Central High School in Brookfield Wisconsin must be
proud of their own Joe Thomas. The 6'8 313lb LT is the best OL in the
country, HANDS DOWN. He is also arguably the most athletic as well. He
played DT for the Badgers last year when they got in a pinch.
Thomas
is projected to be among the top three overall selections in the 2007
National Football League Draft by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. , Scouts Inc.
and us here at the War Room. Thomas was named to 2006 Playboy
All-America team, the 2006 preseason first-team All-American and the
nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle according to The War Room. A
second-team preseason All-American according to Lindy’s and Street
& Smith’s, Thomas was selected to 2006 preseason watch lists for
the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award and was assigned the only
one-on-one block on UW’s offensive line 90 percent of the time the past
two seasons.
In 2005, Thomas was first-team All-American
according to Pro Football Weekly and was second-team All-American by
Walter Camp, SI.com and Rivals.com. A consensus first-team All-Big Ten,
Thomas was a Lombardi Award semifinalist. The ESPN The Magazine
Academic All-District 5 honoree, Thomas was an Academic All-Big Ten
choice, where he started all 13 games at left tackle and was named UW’s
co-offensive player of the week vs. Bowling Green and Penn State.
Thomas earned third varsity letter and injured right knee while filling
in on depleted defensive line in Capital One Bowl game vs. Auburn.
Thomas
earned second varsity letter in 2004 when started all 12 regular season
games at left tackle. He was a consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten
pick and named Academic All-Big Ten and first-team academic
all-district. Thomas set UW indoor record in shot put with throw of
62-0 ¼ feet, set in 2005 and was a 2005 NCAA indoor and outdoor
qualifier in shot put.
Thomas in 2003 earned first varsity letter
and played much of season as a blocking TE (wearing No. 82). Thomas was
the first true freshman OL to see action during the Barry Alvarez era,
and started at DE vs. Auburn in Music City Bowl and assisted on seven
tackles.
Thomas was rated as the No. 4 offensive tackle in the
nation according to Tom Lemming and among top 20 offensive tackles
nationally, top 25 players in the Midwest and No. 3 player in Wisconsin
according to Rivals.com. A PrepStar All-American and second-team
All-America offensive tackle according to USA Today. Thomas was also a
member of Detroit Free Press All-Midwest team , and was a Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel first-team all-state defensive lineman and second-team
all-state offensive tackle as a senior. Thomas was also first-team
all-state honors at DE from Wisconsin Football Coaches Association and
Associated Press. The WFCA 2002 Defensive Player of the Year with
fellow Badger Justin Ostrowski, had 85 tackles and 12 QB sacks as a
senior and 70 tackles and eight sacks as a junior. The three-time
all-conference selection and four-year letter winner in football, track
and basketball, captained football and basketball teams his senior year
and finished fifth in nationals in shot put as a junior. Thomas was
all-conference, all-area and all-state selection in shot put and discus
… four-year honor roll student. He was also on the U.S. Army Academic
All-America team, and was coached in football by Rick Synold at
Brookfield Central High.
The business major (real estate and
urban land economics) makes his parents Eric and Sally very proud and
embodies everything college sports is about.
Joe Thomas is the
highest rated OL I have since Orlando Pace (who went #1 overall). He
has all the tools to be an all-pro for years to come and his play
reminds ME of HOFer (and Chaffey High School/USC alum) Anthony Munoz.
Joe
Arrigo is a staff writer for The War Room Draft Guide, the definitive
online source for information on the NFL Draft. The War Room Draft
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