Washington's Shaq Thompson Projects as 2015 NFL Draft's Most Versatile Prospect

It’s unclear what position Shaq Thompson will play in the National Football League, but it’s becoming increasingly evident that the Washington junior has the skills to make any team better and should be a first-round pick if he declares for the 2015 draft.

Traditional logic might suggest that Thompson, who has spent most of his Huskies career playing linebacker and is listed at 6’1”, 228 pounds by Washington’s official athletics website, is a “tweener” who is undersized at his natural position.

That logic, however, is becoming increasingly outdated by the year as speed and versatility have become keys to success—especially on the defensive side of the ball—in a sport being played at a faster pace and in more diversified schemes than ever before.

What role Thompson ultimately plays in the NFL will be determined by what team selects him in the draft, as it’s likely that there will be many different opinions between scouts, coaches and executives on where Thompson can make a team better.

The positive side of that unanswered question is Thompson can provide multiple solutions. His abilities to play numerous positions on defense, contribute in all three phases of the game and make big plays in every capacity are what make him one of the top NFL prospects in college football.

A Player Who 'Can Handle It All'

Learning to play new positions has been a staple of Thompson’s career in The Evergreen State.

A 5-star recruit out of Sacramento, California, who was ranked as the No. 3 overall player in his high school class by Scout.com, Thompson started every game of his freshman season as Washington’s nickelback and became an immediate playmaker. He recorded 74 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and recovered one fumble.

Since transitioning to linebacker prior to his sophomore season, Thompson has continued to be productive. He recorded 78 total tackles, four tackles for loss and intercepted one pass, which he returned 80 yards for a touchdown, in 2013.

Thompson has further raised his level of play in 2014, but Washington has not let him stay content with playing only the same role.

In Washington’s most recent game Saturday against Stanford, the Huskies decided to start Thompson at strong safety instead of weak-side linebacker. That did not stop Thompson from having one of the best games of his career by recording seven total tackles, one pass breakup and two forced fumbles, one of which he recovered and returned for a touchdown.

Saturday's game was a showcase of how effectively Thompson, who exhibits natural skills in coverage and the athletic range to make plays all over the field, can be moved to different spots in Washington’s defensive formation.

Thompson has shown over the course of his career that he can impact a game in a positive fashion as an off-ball linebacker, as a wide outside linebacker lined up on the edge or from the secondary.

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Any NFL team that drafts Thompson will do so with the intention of exploiting that versatility to its advantage.

Thompson’s versatility extends beyond the defensive side of the ball. He has seen playing time at running back in three games this season, while he is also not only seen lining up on special teams units, but making plays in that capacity.

As Washington linebackers coach Bob Gregory told the media earlier this week (h/t Adam Jude of The Seattle Times), Thompson “can handle it all.”

“He can do a lot of different things and that gives us flexibility on defense,” Gregory said of Thompson. “He’s a smart player, he works very hard in practice.”

Big-play Ability

Thompson is to Washington what some what could call an X-factor. While his job doesn’t usually entail having the ball in his own hands, he’s a threat to hit paydirt any time he has the ball in his hands with some open space.

In just five games so far this season, Thompson has already scored four touchdowns.

Three of those scores have been defensive touchdowns. Two of them came in Washington’s Sept. 13 win over Illinois, a game in which Thompson took an interception 36 yards to the end zone in the first quarter, then got six points again in the second quarter on a 52-yard scoop-and-score, as shown in the clip below.

What might not be clear in that GIF is how quickly Thompson reacted to the ball hitting the ground, which enabled him to accelerate to the ball with a direct angle and grab it before any other player could get there. More noticeable in that clip above is Thompson’s speed, as he was able to outrun Illinois in a footrace to the goal line.

For his third defensive touchdown of the season, Thompson made an even bigger play. In the second quarter of Saturday’s game against Stanford, Cardinal running back Remound Wright was fighting for yardage when Thompson knocked the ball out of his grasp, scooped up the fumble he forced himself and then went all the way back for a 36-yard score.

Thompson uses his eyes like a seasoned pro to diagnose plays, and he has a tremendous closing burst. It’s the combination of those traits, along with his great ball skills, that have enabled him to become a playmaking machine this season.

