Dallas Thomas, OT

04/25/2013 - DANE BRUGLER'S FINAL 2013 DRAFT BOARD: 50. OG Dallas Thomas, Tennessee (6-5, 306, 5SR)...With very good starting experience at both tackle and guard over his collegiate career, Thomas isn't dominant in any one area but plays steady and balanced. - Dane Brugler, NFLDraftScout.com

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Considering the "skill" position talent Tennessee boats, it is easy to understand why any offensive lineman -- even a very good one like Thomas -- is often overlooked by the Volunteers faithful and national media. As the Vols' top senior prospect, however, NFL scouts have certainly kept close tabs on the athletic and versatile talent.

Thomas signed with Tennessee as a relatively lightly regarded prospect, and saw most of his playing time as a freshman on special teams. He earned the starting left tackle position as a sophomore, however, and went on to start the next 25 games of his career at the blind-side position.

Despite his experience at left tackle, then-head coach Derek Dooley and his staff moved Thomas inside to left guard for his senior season.

The move paid off for the Volunteers in that Thomas earned second-team All-SEC honors in his first season at the new position and helped pave the way for the conference's second most explosive offense (behind only Texas A&M). It may further pay off for Thomas, as he demonstrated the versatility to intrigue NFL teams needing help all along the offensive line.

STRENGTHS: Naturally large man with even weight distribution and the long arms to make the transition back outside to offensive tackle. This isn't the typical rotund blocker who is simply too un-athletic to compete on the outside. Thomas is an impressive athlete who plays with very good initial quickness as well as top flexibility and balance.

Thomas plays with excellent knee bend, giving him the base to handle powerful bull rushers, as well as the spring to easily move left and right to remain square to quicker pass rushers. Thomas has an explosive punch that he uses often to knock defenders back in the running game. He steps up quickly to seal off the reeling defender and erase him from the play.

Thomas exhibits good effort to get to the second level. He proved his mental toughness and team-first approach by agreeing to the position change as a senior. Is physically tough, as well, having started the final 37 consecutive games of his career.

WEAKNESSES: While Thomas has demonstrated some of the traits necessary to move back to offensive tackle and be successful, there are reasons why he was moved inside.

For one, Thomas is susceptible to speed rushers, as lacks the sustained foot speed to earn top grades as a pass blocker. He gets an aggressive punch in but often stops moving his feet as he does so and therefore if his punch doesn't stop the pass rush entirely, leaving himself vulnerable to an outside speed rush or quick counter back inside.

Thomas can get himself in trouble by playing too low, on occasion, as well, giving savvy defenders ample opportunity to simply "swim" over the top of him with a quick arm-over move.

Finally, while demonstrating good lateral agility in pass protection, Thomas has a consistent hitch when attempting to pull, making himself much better suited to a power drive-blocking scheme than a zone-blocking attack that asks him to consistently get to and make adjustments to moving targets at the second level.

COMPARES TO: Marshall Newhouse, OL, Green Bay Packers -- Like Newhouse, Thomas has the size and athleticism to handle a variety of roles up front and is a dependable, hard-working player. He is a bit of a 'tweener, however, whose best assets may in fact be this versatility and toughness.

--Rob Rang