2008 Draft retro ... Terrell Thomas

by Ed Valentine on Feb 10, 2009 12:00 PM EST in New York Giants News

Terrell Thomas returns his first career interception against the Arizona Cardinals. Thomas appears to have a bright future as a member of the Giants' secondary.

Let's continue our 2008 Giants draft retrospective today with a look at Terrell Thomas, the USC cornerback who was somewhat of a surprise pick in the 2nd round.

Thomas came out of college with the reputation of being a big, physical corner who excelled at the physical press coverage the Giants like. He also had a reputation for being somewhat injury-prone.

As a rookie, he showed all of that. He started slowly, missing four games with an injury. When he got healthy, he showed excellent athleticism on special teams and eventually became part of the defensive backfield rotation.

Thomas is a sure tackler, a weapon as a blitzer off the edge and showed the potential to become a good cover corner.

Provided he stays healthy, Thomas should join Aaron Ross and Corey Webster to give the Giants an excellent trio or cornerbacks for several seasons to come.

Rookie Season Grade: C+

Terrell Thomas

#24 / Cornerback / New York Giants

Height: 6-1

Weight: 199

Born: Jan 08, 1985

College: U-S-C

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2008 - Terrell Thomas	12	0	0	1	13	0	26	4	30

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Comments

I'd bump him to a "B"

because of some of the great special teams plays he made.

But I’m a giver….LOL

Giants fan from the womb to the tomb

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Feb 10, 2009 12:36 PM EST reply actions

My grade

might be a bit low … but, only because it was well into the season before he actually began to see any real time on the field. the guy is going to be a good player.

by Ed Valentine on Feb 10, 2009 12:41 PM EST up reply actions

If he turns out to be a really good corner..

then that’s another Big Middle Finger directed at the talking heads who do draft analysis. This pick was universally slammed by every draft “expert” that commented on it. The thing is, that if he turns out to be a solid player, the team can shop either him or ross out and get something in return, because good corners are hard to find.

It's not easy being Giants fan in Philly.. but it sure is satisfying

by Hoyadestroya85 on Feb 10, 2009 1:05 PM EST reply actions

Good corners are hard to find

So, why on earth would you consider trading one of them away? NFL teams are so pass-happy now you have to have 3, or even 4, quality guys at the corner. Giving one away, especially a young, is just silly.

by Ed Valentine on Feb 10, 2009 1:14 PM EST up reply actions

Well we've found a couple good ones

and maybe we can lock onto dockery who performed admirably this season.. I don’t know.. It’s also one of those positions where guys don’t just fade, they plummet.

It's not easy being Giants fan in Philly.. but it sure is satisfying

by Hoyadestroya85 on Feb 10, 2009 1:20 PM EST up reply actions

Maybe so

But I would still prefer to hang on to as many of these talented guys as possible. For a long, long time we considered the secondary a liability. It isn’t any more, and I’d like to keep it that way.

by Ed Valentine on Feb 10, 2009 1:26 PM EST up reply actions

It's amazing

how much this team has improved at so many aspects of the game. I like AP but that really is the last area that HAS to be shored up.

I can’t stand to see another 30+ yard pass interference call where all you see is a # 58 jersey with his back to the QB

by NY17NE14 on Feb 10, 2009 7:41 PM EST up reply actions

I think Hoya might have a point

because if both Ross and Thomas blossom into their full potential, then down the road we’re not going to be able to afford 3 really good CBs. So might as well get something for one of them. That’s a long ways away though, so I’ll just enjoy having depth at that position for the first time probably ever.

by potroast on Feb 11, 2009 8:38 AM EST up reply actions

yeah

we still have to worry about Aaron Ross getting beat 60 yards down the field on a double move by a receiver with stone hands

It's not easy being Giants fan in Philly.. but it sure is satisfying

by Hoyadestroya85 on Feb 11, 2009 8:54 AM EST up reply actions

Ross

You know, every corner who has ever played the game has gotten beat on some deep balls. Ross might not be Champ Bailey or Deion Sanders in coverage, but I think pretty much every team in the league would like to have him.

by Ed Valentine on Feb 11, 2009 10:22 AM EST up reply actions

t. thomas

i think he will be a pretty good player. i liked the pick personally. we needed help at corner , and j.reese got us help. now a.p. is another story. hes getting long in the tooth and it shows. we need to draft a nice middle backer in the late rounds and groom him.

by rumble27 on Feb 10, 2009 9:26 PM EST reply actions

we may have already..

Jonathan Goff?

It's not easy being Giants fan in Philly.. but it sure is satisfying

by Hoyadestroya85 on Feb 11, 2009 8:25 AM EST up reply actions

Goff

Yes, I want to see what Goff can do if he gets healthy next season. We should not forget about this guy.

by Ed Valentine on Feb 11, 2009 10:23 AM EST up reply actions

same with Kehl

Kehl played pretty decent at stretches.. and the eagles showed this year with Stewart Bradley (who should have made the pro bowl IMO) and Akeem Jordan can do with a little development. Another thing that the Eagles do that I like, is that they know when to cut players who are getting old/losing their edge. Jeremiah trotter was cut by the eagles in training camp in 2007 at thirty years old.. a decision that was frowned upon at first, but now it’s looking like a brilliant move. AP turns 31 in the middle of next season.. i’d imagine that when the coaches are in training camp that they’ll be closely scrutinizing him to see if he’s worth his salary (which i’d imagine is 4 or 5 million). I think the giants could use the cap space to go after a big name..

It's not easy being Giants fan in Philly.. but it sure is satisfying

by Hoyadestroya85 on Feb 11, 2009 10:57 AM EST up reply actions

Good upside

I agree with the comment that would upgrade Thomas to a B based on some really spectacular special teams plays. On the field, I liked what I saw. Sure he made some rookie mistakes, but he’s fast, strong, has a nose for the ball and looks like he can cover. What a luxury to have the underrated Kevin Dockery essentially become a dime corner. Obviously Thomas has to show that he can contribute over 16 games, but this is the best our secondary has looked in many many years.

by Tucker Fredrickson on Feb 11, 2009 10:59 AM EST reply actions