ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. not completely closing the door on Logan Thomas as a potential first-round pick
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. isn’t enamored with the quarterback class this season. Asked who could be the first QB off the board in April’s NFL Draft, he said it wouldn’t surprise him if N.C. State’s Mike Glennon made the leap to the top of the group.
It’s why he’s not completely closing the door on Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas having the potential to be a first-round pick if he chooses to go pro.
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Kiper, who has praised Thomas’ skill set in the past, did so again in a conference call Tuesday, saying the junior quarterback’s physical talents override what has been a less-than-stellar season in which he threw for 2,783 yards, 17 touchdowns and 14 interceptions to go along with 528 rushing yards and nine more scores.
“The guy was expected to be a tight end when he came there, so he’s still a little rough around the edges,” Kiper said. “But when you look at the talent, he’s more talented than any quarterback that’s going to be in this draft. You take any quarterback — I don’t care who it is — he’s more talented. So I think just on potential, he could be a guy that factors into the equation.”
Kiper projected Thomas as a top-five pick before the season but has since dropped him off his Big Board of the top 25 players. But he can’t ignore the 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame and big arm.
“That’s the thing you just have to always factor in,” Kiper said. “Is he out of the first round completely? I can never just move out of the first round completely anybody with his size and his arm and his athletic ability. You can coach him up in the NFL and there’s a lot to work with there. He’s the kind of guy who needs a quarterback coach, needs to work on some things.”
Thomas has said several times that he intends on coming back for his senior season, although he plans on getting feedback for the NFL Draft Advisory Board, which, if the player requests it, scouts underclassmen and gives each player a grade of what round they might be selected in.
In a draft class lacking the top-tiered quarterbacks of past seasons, size and arm strength obviously are a big consideration if Glennon, a 6-foot-6 senior who threw for 3,648 yards, 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions this season, could be the top quarterback off the board. Kiper admitted it was a “curveball” to have Glennon possibly ahead of consensus preseason picks Matt Barkley of Southern California and Geno Smith of West Virginia, but says it’s a possibility.
“He’s got the size, he’s got the arm, he’s has the mobility within the framework of the pocket, maneuverability within the pocket,” Kiper said. “He didn’t have a great supporting cast around him. He’s going to be in the Senior Bowl, as will some of these other quarterbacks, so that’s going to be an important week down in Mobile.”
Kiper also thinks it would be wise for Virginia Tech defensive end James Gayle to come back for his senior season, citing a high number of defensive ends and pass-rushing outside linebackers who will be in this year’s draft. Gayle had 40 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and five sacks. That last figure is down from the seven he had last year.
“Again, not a guaranteed first-round pick. If you’re not, then you should go back,” Kiper said. “If I’m James Gayle, I’m going to think about another year at Virginia Tech and put up good numbers and be a dominant pass rusher I think will help his cause.”
December 11, 2012 - 12:05 PM
I think the overwhelmingly largest factor in Logan Thomas’ decision on whether or not to turn pro is what changes will Frank Beamer make to his offensive coaching staff. Any changes made that do not result in an offensive coordinator & QB coach from outside the current staff will guarantee Thomas goes pro.
I think Frank Beamer knows that, too. Resultingly, he understands that without Thomas this season, we’d never be in eyesight of 6-6, much less a winning season. The same holds true next season as well. So, the onus is on Frank to hire from outside his current staff, or Thomas will be virtually forced to leave. If Thomas stays another year under the non-leadership of O’Cain & Stinespring’s helter skelter approach? Talk about falling off the draft board, the conversation on Thomas will not be that 2012 was a fluke in the negative, it will be that 2011 was a fluke in the positive.
It’s quite obvious that O’Cain & Stinespring do not have the ability to improve Logan Thomas beyond his current ability, or they would have also done so during this season of desperation. Even a 2nd/3rd round pick would give him a million dollar contract, and 2-3 years to be correctly coached in quarterbacking. Then he could either assume a starting job or take the free agent role, where every NFL front office loves a big stud with a strong arm for a QB. It’s pretty clear when Thomas will decide – after Beamer makes the changes he’s been forced into doing.
Andy- Do you think if Beamer doesn’t make changes to offense style that this would impact Logans decision?
He’s the kind of guy who needs a quarterback coach, needs to work on some things.” Boy thats something to think about? Virginia Tech needs one!
