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Positives: Has adequate upper body muscle thickness, well-developed arms, tight midsection and adequate thighs … Has the strength to anchor and hold ground at the point of attack vs. double team activity … Shows good initial quickness off the snap and is effective at squeezing the edge to close on the pocket … Shows good balance in chasing down outside running plays … Shows good body control in his over-all movements, as he demonstrates the balance needed to easily bend and maneuver in traffic … Gives good effort and plays the cut blocks well, using his hands to keep the opponent off his legs … Flows to the ball with good flexibility and has no balance issues when needed to change direction in an instant … Smart player who has no problems with digesting a complicated playbook … Makes quick reads and reaction to pressure, but needs to be more alert to ball location … Practices and plays hard, showing both effort and purpose … Can handle tough coaching … Has a quick first step, showing a good feel for blocks and the ability to play the run from a wide alignment … Can extend and lock on to his opponent and squeeze down the line of scrimmage … Keeps his outside arm free for leverage and generally plays with a low pad level … Shows power and extension, with the ability to sink his hips and roll them for power, especially when taking on tight ends … Has the functional strength to anchor and neutralize at the point of attack, using his hands well when trying to stack … Good wrap-up tackler who will also make the effort-type hits … Still a work in progress, but showed improved press, rip-and-push and pull moves as a senior than he did his first three seasons … Usually shows good hand position to grab and hold on to the blocker … Despite lacking a massive frame, he plays with a good anchor and wide base and has the foot speed to scrape down the line of scrimmage … On the move, he can redirect when pushing the outside run, taking proper angles to neutralize the cutback action … Might be a decent fit as a linebacker, as he is not the type who will bite on misdirection and gets a good read on the quarterback when dropping back to play in the zone … Has room on his frame to add more bulk without it affecting his overall quickness … With his arm length and hand strength, he is effective at combating blockers trying to attack his body.
Negatives: Has good change of direction agility when he stays low in his pads, but his frame does get tall at times, causing him to look sluggish trying to turn the corner … Needs a clear lane to get to the quarterback and is not known for generating much pressure in his backside action (just one QB hurry for his career) … Lacks the strength and power to bull rush … Plays hard, but is an inconsistent competitor who will take plays off and his stamina affects his play late in games … Shows good extension at the point-of-attack, but stays engaged with his opponent too long … Struggles to shed blocks at times, as he gets caught up too much in the battle, losing sight of the ball … Has the ability to plant his foot and redirect with burst, but will round off his cuts at times … Struggles to sink his hips and hold the point-of-attack in one-on-one confrontations … Can sit in the gap, but is late to shed … Wraps up and drags down the ballcarrier rather than dropping his hips and exploding with his legs … Lacks quickness off the edge, making him generally too late to pressure the pocket … Displays an inconsistent motor and manages his game poorly … Lacks size and strength to hold the point for very long … Mostly plays the gaps, slanting and using his shoulder to hold the point … Uses a single stiff arm to press offensive tackles' shoulders to get upfield, but lacks the ability to turn his hips and flatten to the quarterback … Needs to maintain a low pad level to be effective, but he gets too tall in his stance, letting blockers wash him off the snap … Must learn how to slip through and avoid blockers rather than stay there and battle them throughout the play.
Compares To: JASON BABIN-Seattle … Thompson had an efficient senior season and while he plays with a good motor, he is just marginal when it comes to locating the ball. Some teams feel that his lateral agility and foot speed are better suited for linebacker. But he is a situational player, at best. He fails to impact the pocket much and has just one QB pressure in 46 games. He gets too caught up in the one-one-one battles and needs to learn that there are times you must avoid blockers rather than engaging them.
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