Considering he possesses an ideal combination of size and speed for the running back position, it’s no surprise that he’s also displayed big-play ability in that capacity. Against Eastern Washington, on just the third carry of his career, he ran away from a host of Eagles defense to take a run 57 yards to the house.

NFL teams tend to target players who can be game-changers with their first-round picks. It’s likely that’s what the team who drafts Thompson will get.

What Should Thompson’s Role on an NFL Team Be?

At the least, Thompson should be an immediate fixture on the passing defense of the team who drafts him.

Thompson displays excellent fluidity when dropping back into coverage. He has demonstrated that he can have success in one-on-one matchups with tight ends, running backs and even slot receivers.

Looking far more like a typical defensive back than a linebacker athletically, Thompson has the smooth hips and quick feet to stay with pass-catchers downfield and on their route breaks.

Even when Thompson gives up receptions, he rarely allows big plays to happen. As an explosive, click-and-close upfield hitter, Thompson can rapidly bring down a receiver in front of him or, as was the case in the following clip from Washington’s 2013 game against UCLA, dislodge the ball from his opponent’s hands with a forceful hit.

Special teams should also be an immediate area of contribution for Thompson. His speed and ability to hit hard on the run makes him a terrific gunner to send downfield to track down a kickoff returner or chase down a punt.

As the following clip from the 2013 UCLA game shows, downing a punt close to the goal line is another area in which his ball skills become an asset.

Thompson’s limited size sometimes come into play as a run defender, as he can be driven away from runs that come his direction by bigger blockers whom he struggles to disengage from. He is also an occasionally sloppy tackler, largely because of his penchant for making big hits on the run, which sometimes leads to him being overly aggressive in pursuit and taking poor angles.

With that being said, Thompson’s athletic range could make him a key asset to an NFL team in all defensive situations.

Thompson’s physicality and ability to attack downhill enable him to make up for his lack of size as a run defender. His all-around athleticism could lead to an excellent career as a 4-3 weak-side linebacker or 3-4 inside linebacker.

His experience playing in the secondary and doing it well at Washington could also convince a team to draft him to play strong safety. At that position, Thompson projects comparably to another playmaker who currently stars in Seattle—that being Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor.

Like the 6’3”, 232-pound Chancellor, who is an authoritative hitter at all levels of the field but also has the range and ball skills to make plays in downfield pass coverage, Thompson would likely spend most of his time playing in the box and sometimes shift down to linebacker in nickel subpackages.

There’s little reason that Thompson shouldn’t continue to play and excel on defense in the NFL, but could a team also consider getting Thompson on the field at running back?

At least one NFL scout, according to NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks and Charles Davis, thinks Thompson actually has more upside on the offensive side of the ball: "An AFC scout said Thompson is a more natural runner than (UCLA sophomore linebacker/running back Myles) Jack and thinks a full-time move to running back for Thompson would make a lot of sense. 'I'd make sure he touches it 25 times a game,' the scout said."

The NFL Media analysts acknowledged that a long-term move to running back would be a surprise, but it’s quite a testament to Thompson’s physical tools that even one scout employed by the NFL thinks he could excel as a ball-carrier, despite the fact that his times running the ball collegiately remains in the single digits.

How High Will Thompson Be Selected?

Among players eligible to declare for the 2015 draft, no player has shown more versatility or ability to make defensive plays in space than Thompson has. While there’s still time for that to change, it would be a surprise if Thompson doesn’t remain among the top defensive prospects in the draft class should he turn pro following his junior season.

A special physical specimen, Thompson should test very well at the NFL Scouting Combine and/or other predraft workouts. His weigh-ins will be an important step of the evaluation process, as it could determine whether he bulks up to play linebacker or drops back to play safety, but he should capitalize upon the chance to prove himself as a premier athlete in the predraft process.

The 2014 draft had a similar talent, Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier, go No. 15 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers despite being only 6’1”, 237 pounds, according to NFL.com.

Thompson’s production at Washington has not been quite as consistent as Shazier’s was for the Buckeyes, but he brings even more versatility and playmaking ability to the table than Shazier. It should come as no surprise if Thompson, who Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller projected as the No. 11 overall pick to the Miami Dolphins in his most recent mock draft, ends up being a top-15 pick himself.

All GIFs were made at gfycat.com using videos from DraftBreakdown.com or Noonkick.se. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted.

Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow @Dan_Hope