The timing could be great for Logan Thomas when you look at how many teams in the NFL need a QB. Thomas proved he was a great prospect when hooking up with the likes of Jard Boykin and Danny Coale last year. Didn’t do well against Clemson but did well against other teams. I could see Oakland, Buffalo or Arizona selecting him. Also, he could play TE as well. Now that David Wilson is on track and Jarrett Hosely is playing well, this bodes well for VT’s reputation.
Mike Glennon?! Baw ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I guess Kiper didn’t see the game where Tennessee destroyed him.
Barkley? Ehh. He isn’t that great, but he’s somewhat average. He may continue the long line of overacheiving Trojans’ quarterbacks to become a middling, sucky NFL quarterback. Leinhart? Sanchez? Palmer?
Geno Smith might be good, but I’m not sold on his ability to be a NFL starter from day one. Ditto for Logan Thomas. LT3 has a world of upside to him, his problems are well documented, and poor coaching in Blacksburg has not done anything to fix it. So, if he goes, no shame in being a project quarterback who gets to work behind an established starter, work with a true quarterback coach, and learn the system from the NFL.
I think Logan should go pro. He gets to make money just holding the clipboard, which would be more than I would ever dream of making in a lifetime.
Love the comment “needs a QB coach”. Hear that Frank? I’m sure Mel Kiper would agree to need for OL coach as well!
HAHAHA, thanks for the laugh, Mel. While Thomas may have NFL potential in the future, an NFL defense would take his lunch money.
Darren and Terry,
You almost have to analyze that comment fully to appreciate what it really says.
It doesn’t say LT has gotten poor QB coaching, it says LT has gotten NO QB coaching.
That being said, keep in mind that Kiper was the one who convinced Shyrone Stith to go pro claiming he would be one of the early underclassman QB’s to be drafted. 7 rounds later he was barely drafted and his career stats are 55 total NFL yards and 1 touchdown. He was out of the league in 2 years, and not by injury.
Point is that Kiper is hardly the expert than ESPN touts him to be.
If there is anybody out there screwing up a person’s future career more than Mel Kiper, Jr, I’d like to see them.
The guy is a tool, and just exactly WHAT got him to this level of expertise? His hair? It certainly isn’t his football knowledge. Nothing.
No great QBs in the draft and he is a talent. On the right team (with an older starting QB and time to learn) he would be a good addition. I am thinking the Steelers or Broncos. Someone like that. No one would expect him to be a starter and star as a rookie.
What an interesting thought that Logan Thomas and Mike Vick could be competing for the same job at Oakland, Buffalo or Arizona. I do agree that some of Thomas’s problems this season stemmed from lack of QB coaching and OC or lack thereof but none of that explains why he can’t throw the football accurately on a consistent basis. He may want to offer his services in the draft as a QB and a TE, definitely a dual threat. Maybe could play linebacker as well, you just never know. The earlier writer is correct, though, if he goes pro, VT will win 4 games at most. I am already planning for a Coastal Division title by the Yellow Jackets. That would be two in a row.
Thomas has the attitude, the intelligence, the character, the athleticism and the arm strength to be a terrific quarterback and leader. He needs someone to work on some fundamentals and footwork. He relies on his arm too much without properly setting his feet, and it affects his accuracy. This leads to the critical short-down situations where he has to run it himself. In college, against bad and mediocre teams such as populate the ACC, this works. It won’t work in the pros.
Beamer, get a coach to work on the young man’s fundamentals and footwork. Please.
In three years, the Hokies will have 3 starting quarterbacks in the NFL — Tyrod Taylor, Logan Thomas, and Michael Vick. Bold Prediction @gtbowyer
Bob H,
To back up your statement about Mel Kiper, Jr. – I seem to recall that, during its run, BDST out-picked Mel in the first round of the NFL draft -every- year, and it wasn’t even close.
Within a year two of those QB’s will probably be out of the NFL, although the Ravens could probably use Tyrod Taylor now, time to give him a shot. Flacco has gone wacko. Is Drunkenmiller still in the NFL?
Barry,
His name was Druckenmiller not Drunkemiller. And no, he didn’t last past his rookie contract when it expired. He won the only game he started as even at VT was known more as a game day QB than a good practice QB.
That got him in Bill Walsh’s doghouse and even though traded to Miami, he remained there as the league thought highly of Walsh.
He didn’t get the opportunity to play through his mistakes like rookie QB’s today do.
I wonder if Todd McShay has rendered his opinion about Logan Thomas’s chances in the Draft.
