Name: Ambry Thomas 

School: Michigan 

Year:  Junior 

Position: Cornerback 

Measurements: 6’0 189 

STATS:

General Info:

Attended Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Michigan. Played both ways in high school. He played both wide receiver and cornerback. He had 14 touchdowns as a senior. Four-star recruit coming out of high school. Thomas was first team all-state as a wide receiver. Played in the All-American Bowl in 2017. Played special teams as a freshman at Michigan, on the return team and coverage team. Thomas was a backup cornerback and special teamer as a sophomore in 2018. He returned one kick 99 yards for a touchdown against Notre Dame. Started his whole Junior year and played special teams as well. Ambry opted out of the 2020 season and declared for the 2021 NFL draft. 

Positional Skills:

Positives: 

Thomas is a very good athlete, very fast. He should run in the 4.4 range and his speed shows on film. Thomas played special teams all three years at Michigan on both coverage teams and his freshman and sophomore seasons as a returner. The speedy cornerback is best playing press coverage. Thomas will use a one hand punch on receivers and use his long arms to disrupt the timing of their route. Thomas also shows a good two hand punch, but he seems to prefer the one hand. He can play trail technique and undercut the receiver to get his hands on the ball. Thomas also has experience lining up in the slot. Ambry has good leaping ability; he can get up and get his hands on balls that some other DB’s cannot. Thomas is a solid tackler; he wraps him man up and takes him down. His ability to attack the receiver on short throws on or near the line is amazing; he just explodes. His ability on film to click is close on the receiver is very good. Receivers do not get much YAC against him. The cover man has shown flashes in zone coverage. 

Negatives: 

Thomas is still raw. He was only a one-year starter; you wish he would have played the 2020 season. His numbers as a returner at Michigan outside of the one touchdown are average at best. He only averaged 20.7 yards a return. Thomas isn’t a hitter. You won’t see him blowing up receivers or running backs. He played at about 180 his junior year, so he was undersized. He struggles getting off blocks, this is probably due to his strength, he needs to get stronger. Ambry can be a little grabby sometimes like most college press corners. He has a bad habit of looking back for the ball late on deep balls. 

Fit with the Packers:

He would fit in with the Packers as a developmental player. If GB either signs a vet to start for a year or two and or drafts a CB early in round one or two and they start. Thomas is raw only having been a one-year starter, but he has versatility. He has experience early in his career playing some slot. He also has a lot of experience on special teams on both the returning end and coverage. So, he could come in as a rookie and be a game day active even if he is #4 or #5 on the depth chart due to his special team’s skills and experience, versatility and his athleticism.  Came into the senior bowl at a solid 189; how that extra weight effects his athleticism is to be seen at his pro day; he looked fine at the senior bowl but his workouts will be important to see how he moves with the added weight. He probably could stand to put on another five pounds. Do not expect him to come in and compete for a starting spot as a rookie. With him being off for a year and only a one-year starter he is going to need some development. That is why he is expected to go in the mid rounds. His ceiling is probably round 3 if someone falls in love with his speed and athleticism. Expect him to have a similar type rookie year to Ka’dar Hollman as far as playing time and playing mostly special teams. Thomas has a lot more upside though. The Michigan product has the potential to develop into a very good starting cornerback.