KC Chiefs: Grading the 2014 Draft

Round Four: De’Anthony Thomas

Grade: C-

De’Anthony Thomas has been everything I expected out of the former Oregon Ducks’ running back. He’s the fastest guy on the field, but he breaks easily.

Thomas has missed a lot of games due to hamstrings, headaches, or other bumps and bruises. While he’s a very dynamic player when he’s in the game, and one of the most exciting players to watch, he’s too unreliable to be a real factor.

In a world where you need guys to stay healthy as long as possible, Thomas is more risk than reward.

In a world where you need guys to stay healthy as long as possible, Thomas is more risk than reward. I never get more excited as a fan than when he get’s the ball in his hands. He can run away from anyone and reverse field to turn a lost cause into a positive gain.

He also does well in the return game as he makes people miss and has the speed to take it to the house at any point.

I simply don’t see Thomas evolving into a Darren Sproles or Danny Woodhead type of player. He has the size, the speed, and the ‘know-how’ of those guys, but his body simply doesn’t hold up to the hits that the NFL has bestowed upon him.

Enjoy Thomas for what he is, which is an exciting player to watch with the ball in his hands, but not someone that you’ll look to on a week to week basis. He’s mostly a bust considering James White was taken just a few picks later and has proven to be much more reliable as a pass catching running back with big play potential.

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