TO BOB H. , BOB I DONT RECALL STITH EVER BEING A QB AT TECH OR ANYWHERE . I THOUGSHT HE WAS A RUNNING BACK. AM I WRONG?
Just wondering how crooked road knows so much about QB coaching and how O’Cain and Stinespring have impaired Logan’s ability to improve? Tell us your expertise on that crooked road.
Logan’s accuracy was not as good this year and his overall stats did not quite match last years stats (although very close to last year) but many athletes have been known to have great seasons and then down times as well. I know that Kobe Bryant’s jump shot accuracy has failed him at times but never have I heard it being attributed to an assistant coach. Same as Chipper Jones going into a batting slump. Would that be a coach’s fault as well.
Tell us crooked road why Logans less than stellar season can be attributed to O’cain and Stinespring.
One can only hope.
I’m taking the opposite tact of a few commentors. I say that if Coach Beamer fires Stinespring and/or O’Cain, then Logan Thomas will go pro early. I think the kid has a relationship with these coaches, and will move on if they are forced to.
Not making argument for or against coaching changes…just syain’.
Logan’s less than stellar season can be attributed primarily to this, loss of Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin. They bailed him out last year in close games in a big way, otherwise VT could have easily lost 5 or 6 of those games and been 6-6 like this year. Those erratic throws that he made last year were gathered in by two of the best receivers in the nation. Good receiving corps can make a QB look like a hall of famer but when they are gone, the QB can do little more than run the ball and fortunately Logan can do that but that doesn’t work for every play.
Barry from Ivy,
While Flacco is not a world beater, he is a mid-level QB. Will he ever win a MVP award? Most likely not, but if you split the current 32 starting NFL QB’s down the middle, Flacco is definitely in the top 15.
Whether it’s in the NFL or under a new QB coach at Tech next season, for LT’s sake I hope he finds someone to correct whatever got changed in his mechanics between 2011 and this past season. It would be a shame to see all that potential talent wasted. Watching him overthrow open receivers, his inability to make a “touch” throw over a linebacker or DE to an open back out of the backfield and short-hopping the ball to open guys this past season had alot of folks shaking their heads. I don’t know who the guy was that he worked out with in San Diego last off season, but it seemed to me he screwed something up with LT.
I’m the last fan or arm chair coach anyone should take advice from, but after watching one of the strongest arms I’ve ever seen at Tech start short-hopping the ball to receivers in about game three on, Leal should have been given serious consideration to start a couple of games if not the rest of the season. If Logan comes out in the bowl game with Rutgers and shows the same kind of tendancies that contributed to so many of Tech’s slow offensive starts this season, do they leave him in or give Leal a chance? And as far as next season is concerned, if Logan returns to Tech and can’t get the mechanics corrected by that opener against Bama, how do you think a slow offensive start will play out against that bunch? If Thomas is showing those same tendancies early in the bowl, I say put Leal in there, bench LT and if he comes back to Tech next year he needs to prove he should be the starter again. Leal might fall flat on his face if put into action against Rutgers, or he might just be the spark the Tech offense could have used about seven or eight games ago. If LT is still in the mix for Tech next year, they (the coaches) need to stop waiting for Thomas to snap out of whatever is wrong and start finding ways to correct it.
Don’t forget that Logan Thomas’ top three receiving targets at Tech (Davis, Fuller and Roberts) are also seniors. Demetri Knowles will be a player. But whomever is starting at QB for the Hokies next year, he’ll have to deal with a young, inexperienced group of wide receivers.
Although I really enjoy the coverage of the draft, its a total crapshoot. McShay knows more than Kiper and that is still not much more than the slightly above average football fan. The ones that know what these players capabilities and ceiling..are the coaches and the scouts.
I loved seeing Kiper squirm last year on Day 2 when he basically said that Russell Wilson wouldn’t amount to much in the NFL. Jon Gruden subsequently berated him and told him he didn’t know what he was talking about. See where Wilson is now. Kiper’s mock draft will go out the window by pick 6-7 just like it does every year.
D.J. Coles will be back with a medical redshirt, but your point still stands. Lots of inexperience beyond him.
Don’t forget DJ Coles will be back next year Hokie92. He is probably at this point better than any of the three you listed.
