Rookie Bears wide receiver Zavion Thomas has elite speed, but mastering the playbook remains the biggest hurdle for the young receiver to earn Ben Johnson's trust.
When the Chicago Bears drafted LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas with the No. 89 overall pick in the third round, plenty of people questioned the organization's decision.
It wouldn't be surprising if those questions still remained.
But the 5-foot-10, 192-pound receiver who runs a 4.28 40-yard dash has consistently made plays throughout organized team activities based on highlights the Bears have posted on social media and questions that coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams have answered about the young receiver.
During Thursday's media availability, Williams was asked for this thoughts on Thomas being a more of a polished receiver than the pre-draft perception suggested.
“Yeah, absolutely," Williams said. "I said it either this morning or yesterday morning when we were in the QB room. I was like, his hands are a lot better than – obviously you see a lot of speedy guys that sometimes maybe catch with the body a little bit more or are a little shaky with their hands just because of how fast they are and how blessed they are with that. He's made some really tough catches, even when he's messed up or anything like that. It's positive. He really cares. Yesterday he came in from practice, and he was frustrated at himself, so it's important to obviously still encourage him, and put a smile on his face. But when he is out there making plays, when he has the ball in his hands, when he is doing the right thing, he is pretty special when the ball's even in the air. I'm really excited. I think if he can get the offense down, if he can do his part and that side of it, I think he'll be really special for years on out.”
With someone who has elite speed like Thomas, it doesn't take much for a 4-yard catch to turn into a 60-yard play. That's part of the reasoning the Bears added the playmaker to coach Ben Johnson's offense.
But for Thomas to earn a role in this offense, which has a lot of pass catchers, the rookie will have to prove to his coaches he can handle everything being thrown his way.
"He's got a long highlight reel in terms of showcasing that speed in the SEC he tends to make a play almost every single day right now that says, okay, if we can harness all this energy and, and make sure that we can trust him and that he's going to align where he needs to and run the route the way we need him to, we really could use him and he could be a big weapon for us this year," Johnson said. "But that's what we're trying to harness right now. I think (Wide Receivers Coach and Assistant Head Coach) Coach El (Antwaan Randle) and (Offensive Quality Control Coach) Isaiah (Ford) are doing a phenomenal job with him and the rest of the room and getting him up to speed and challenging him. I think he's developing the work ethic that we expect, not only from a receiver, but from anyone on offense, or the team.”
