Here is the stat line for second-year defensive back Shamarko Thomas so far in 2014. Tackles: one.
There it is, that’s it. One tackle.
Thomas has however been on the injury report in eight of the Steelers 12 issued reports for this season so he’s not doing too badly in that regard. This brings in the inevitable question when it comes to draft picks who don’t produce on the field due to injury.
Is he a bust?
Let’s back up a bit. Thomas was the 111th player selected in the 2013 NFL Draft. That means he was selected in the fourth round. If you recall, the Steelers traded their 2014 third round pick to rival Cleveland for the opportunity to move up and grab Thomas.
The Browns would eventually use that pick as part of a package to trade up and get “some guy” named Johnny Manziel.
When Thomas was coming out for the draft, his story started to gain traction. He lost both of his parents in 2010 and suddenly became the head of the household which contained five siblings.
His work ethic is legendary at Syracuse and his style of play was too. He was referred to as “the next Bob Sanders” and a “human missile” by NFL Network guru Mike Mayock.
Thomas appeared to have everything going his way and many believed he could be the successor to Troy Polamalu at some point at the strong safety position. Learning the Dick LeBeau zone-blitzing defense would not be easy but they wouldn’t have traded for him if they were worried about him picking it up.
Thomas immediately made his presence felt at training camp in 2013 by flashing the speed and aggressiveness that got him drafted. It was evident that at the very least Thomas was going to be a special teams demon and he flashed that brilliance several times during the 2013 season.
Thomas was given a few opportunities in nickel and dime packages but stuck mainly to special teams in his rookie campaign. Frankly, that’s as much as we have to go on in terms of him playing in the secondary right now.
During yesterday’s press conference, Steelers’ Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about Thomas seeing time in the secondary and his response was, “we’re happy with our current rotation.” He quickly moved on to other questions.
This has pretty much been Tomlin’s standard response whenever he’s asked about Thomas and with a secondary still feeling burnt from Sunday, why shouldn’t Thomas get a shot? Part of the problem is Tomlin’s love for his veterans which explains why Will Allen will continue to see time ahead of Thomas.
So what do we make of Thomas’ lack of playing? The injuries are obviously the main reason but even when active Thomas has yet to see time on defense.
Personally, I don’t think it’s right to call a player a “bust” if his career has been hampered by injuries. I look at a guy like former number one pick Steve Emtman, a defensive end whose career was hampered by severe knee injuries. I can’t call a guy like that a bust because this isn’t like a JaMarcus Russell case where a guy is just flat-out lazy.
Right now I think we have to be careful with this term regarding Shamarko Thomas but what we can do is criticize the Steelers for yet another wasted pick. Only Thomas can save them himself from that moniker.
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