Chase Thomas: Video Highlights for Former Stanford LB

Sometimes the words "smart player" and "strong instincts" are used as backhanded compliments for linebackers who aren't especially fast or athletic.

Granted, Stanford's Chase Thomas isn't a phenomenal athlete, nor did he have an especially strong showing at February's NFL Scouting Combine.

What he is, however, is a smart player with strong instincts, and Thomas turned that into a very productive collegiate career at Stanford.

Now, as Thomas attempts to take the next step and parlay that into NFL success, let's take a look back at some of the high points of his time in Palo Alto.  

A Standout Career

As I said, Chase Thomas had an extremely productive career with the Cardinal.

Over three full seasons as a starter, Thomas racked up 191 tackles, 43 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, eight forced fumbles and two interceptions.

The 6'3", 244-pound Thomas was named a Sporting News All-American in 2011, and twice Thomas was named a first-team All Pac-12 performer.

According to NFL.com, former Stanford and current San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said of Thomas that “he was born to play football.”

Cue the montage!

Bane of the Bruins: vs. UCLA (2012)

Chase Thomas got up close and personal with more than a few quarterbacks over his time at Stanford.

But UCLA signal-caller Brett Hundley is probably still having nightmares about Thomas.

Over a two-game stretch last year (their regular-season meeting and the Pac-12 title game the following week) Thomas dropped Hundley four times, with Stanford emerging victorious in both meetings.

The third of those four sacks, and Thomas' first in the Pac-12 championship game, came when he lined up wide with his hand in the dirt, spun inside the tackle's block and wrapped Hundley up.

A Bear for the Bears: vs. Cal (2012)

Chase Thomas also racked up a sack of Cal quarterback Zach Maynard in Stanford's October victory over the Bears.

However, it's his football intellect and his ability to stuff the run that we'll focus on here.

In the game's first quarter, Maynard handed the rock to wide receiver Bryce Treggs on a jet sweep, but Thomas was having none of it. Thomas diagnosed the play, fought through the block from the tailback and dropped Treggs for a substantial loss.

Thomas would go on to post seven tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in a 21-3 win.

Going Wild on the Wildcats: vs. Arizona (2012)

Of all Stanford's games last year, none were more exciting than the October tilt in Palo Alto against the Arizona Wildcats, a back-and-forth affair that the Cardinal won 54-48 in overtime.

Granted, that game wasn't exactly a shining display of defense by Stanford, but Chase Thomas put on quite a show, tallying a season-high 11 tackles.

As the trio of plays from the game above demonstrate, whether it was punishing a receiver over the middle, chasing down a running back in the open field or picking off a tipped Matt Scott pass, Thomas brought his "A" game against Arizona.

Denting the Golden Dome: vs. Notre Dame (2011)

Given that Chase Thomas has been a starter for the Cardinal since partway through his freshman season, it's hardly surprising that some of his bigger games came before his senior year.

One of those big games occurred in the 2011 regular-season finale, a 28-14 victory over Notre Dame that propelled Stanford into a BCS matchup with Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.

In that win over the Fighting Irish, Thomas racked up five solo tackles, a pair of sacks and a forced fumble. The first of those sacks, and the forced fumble, came in the game's first quarter, when Thomas blew past tight end Tyler Eifert and stripped the ball away from quarterback Tommy Rees.

Duking It Out: vs. Duke (2011)

It wasn't that long ago that a Duke vs. Stanford matchup would have been an exciting game...in basketball.

In football, however, their September, 2011 matchup went about as one would expect, with the Cardinal throttling the Blue Devils 44-14.

Duke quarterback Sean Renfree is actually something of a "sleeper" prospect entering the 2013 NFL draft, but this is a game that Renfree would probably rather forget. Chase Thomas had a lot to do with that, as the then-junior amassed six tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the blowout.

The first of those sacks, shown above, came on a simple inside move, with Thomas fighting his way through the "trash" until he made his way to the quarterback.