
*There will be no national championship, no undefeated season, no wild celebrations for the University of Texas Longhorns. The accolades for an unbeaten 11-game regular season will be all but forgotten.
The Cotton Bowl became the Longhorns’ funeral pyre Monday afternoon, as their dream of an unbeaten season and possible national championship turned to ashes with Georgia’s improbable 10-9 victory in the 48th annual Cotton Bowl Classic.
Improbable too was the method of execution, a 17-yard touchdown run with 3:22 remaining by Georgia quarterback John Lastinger against a proud and defiant Texas defense*
Golden Rule
February 18th, 2010
12:47 am
Benjamin…i stand by my comments.
All Cupcakes Conference
February 18th, 2010
12:48 am
“If GT dumbed down it’s academics for football players and allowed easy majors”
They did, it’s called “Management”.
“Georgia Tech would raise the average IQ of the SEC by about 50 points.”
And the average male student population’s virginity by 50%.
Golden Rule
February 18th, 2010
12:59 am
Cupcake…you want dumb down academics….How much is a three point shot worth?…now you tell me what so called college (cough cough choke gag barf) from the SEC had that on a test?
Jon Contract
February 18th, 2010
1:00 am
A rare look at that 84 Cotton Bowl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sE9Ddr7VJU&feature=player_embedded
Golden Rule
February 18th, 2010
1:01 am
Be careful Rome…I don’t recommend you going for three words…that lump on your shoulders may explode.
Golden Rule
February 18th, 2010
1:04 am
GT Man….go back to flipping burgers for your dawg friends
All Cupcakes Conference
February 18th, 2010
1:24 am
Actually, it’s “dumbed-down”. Someone with your superior academic credentials should know that. But while we’re on the subject, why don’t you ask Roddy Jones why he can’t count to three in Spanish?
P. Bull Terrier
February 18th, 2010
2:04 am
I haven’t heard exactly which bone in his foot Thomas broke, but foot fractures can be surprisingly difficult to heal. I’m sure he’ll get first class, daily medical treatment that will help him recover quicker than the average man on the street, but I’d be surprised if the injury didn’t knock him out of the first round.
I wouldn’t wish a broken foot on anybody, even a guy from Tech with a dumb name like Bay-Bay.
gman
February 18th, 2010
3:41 am
romedawg? romedawg? how old are you man?
Notso Fast
February 18th, 2010
3:48 am
The only question was his speed and if the 40 time is correct then he should be drafted very high. With great hands, size and speed,hard to not move up.
Alabama Jack
February 18th, 2010
7:02 am
I think Tech ought to join the AFC and compete with other pro teams like Florida, Alabama, USC, and Tennessee,
Bay Bay
February 18th, 2010
8:10 am
Speaking of dumb names “P. Bull Terrier”!
Yellow Fuzz
February 18th, 2010
8:16 am
While watching the US speed skater win the gold medal last night (by 18-hundreths of a second) over the South Korea guy, I couldn’t help but wonder if that would have qualified as a severe “a$$ kicking” or “beat down” if he had been from uga.
Hahahahahahahahahahahhahaahhaahahhahahahaha
Ed
February 18th, 2010
8:16 am
Yes you have to take calculus, finance, accounting…just easy courses compared to history, afro studies, sports team memorization, etc lol.
clueless cupcake. the typical ignorant uga fan. a dime a dozen!
Morgan Burnett
February 18th, 2010
8:16 am
After Bey-Bey’s dropsies in the 30-24 loss to UGA we changed Demaryius’ nickname to Drop-Drop.
Jesse Stone
February 18th, 2010
8:17 am
Kareem Jackson is a fundamentally sound player. I coached him way back in middle school. Quality young man, quality family. I will be a KJ fan, Falcon or not.
RomeDawg
February 18th, 2010
8:22 am
I now know what it feels like to be Mark Bradley. I write something no one agrees with. It’s kind of fun to piss people off though, ain’t it Mark.
gman? gman? how old do you think I am?
Dan, what I said was three word from another article. I simple pointed out another perspective. As for our school system, it is currently in the top 5 public school systems in the state of Georgia. Don’t be pissed about that spanking(s). (30-24) (73-66) Always remember: You are second rate in this state! High School Offense! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Could it be?
February 18th, 2010
8:26 am
RomeDawg and The Grinch hmmmm.
Special Ed Conference
February 18th, 2010
9:04 am
A coworker has a degree in biology from UGA and a finance degree from Georgia State. We like to say the GSU degree gets him jobs and the UGA degree gets him a handicapped parking sticker.
Cobb Jacket
February 18th, 2010
9:06 am
Rome schools are top 5 in a state consistently ranked in the bottom 5 in the country in education? How nice for you guys.
Dan
February 18th, 2010
9:17 am
Romedawg, you did it without attribution and essentially used it as your own thought. I understand you’re largely incapable of thinking on your own, but all we’re asking is for you try once in awhile.
Y’all are .500 against that high school offense and are giving up 35 a game against it. If we’re 2nd rate, what does that make UGA? 4th rate? 9th rate?
Romedawg
February 18th, 2010
10:02 am
Dan
February 18th, 2010
9:17 am
Romedawg, you did it without attribution and essentially used it as your own thought. I understand you’re largely incapable of thinking on your own, but all we’re asking is for you try once in awhile.
Y’all are .500 against that high school offense and are giving up 35 a game against it. If we’re 2nd rate, what does that make UGA? 4th rate? 9th rate?
What? Try talking so I can understand
His foot OR HIS HANDS ???
February 18th, 2010
10:10 am
Did he break a foot or were BOTH HANDS broken for the UGA game??
AAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA 30-24
Dan
February 18th, 2010
10:55 am
Point made, Romedawg.
atl-xmen
February 18th, 2010
11:07 am
those players getting drafted are gailys recruits and would have been drafted at or around the same spot if gaily would have stayed. but the problem with pj offense now is that if given a choice those players would have gone else where in hopes of being prepared to play in the pros. bebe can catch but his blocking was pretty much running a fly in hopes of a the cornerback following him. also he was bigger than most corners so he didnt needto learn how to block properly like he will in the nfl. he also will be trying to learn how to read certain defenses and run routes that was never asked of him in pj high school offense. now to the running back. again dwyer was lucky enough to play at least one year in a pro style offense but he too will be behind in being prepared for the nfl. he was never asked to block,which is a must in the pros. also he never needed to learn to read a defense either so a minus there. also a another negative is that a running back can only take so many hits in a football career before he breaks down. i think dwyer has taken way more the last two years than any 5 year vet in the pros as he was being hit every play even without the football. again that will keep any good running back from coming to ga tech to play in pj offense. pj has one guy in the nfl that i know of that played for him and that is adrian peterson that went to the bears. and he hasnt really panned out. i dont know of any qb thats actually plays qb in the pros, or any receiver either. again these players that tech has on the draft coming up are gailys players and already had the talent to make it to the pros. the guys pj will be bringing in will not be that talented plus they wont have a clue on how to play the position correctly for the pro style offense that is being ran in the pros.
so i dont see tech getting better anytime soon on offense..defense they will be ok..but thats about it..