Overview

Position: WR

College: Mississippi State

Class: Senior

Age: 22

 

Measurables

Height: 5’8 3/4″

Weight: 164 lbs.

Arm length: 29 3/8”

Hand size: 9”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.26 sec.

10-yard split: 1.54 sec.

Vertical jump: N/A

Broad jump: N/A

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Elite speed. Can run right past cornerbacks in press coverage with a clean release. Will slow play a route early versus cushion coverage and burst past the cornerback to get deep. Able to win with a looping inside release and stack vertically. Glides running downfield routes. Knows how to split defenders and accelerate as a downfield route runner. Fluid getting around defenders giving a cushion to get vertical. Terrific speed and smoothness on double moves. Tracks the ball at a high level. Tremendous ability to track the deep ball over his outside shoulder. Excellent catch focus to bring in over-the-shoulder grabs while contacted. Highly impressive ability to lay out for downfield passes. Great ability to slide underneath a downfield pass to slow down and secure it if slightly underthrown. Very good hands in general. Natural feel for open space in coverage running downfield routes. Quick crossing over and accelerating on post cuts versus cushion coverage. Fast and smooth getting vertical from the slot. Smooth on in-breaking routes. Good burst and hands on crossing routes from the outside. Outstanding speed running across the middle on slant routes. Great feet on comeback routes. Very quick on out cuts. Quick on hitches. Catches the ball cleanly and gets his feet down along the sideline. Works back to the football on underneath passes. Successfully dives for passes thrown low and away. Used on motion handoffs and reverses. Good ball handling with a two-handed pump on fake reverses. Shows some strength to break an arm tackle after the catch. Has a second gear to separate when he gets going after the catch. Mostly aligned on the right side but saw snaps on the left side. Gives effort blocking on perimeter screens. Showed aggression for his size going inside to block.

 

Weaknesses

Very small overall stature. Small catch radius. Average first-step acceleration for his size and skillset. Can get completely jammed and pushed backwards off the line. Needs to avoid getting pushed out of bounds when opponents use physicality down the sideline on vertical routes. Seems to use too much shake trying to separate on the release. Sometimes too choppy throttling down and allows stop routes to be mirrored. Hands are less reliable on intermediate passes when contested. Will show some frustration when open deep and the ball doesn’t go his way. Lacks strength as a blocker. Typically doesn’t look to be aggressive engaging as a blocker on the perimeter.

 

NFL comparison

Tre Tucker

 

Conclusion

Overall, Thompson is an extremely fast wide receiver who routinely runs past cornerbacks on the perimeter when not contacted. He could be a dangerous weapon in the right system with a quarterback who has success pushing the ball downfield.

 

Big Board ranking: #77 | Positional ranking: #15