Hokie92 & AB, good points…but whoever is catching the ball next year they need someone who can get it to them without throwing it five feet over their heads or four yards in front of them on the turf. IMO Thomas should have been benched many weeks ago based on those types of throws and his inability to move the offense after the defense had kept them in the game. The Miami game really sticks in my memory….in the second half of a 20-12 game, the defense serves up Five three and outs to start the second half and the offense goes nowhere….zero points. I thought that would have been a good spot to put Leal in the game, but again I’m just a frustrated Hokie fan, not a coach.
if Frank Beamer only plans to coach for 2 more years (don’t know), he will keep most of his staff IMO. If he desires to continue for 3 to 5 more, he must get new/fresh ideas on the o side of the ball.
I like how he said “he needs a QB coach”. So true.
Barry – With each post you show how little you know. Logan threw many passes this year that no one on earth could catch. You can’t judge a player based on the 1 game you managed to watch. What happened in the VT/GT game by the way? If Logan leaves early it will be addition by subtraction. Mark Leal the backup would’ve been an improvement over Logan this year. I know, I know Barry reality sucks when you’re a GT fan
I know huntersdad spoken like a true Hokie fan that knows what he’s talking about. Not some ignorant GT troll
Yeah Flacco is a decent QB. Barry is clueless about college AND the NFL
Beamer must be thinking of something to turn the program around …… LOL not !!
Yep, not saying Flacko is not a decent QB, just not an elite QB. For one thing he holds the ball much too long and is up and down in performance, cannot win the big game (like VT). Schaub is also a decent QB but there are glaring likenesses with those two. Tony Romeo falls in the category with Flacko and Swab also. Do you think that VT will score against Rutgers? Will Paul Johnson be the new head coach at VT?
You will probably see Mark Leal in the Rustle Bustle Bowl in Orlando. After Tech gets clobbered again, everyone will be crying for Beamer’s head but after a few months go by, the Hokie Nation will forget and start planning for another 10 win season with sights on the National Championship. I really enjoy this three ring circus, don’t you? The Jackets will sting the Trojans!!!!!!!!!
Logan Thomas needs to sit back and see what’s going to happen to VT’s coaching staff. He has the option of getting an agent that can tell him presumably where he will be drafted this spring. There is a HUGE drop off financially from first to second or third round.Should he bolt early, he will be rolling the dice unless told otherwise. If he does go, looks like Bucky Hodges gets to face Alabama in Atlanta next Fall,,hmmm
Ask Doug Doughty has been posting the past few days, when is the right time to annouce a new coaching staff??
The problems with the program at Virginia Tech are deeper and more serious than a quarterback situation.
“He’s the kind of guy who needs a quarterback coach”
[Mike O'Cain voice]Ouch[/M.O'C.v]
Haven’t you learned anything from your annual bowl game beatdowns Barry? GT can’t win a bowl game because when a team, ANY team, has a week to prepare for GT they win
@ Frank and @ Forester,,spot on
Actually, Mike3, if Logan signs with an agent, he loses his eligibility. What he can do is this – submit his name to a panel of NFL scouts and personnel analysts. GM’s, player personnel people, etc. They will study film on him and provide him with a general idea of where he possibly could be drafted. No guarantees, but good estimates. If he likes what he hears, then he can go pro, if he doesn’t, he can stay in school.
As for the financial difference in income from the different rounds, it is all pretty regulated by the rookie salary cap. A lat first rounder doesn’t make a lot more than an early second rounder, etc. An early first rounder does make substantially more than an early second rounder, though.
They question isn’t really about money lost from the rookie contract. Keep in mind, that as a second round draftee, Thomas could still pull in something along the lines of $4million over five years. Also keep in mind that should Thomas stay and flounder again next year, then the narrative on his potential will be that 2011 was a fluke year where he was propped up by excellent WRs & RB talent that hid his weaknesses. If he goes now, the narrative remains that he has potential, he just needs to be coached.
What Thomas needs to be concerned about is when he can finally receive some skilled training in being a QB in the NFL. He most certainly won’t get it from staying one more year at VT. He would indeed get it by going to virtually any of the NFL teams, good or bad. At least at a much more advanced level than what he’ll get at Tech.
Thus, the question really becomes – when does Logan Thomas want to start learning how to be a QB in the NFL? Now? Or later?
Thanks Crooked Road, a good kid that deserves the best.I hope his ultimate decision is well thought out and properly planned for him and his Family.
Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas has announced that he will forgo the 2013 NFL draft and return to school for his senior season.
