The Patriots are taking a chance on Jeff Thomas.
Thomas is a gifted wide receiver, but he only was able to showcase his talents in a limited capacity over his three seasons at Miami. The speedster was suspended multiple times while with the Hurricanes and even was briefly removed from the team in 2018. These off-the-field issues seemingly played a part in Thomas going undrafted this year.
The 5-foot-8, 170-pound burner will have a shot in the NFL, though, as he was signed by New England as an undrafted free agent. Thomas clearly is appreciative of the opportunity in front of him, as evidenced by a tweet he sent out Sunday afternoon.
Man what a blessing and opportunity to have!! Thankful for the chance!! I can’t wait to get to work and produce for the best organization, @Patriots https://t.co/ykVwzq5SB6
— Jeff (@theregoes4) April 26, 2020
Thomas played in 34 total games for Miami, racking up a combined 83 catches for 1,316 yards with eight touchdowns. His best collegiate season came as a sophomore in 2018 when he corralled 35 catches for 563 yards with three scores. Thomas also shined as a return man that season, returning 10 punts with an average of 22.1 yards to go along with a TD.
Thomas has the skill set to be a successful receiver in Foxboro, but one has to assume he’ll be on a short leash. The Patriots operate under a zero-tolerance policy, and Bill Belichick likely won’t hesitate to move on from the speedster if troubles arise.
