Washington Redskins Sign Wide-Receiver Devin Thomas

At last, two days before the start of the Washington Redskins' 2008 Training Camp, wide receiver Devin Thomas out of Michigan State has agreed to terms.  He has agreed to a four-year, five million-dollar contract.

Thomas, twenty-one, was the thirty-fourth overall selection in this year's draft, and one of the first wide receivers taken, second only to Donnie Avery who was drafted thirty-third overall by the St. Louis Rams. 

At Michigan State, Devin Thomas was rather quiet until his Junior year, where he exploded both as a receiver and as a kick returner.  In his final year (that being his Junior year) at Michigan State, Thomas yielded seventy-nine receptions for 1,260 yards in twenty-three games, making him the Big Ten leader in receiving yards.  Eight touchdowns were under his belt, as well. 

In addition, Thomas set a conference record in return yards, yielding a whopping 1,135 in his Junior year.  That left him with 2,590 total yards, second in league history only to Larry Johnson (now a member of the Kansas City Chiefs).

It comes as a bit of a surprise to many that Thomas was not drafted in the first round.  Nearly all mock drafts had both him and wide receiver Malcolm Kelly (also with the Redskins) going within the first twenty picks, with Thomas being the first receiver selected. 

With those monster statistics and an excellent 4.4-second forty-yard dash, one might question why he fell to the second round. 

Perhaps it was the fact that he was a "one-hit wonder" in a sense.  Thomas had very little productivity in his earlier college years, therefore some may think his Junior year was a mere fluke.  

Regardless, the Redskins made a smart (or perhaps lucky?) move by trading their first round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for two additional second rounders. 

By doing so, as Executive Vice President Vinny Cerrato has said, the organization believed they would be giving up Devin Thomas or Malcolm Kelly.  Apparently it was a risk they were willing to take.  

In the end, Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and tight end Fred Davis, first-round grade athletes according to Cerrato, were still available.

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