Nobody doubts Thomas, but how is he 'different' than Gallery?
"The only difference I can see," said one NFC head coach, "is the arms. Joe Thomas has long arms. Robert Gallery has short ones. But it makes no difference if you don't do anything with them. You have to be able to extend them and hold off your opponent."
Joe Thomas is a slam dunk to be one of the first three or four picks in this year's draft. If Detroit passes him -- and anything is possible with the Lions -- he won't get past Cleveland or Tampa Bay. He's not only your prototype left tackle; he's the best tackle in any draft since ... yep, that man Gallery again.
Like Gallery, Thomas is huge. He checked in at the combine at 6-6½, 311 pounds. Like Gallery, Thomas is a great athlete for his size. He is mobile. He is quick. He has those long arms. He can pull, slide and block in space.
"There are some similarities," said Mike Mayock, scouting analyst for the NFL Network. "The knock on Gallery is his arm length. In fact, I'm going now to check on Thomas to see what he measures. Plus, Gallery is a little more top heavy.
"But when I look at Robert Gallery I look at him as a right tackle. If he had one coach and one position, I think he might be a different player. So, in my mind, I'm not ready to say he's a bust."
There is, of course, another difference between these two. Thomas tore his knee ligaments a little more than a year ago, and this one is worth mentioning. He did it in the Capital One Bowl, and it didn't happen while he was playing offensive line. It happened while he was playing defensive end, with Thomas volunteering to play the position after the Badgers grew thin because of injuries.
That won't happen again because Thomas won't play defense again. What he will do is make an effort to prove that he's everything he's expected to be; that he's a tackle who can anchor an offensive line and stabilize a position for the next decade.
In short, what he must do is what Robert Gallery has not.
"I won't settle for anything less than perfection," Thomas said.