This comes in the middle of what has been a very disappointing year for both he and the 6-6 Hokies.
“I’ve always told everybody that I’m planning on coming back for my last one,” Thomas said. “I think any decision would be tough. …If you’re rated a top-five pick, it’s tough not to go and take the money. At the same time, leaving Blacksburg would be extremely tough for me, because that means leaving home, leaving my friends and moving on into the real world, as they say.”
What Thomas said is true: It would be difficult for any future top-five pick to put millions of dollars on the line and return to school to finish out a degree.
However, the 6-foot-6, 260-pound NFL prototype has ended any chances of that happening this April with his aberrant performances.
Listed as a potential No. 1 overall candidate by Mel Kiper earlier in the year, Thomas has been extremely inconsistent. He’s completed just over 53 percent of his passes and has already thrown 10 interceptions — equaling his total from 2011.
There’s a lot of upside to Thomas and I believe we’ve yet to see the best from him, which is why we’ll be watching him play college football next season. He still needs more time to develop and prepare himself to be the top-five draft pick he’s capable of being.
Does anyone know how many tickets VT has sold for their bowl game?
Thomas’s problem is mental. It’s just like a golfer who does everything mechanically correct when he putts and can’t make a putt. On the other hand, the golfer who has terrible form but believes he can make anything he putts, will out putt Mr. Mechanical every time. It’s mental and until he gets his confidence back, it will be a repeat of 2012.
Make sure he still remembers how to catch the ball, scrap the whole QB concept, and put him back in at TE like they should have done four years ago. Bring up Leal, and now you have one more weapon to run, catch and block.
Imagine the opportunities for using LT in the Wild Turkey, or in trick plays, with him potentially throwing the ball with Leal in. Definitely need a new OC first, or those all turn into Danny Coale fake punt attempts.
I agree with “Tom L”……..I don’t know when people will realize that Logan Thomas was, and never will be a “Cam Newton”…..Stop to make him into one!!…..He was a TE turned into a QB!!!…….I still don’t see him as a First Round QB – not even next year……….A good “project”, but, not draft round material…….
I think, eventually, he will be a TE in the pros……..The quick and clever defensive schemes and players in the NFL would eat him alive!!!
Leal could easily be another RG III. Just think if VT used the pistol formation with a QB that could execute it, no one would beat the Hokies. (Except GT)
If Logan Thomas enters the draft as an “athlete” there is simply no way that he would not be the #1 pick. I would make him a wideout. With that height and the way he just runs over defenders, it really ticks me off everytime I watch him play QB. In my opinion, he should have been a wide receiver. He would have dominated. Logan is just that good. This experiment with Logan Thomas is just one more indication that it’s time for Beamer to either willfully or forcefully step down.
TO BOB H. , BOB I DONT RECALL STITH EVER BEING A QB AT TECH OR ANYWHERE . I THOUGSHT HE WAS A RUNNING BACK. AM I WRONG?
Comment by JOHN WRIGHT — December 11, 2012 @ 3:26 pm
Stith was a running back lol. If people are going to comment, atleast get their facts straight. I think Logan should stay another year as well. He truely needs next season to fix whatever it is that he has broken since last year. I still think he has the potential to be an awesome QB in the NFL. Id love to see him get drafter 1st round NEXT YEAR
Barry from Ivy is from fantasy land.
Calling Logan Thomas a top 5 pick shows he is barely at room temperature with this level of thought.
Logan Thomas is no where near ready for the NFL. His play shows it. How many more games do we get to hear how BIG he is?! rediculous! Big and slow and everyone has figured out what he does. the QB draw doesnt work and if he even tried that crap in the NFL he would get destroyed.
FINALLY!!……Thank you “Mark R”!!……Someone, who lives in REALITY!…..I have said this over and over again, that Logan Thomas “IS”, “NEVER WAS”, nor “EVER WILL BE” a first-round NFL Quarterback!!!!!!
For some reason, some of the IDIOTS at ESPN are trying to make him into a “CAM NEWTON” because of his size!!…….HOWEVER, he does not possess Cam’s natural ability, speed nor mechanics
He “might” make it as an ‘athlete” or “TE” in the NFL – which was his original position any DAM* way!!!
Thank you, again!!
Oh, P.S…………..And “CAM NEWTON” played on a national championship team……What were the “CHOKIES” this year?….Oh, I forgot……(6-6)……..And that was with the “REAL” Logan Thomas