Cam Thomas Scouting Report

North Carolina's Cam Thomas was supposed to join fellow defensive tackle Marvin Austin and clog the middle and dominate the line of scrimmage against every team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. While the North Carolina defense has been great, Thomas has not put up great numbers. Part of that is due to UNC's defensive style of play. The team does not attack the quarterback, but instead sits back and reads the offense and then uses their speed and intelligence to make a play. Still, Thomas has just 15 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and no sacks through eight games of the 2009 season. By comparison, Thomas totaled 34 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss and one sack in 13 starts during the 2008 campaign. While the numbers may not be eye popping, Thomas is an experienced defensive tackle who has a great size. Most opposing offensive linemen have a difficult time moving his 6-3, 330 pound frame and that makes it very difficult to run against Thomas. Despite being so large, Thomas is surprisingly athletic and has good footwork. If he can learn to stay low at the point of attack, Thomas has all the tools to be a solid tackle at the next level. 2/1 Update: Thomas had a great Senior Week. He was solid throughout the workouts and even tallied a sack in the Senior Bowl. Being a defensive lineman in this class can be a very fickle thing since there are so many quality linemen, but Thomas may have moved himself up into the second round. Yet, he needs to keep up the good work or there will be plenty of other defensive tackles ready to move up. 3/1 Update: Thomas had a solid NFL Combine as well and his stock continues to slowly move up. He proved that he is one of the stronger defensive tackles in this class and his footwork and athleticism are still his best assets. Thomas has probably reached his peak on the draft board as a late second round or early third round selection, but he has seemed to solidify that position barring a major slip up between now and the draft.