Daniel Thomas (running back)

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Daniel Thomas
refer to caption
Thomas with the Miami Dolphins in 2014
No. 30, 33, 37
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1987-10-29) October 29, 1987 (age 36)
Hilliard, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Hilliard (FL)
College:Kansas State
NFL draft:2011 / Round: 2 / Pick: 62
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
CFL status:International
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:409
Rushing yards:1,480
Rushing touchdowns:10
Receptions:55
Receiving yards:412
Receiving touchdowns:3
Player stats at NFL.com

Daniel Thomas (born October 29, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats. He was selected by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft.

High school career[edit]

Thomas rushed 103 times for 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns at quarterback as a senior at Hilliard Middle-Senior High School in Hilliard, Florida. He threw for 936 yards and added 11 touchdowns. He also chipped in 57 tackles and one interception as a senior safety. He earned all-state honors as both a quarterback and linebacker. As a Junior, Thomas rushed for 178 yards and a touchdown and also had 34 receptions for 596 yards and four touchdowns primarily playing WR on a team that also featured Ralph Bolden who was an All-Big 10 performer at RB for Purdue in 2009. Thomas was also a stand-out basketball player in High School, earning All-Nassau county honors while averaging 17.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

College career[edit]

Junior college[edit]

Thomas rushed for over 500 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman and helped lead Northwest Mississippi CC to a division championship. Thomas accounted for 618 yards and six touchdowns in 2007 on 103 carries and also threw for 450 yards and two scores. Thomas capped off his junior college career by becoming a JUCO All-American.[1]

Unable to qualify academically for Kansas State in July 2008, Thomas spent the 2008 season at Butler County Community College and Manhattan Christian College in order to meet academic requirements.[2]

Kansas State[edit]

Thomas came to Kansas State as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and the number 35 junior college prospect in the nation. He was also a three-star prospect by Scout.com. He was rated as the No. 8 JUCO prospect in the state of Mississippi by the Sun Herald.

Thomas was voted the 2009 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and was named to the All-Big 12 First-team. Thomas gave the Wildcats their third straight Offensive Newcomer of the Year award winner and league-leading fourth overall. Brandon Banks and Deon Murphy were honored in 2008 and 2007, respectively, joining K-State’s first honoree, Michael Bishop in 1997. [3] Thomas rushed for 1,265 yards on 247 carries, averaging 5.1 yards and 11 touchdowns.

At the close of his KSU career, Thomas ranked second in school history in career rushing yards, single season rushing yards, number three in carries in a career, number four in rushing touchdowns, number two in single season rushing touchdowns, number six in single season all-purpose yards, number five in all-time all-purpose yards.

College statistics[edit]

Season Rushing Receiving
Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
2006 69 394 5.7 3 0 0 0.0 0
2007 103 562 5.5 6 0 0 0.0 0
2008 Did not play due to NCAA transfer rules
2009 247 1,265 5.1 11 25 257 10.3 0
2010 298 1,585 5.3 19 27 171 6.3 0
Totals* 545 2,850 5.2 30 52 428 8.2 0

*FBS totals only

Professional career[edit]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+14 in
(1.84 m)
230 lb
(104 kg)
32+38 in
(0.82 m)
9 in
(0.23 m)
4.62 s 1.54 s 2.64 s 4.29 s 7.06 s 34.0 in
(0.86 m)
10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)
21 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[4]

Miami Dolphins (first stint)[edit]

Thomas was taken with the 62nd overall pick in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.[5] On July 29, 2011, he signed a 4-year contract. Thomas found early success in the NFL, rushing for 107 yards in Week 2 and 95 yards with a receiving touchdown in Week 3. He injured his hamstring and was not able to play again until Week 6. Thomas finished the season with 581 yards, but no rushing touchdowns.

The Dolphins released Thomas on August 30, 2014 for final roster cuts before the start of the 2014 season.[6]

Thomas was re-signed on September 15, 2014, after an injury to Knowshon Moreno.[7]

Chicago Bears[edit]

On June 18, 2015, the Chicago Bears signed Thomas to a one-year contract.[8] He was released on August 30, 2015.

Miami Dolphins (second stint)[edit]

Thomas signed with the Dolphins on March 31, 2016.[9] On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Dolphins as part of final roster cuts.[10]

Saskatchewan Roughriders[edit]

Thomas signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in January 2017.[11] He was released on June 1, 2017

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Official Bio". Archived from the original on December 13, 2009. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  2. ^ Cirminiello, Richard (March 17, 2010), "2010's New Stars – Kansas St RB Daniel Thomas", College Football News, archived from the original on March 4, 2016, retrieved April 29, 2010.
  3. ^ Big 12 Newcomer of the year
  4. ^ "2011 NFL Draft Scout Daniel Thomas College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  5. ^ "2011 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Sessler, Marc (August 30, 2014). "Daniel Thomas released by Miami Dolphins". NFL.com. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  7. ^ Alper, Josh (September 15, 2014). "Dolphins bringing back Daniel Thomas". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  8. ^ Dragon, Tyler (June 18, 2015). "Chicago Bears sign running back Daniel Thomas". NFL.com. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  9. ^ "PRESS RELEASE: Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. March 31, 2016. Archived from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  10. ^ Poupart, Alain (September 3, 2016). "Dolphins Make Moves To Get Roster To 53". MiamiDolphins.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018.
  11. ^ "Riders sign former Dolphins running back Daniel Thomas". leaderpost.com. January 4, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.

External links[edit]