Just read an article on it from twitter but didn't save the link and now I'm having trouble finding it. Discussed how his prospects at safety were slim since we added Ihenacho, plus what's already there...and how we are thin at corner depth. Can anybody else provide the link?
Josh Shapiro @JoshuaShapiro3
@JamesKratch Is Mykkele Thompson fully participating? Hows he look as a CB? Had no shot sticking as a S.
Thompson appeared to be practicing fully at cornerback on Thursday at OTAs. His odds of making the team are undoubtedly better at corner, but I don’t agree he “had no shot sticking” if he stayed at safety. The Giants like Thompson, and he really hasn’t done anything to lose that support by being injured. If anything, the Giants jumped the gun a bit on putting him on injured reserve last year, and then couldn’t bring him back because Shane Vereen was clearly a more important cog to use the one IR/return designation on.
Every indication I got was Thompson would’ve been able to return at some point last season from his knee injury. If the new rules were in place last year and teams got two IR/return players, he likely would have. This is a big year for Thompson. If he can’t produce, or gets injured again, chances are the Giants will move on. Right now, I think he’ll be on the 53-man roster again if he stays healthy.
Link - ( New Window )
Versatility is critical on NFL rosters these days
Can he cover?
Can he tackle?
Can he grasp all the coverages of both positions?
Exhibition games will be critical
May 25, 2017 New York Giants OTA Practice Report - ( New Window )
Quote:
it likely suggests the physicality required at S is an issue.
Not necessarily a bad sign because the nickel CB position is becoming a unique position in its own right (much like the H-back on offense) and they may feel M. Thompson is well suited for it. In today's NFL a guy can have a whole career being not quite ideal for safety or outside CB, but perfect for the slot CB role.
Chances are pretty good he's not long for the NFL, the injuries and being moved around are often re-arranging the deck chairs.
I imagine the Giants see him as a FS/CB given his size and speed.
this is also the kind of thing Belichek asks of everyone on the roster
Long Rangy. Good speed
Plus the Giants are not deep at CB if one of the big 3 go down
I like this move a lot
I'd be in favor of Jackson or Leon Hall. I thought Hall did very well.
Of course, in itself, this does not mean that he can not be a contributor, if not a full time starter.
But the two years of injuries obviously did not help his cause. He is long and thin, and he may be brittle. If he is really going to stick, my thought is the coaching staff will have to limit his play on specials, which itself would be unusual, because who knows if he can take the pounding? As a CB, will he be twitchy and quick enough, reactive enough to be an able cover guy?
If anything, he's propped up as an example of reese being an idiot, even though it's pretty hard to evaluate a guy who hasn't been able to see the field due to injuries.
I'd love to see more than a handful of posts that allude to Thompson being anything more than average, yet he's ripped here often and by relation, Reese is too.
But, point taken. As to the blowback at Reese for the selection, it does seem to be one of those measurables over mind kind of thing.
Quote:
roster spot.
this is also the kind of thing Belichek asks of everyone on the roster
He's not asking everyone on the roster. He does place a premium on versatility, though. The point I'm trying to make is that the Giants probably feel like M. Thompson isn't gonna make the team as a safety so they'll give him a chance at corner before they cut bait.
"There are approximately 150 prospects every year that almost every team agrees deserves a draftable grade. And then the final 100 draft spots go to players from a pool of 1,000+ prospects," Brugler said via e-mail. "So there will always be surprises in the final rounds and the Giants saw something in Thompson that they didn't want to risk him being drafted before the sixth or seventh round."
So, what is it about Thompson that attracted the Giants to him? It's mostly about speed, as in 4.47 40-yard dash speed. It's also about coverage skills. With experience at corner, the Giants see Thompson as a guy who can drop down into the slot when needed...
The full article from Big Blue View is linked below.
BTW, Thompson was also one of Tony Pauline's favorite sleepers at Safety, as noted in this article by Pat Traina. I tried to link his Scouting Report, but, believe it or not I kept getting directed to a Tinder site! (and at my age, too. Go figure).
A head-scratcher? Maybe, but maybe not. - ( New Window )
Acting like anyone has talked up Thompson is a bold faced lie.
Acting like anyone has talked up Thompson is a bold faced lie.
I've talked up Thompson and I've taken a lot of crap from CHP because of it, but I call 'em as I see 'em, and Thompson was looking good, running with the ones, in both his rookie and sophomore years before he got hurt. So you can blame me if Thompson gets called a "BBI legend."
One of Blakes problems is length. He is often in great position and guys make plays over him. Maybe Thompson can help with bigger WRs.
Thompson does have pervious experience at CB (I believe 2 years at Texas) and we have young guys like Darian Thompson and Anthony Adams as FS options.
He is listed at 6'0", 193lbs which may be undersized for a safety, but decent size at CB.
As far as his athleticism goes he seems to have decent tools to work with at CB:
Pro Day Results
40-yard dash: 4.47 and 4.48 seconds
Vertical jump: 36 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, 6 inches
Short shuttle: 4.46 seconds
3-cone: 6.97 seconds
Bench: 18 reps of 225 pounds
I would imagine he could be a decent fit as a slot CB and special teamer.
The only real issue as far as I can see is whether Thompson is healthy, but if he is, he certainly has a chance to contribute. We should remember our scouts did really like him enough to draft him in the 5th round.
Let's see what he can do.
Best case scenario is that he turns out to be a solid nickel CB who plays a lot of special teams.
Worst case scenario is his legs can't stay healthy and he is a camp cut, replaced by a veteran cut OR some 1st or 2nd year player (PS).