Joe Thomas

Regarded by many as the best offensive lineman in college football, Thomas comes from a school deep in tradition in producing All-American offensive linemen. Ever since the days of Ray "Tubby" Keeler (1913) through Chris McIntosh (1999), the Badgers have been known for their blocking performances. Thomas is considered the most dominating blocker to wear a Wisconsin uniform since the days of Paul Gruber (1985-87), and joined Dennis Lick (1974-75) as the only Badgers offensive linemen to earn All-American accolades twice in a career. While most offensive linemen are lumberjack types who occupy space, Thomas is much different than the normal mold you look for in a tackle. He has performed admirably as a tight end in short-yardage situations and excelled in goal-line duties on the defensive line. Thomas is not only hailed for his exploits on the gridiron, but has also garnered national recognition for record-breaking performances in track and field. He was a 2005 second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection, as he qualified for the 20004 and '05 NCAA Regionals in the shot put and discus. He also holds the school indoor record in the shot put (62'1 1/4"). In 2006, Thomas became the first Wisconsin player to win the Outland Trophy. He also became the third Big Ten Conference player in four years to win the Outland Trophy, which goes to the top interior lineman in college football. Iowa offensive tackle Robert Gallery won the Outland in 2003 and Minnesota center Greg Eslinger captured it in 2005. In all, 13 players from current Big Ten schools have won the award. "I was very excited to win the award," Thomas said. "A lot of emotion goes through your mind. It kind of hits you all at once. You kind of forget things for a couple of minutes. You're walking on Cloud Nine. All three of us (finalists) had a great shot of winning. All three of us were very deserving." Thomas, who is projected as one of the top picks in the 2007 NFL Draft, was the mainstay of a Badger offensive line that paved the way for freshman running back P.J. Hill. The Badgers' offense was 21st in the country, scoring 30.3 points per game. By winning the 61st Outland Trophy, he received a nice present three days after he turned 22. Two days later, he was engaged to Annie Nelson, a former Wisconsin basketball player. Thomas was a Prep Star (first-team) and USA Today (second-team) All-American offensive lineman at Brookfield Central High School. He was rated the fourth-best offensive tackle in the nation according to Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report and ranked among top twenty offensive tackles nationally, top 25 players in the Midwest and was rated the third-best player in Wisconsin according to Rivals.com. Thomas added Detroit Free Press All-Midwest, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first-team All-State honors as a defensive lineman and second-team All-State accolades as an offensive tackle as a senior. Thomas was also a first-team All-State defensive pick by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association and Associated Press. He was chosen 2002 WFCA Defensive Player of the Year with fellow Badger Justin Ostrowski, as Thomas recorded 85 tackles and 12 quarterback sacks as a senior, adding 70 tackles and eight sacks his junior campaign. He was a three-time All-Conference selection in football, lettering four times in that sport. He also lettered four times in both track and basketball. He captained the football and basketball teams his senior year and was a four-time Honor Roll student, in addition to garnering U.S. Army Academic All-American honors. In track, Thomas finished fifth in the national finals in the shot put as a junior. He earned All-Conference, All-Area and All-State recognition in both the shot put and discus. Thomas enrolled at Wisconsin in 2003 and immediately provided key contributions. He was utilized most of the season as a blocking tight end, but shifted to left defensive end when injuries plagued the line. He produced seven tackles with a stop behind the line of scrimmage vs. Auburn in the Music City Bowl. Thomas took over left offensive tackle duties from Morgan Davis in 2004. He earned Academic All-Big Ten Conference and All-District honors, adding honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition for his performance on the field. He graded 82.5 percent for blocking consistency, as he produced 13 touchdown-resulting blocks and 74 knockdowns, including 48 for the team's renowned rushing attack. In the spring of 2005, Thomas set the school indoor track record in the shot put. On the football field, he came into his own as a blocker, earning second-team All-American and consensus All-Big Ten Conference first-team accolades. He led the nation's down linemen with an 87.1 percent grade for blocking consistency, as he also paced the NCAA Division 1-A blockers with an incredible 29 touchdown-resulting blocks (team had 53 touchdown drives on offense). He collected 110 knockdowns, making 19 crucial blocks down field and allowed only four quarterback sacks on 909 offensive plays. The Draddy Award semifinalist continued his dominance in 2006. Thomas led the nation's down linemen with a 92 percent grade for blocking consistency. He produced 127 key blocks/knockdowns with 27 touchdown-resulting blocks and also recorded two solo tackles. He also delivered 21 down-field blocks. In 47 games at Wisconsin, Thomas started 37 times at left offensive tackle and once on the defensive line. He registered 311 knockdown blocks with 69 of those stops resulting in Wisconsin touchdowns. He registered 56 of his blocks down field and graded 87.39 percent for blocking consistency. He also registered twelve tackles (five solos).

positives

Has a developing frame that could carry at least another 20 pounds of bulk with no loss in quickness...Possesses a thick upper body with broad shoulders, adequate muscle development, good arm length and strong hands...Shows classic natural knee bend with good hip snap to redirect and mirror the edge rushers...Nimble moving his feet in his pass set-up, retreating fluidly while maintaining body control...Shows good urgency and leg drive coming off the snap, demonstrating the knee bend to drop his weight well pass protection...Capable of locating and neutralizing the edge rushers...Excels in the classroom, twice earning national academic honors and will have no problems digesting a complicated playbook...Quick coming off the snap, gaining position and generating movement to sustain...Shows very good in-line body control and agility, demonstrating a quick kick slide in pass protection...Stays low in his pads, dropping his weight to maintain balance and does a nice job of opening rush lanes on pulls and traps...With his quickness and balance, he consistently covers defenders up...Has no problems getting his body low enough to attain leverage, especially with his impressive knee bend...Plays well on his feet and possesses the lateral agility and quickness to adjust and sustain blocks on the move...Quick and agile enough to generate solid second level blocks and works hard to maintain the rushing crease (193 of his 311 knockdown blocks came in run support)...Runs his feet well and has a good base with a very good understanding of taking proper angles when working along the perimeter...Has exceptional knee bend and hip flexibility in his retreat and shows good patience waiting for the defender to attack...His lateral slide lets him reach his cutoff point and readjust when working on the edge...His pass drop quickness lets him generate the depth needed to anchor...Demonstrates the footwork and balance to stay on his feet, move around and handle switch-offs...Takes good angles to cut off at the second level and has the flexibility to adjust and pickup coverages working down the field...Has that sudden burst off the line to gain advantage when positioning in-line and the quickness to reach the second level... Explosive hip roller who has the upper body strength to push and wall off...Shows vastly improved hand placement to jolt and control the defender...Plays on his feet and is an aggressive finisher...Can quickly gain position off the snap and takes good angles to cut off the second level defenders...Very effective when used on long pulls due to his speed and hip snap...Has the balance and agility to quickly slide and get to his reach point.

compares to

JORDAN GROSS-Carolina...Not since the days of Paul Gruber (1985-87) has Wisconsin had such a complete player at the left tackle position. Thomas is similar to Gross in that they use a great combination of quickness, field awareness and athletic agility to dominate on second level blocks. Gross struggled a bit at left tackle, but Thomas is athletic enough to have great success in one-on-one confrontations vs. edge rushers and blitzers.

negatives

Used to be inconsistent with his hands, but showed good improvement in 2006, throwing his hands with much quicker timing and learned to use his reach to press and keep the defender at bay...Has a strong punch to shock and jolt his opponent, but must do it with more consistency...Must bring his arms up quicker when punching, but he showed better consistency in 2006 in using his hands to gain position and replace in pass protection.

2006: Suffered a torn anterior ligament in his right knee vs. Auburn in the Capital One Bowl (1/02) while playing on the defensive line, banging his knee hard on the turf with 7:53 left in the third quarter after a 6-yard gain by Tigers tailback Ken Irons. He was helped to the sideline, where he underwent treatment and did not return. He underwent surgery on Jan. 19 and underwent a grueling rehabilitation. Thomas has already put in a tremendous amount of work to strengthen his knee and reshape his upper body. He was listed 295 pounds last season, but during rehab, he increased his weight to 313. Most of that 18-pound increase appears to be in his upper body, which is noticeably thicker than a year ago.

Campus: 5.09 in the 40-yard dash

Bench presses 225 pounds 28 times

32 1/2-inch arm length

9 3/4-inch hands

Right-handed

29/34 Wonderlic score.

Attended Brookfield (Wisc.) Central High School, playing football for head coach Rick Synold

Was a Prep Star (first-team) and USA Today (second-team) All-American offensive lineman

Rated the fourth-best offensive tackle in the nation according to Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report and ranked among top twenty offensive tackles nationally, top 25 players in the Midwest and was rated the third-best player in Wisconsin according to Rivals.com

Added Detroit Free Press All-Midwest, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first-team All-State honors as a defensive lineman and second-team All-State accolades as an offensive tackle as a senior

First-team All-State defensive pick by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association and Associated Press

Chosen 2002 WFCA Defensive Player of the Year with fellow Badger Justin Ostrowski, as Thomas recorded 85 tackles and 12 quarterback sacks as a senior, adding 70 tackles and eight sacks his junior campaign

.Three-time All-Conference selection in football, lettering four times in that sport

Also lettered four times in both track and basketball. He captained the football and basketball teams his senior year and was a four-time Honor Roll student, in addition to garnering U.S. Army Academic All-American honors

In track, Thomas finished fifth in the national finals in the shot put as a junior and was second in the shot put and 10th in the discus at the 2003 Adidas Outdoor Championships

Earned All-Conference, All-Area and All-State recognition in both the shot put and discus

Thomas won the 2003 Wisconsin state title in the shot put and discus and was the conference, regional and sectional champion in the shot put and discus during his final season

Finished fifth in the shot put at the 2002 Adidas Outdoor Championships

Placed third in the shot put and fourth in the discus at the state meet as a junior

Was the sectional and conference champion in the shot and discus that year.

Business major, with an emphasis in Real Estate and Urban Land Economics

Earned Academic All-Big Ten Conference and ESPN Academic All-District V honors (2004-05)

Son of Sally and Eric Thomas

Born 12/4/84

Resides in Brookfield, Wisconsin.