Julius Thomas

Julius Thomas

refer to caption

Thomas with the Denver Broncos
No. 80 Jacksonville Jaguars
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Date of birth: (1988-06-27) June 27, 1988
Place of birth: Stockton, California
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight: 250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school: Lodi (CA) Tokay
College: Portland State
NFL Draft: 2011 / Round: 4 / Pick: 129
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2016
Receptions: 174
Receiving yards: 1,961
Receiving touchdowns: 32
Player stats at NFL.com

Julius Dewayne Thomas[1] (born June 27, 1988) is an American football tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football and basketball at Portland State, and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Early life and education

Thomas is the son of Greg and Toria Thomas. He has two brothers, Trenton and Marcus. Thomas graduated from Tokay High School in Lodi, California. Thomas graduated from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.[2][3][4][5][6]

College career

Thomas was a First-team All-Big Sky Conference selection in football in 2010. He ended the season with 29 receptions for 453 yards and two touchdowns for Portland State's football team. Thomas had not played collegiate football prior to 2010.

Thomas played four seasons for the Portland State basketball team. During his collegiate basketball career, Thomas set school records for career games played (121), career wins (78), and career field goals percentage (.663),[7] and also participated on one Big Sky regular season championship team and two Big Sky tournament championship teams as well two NCAA Tournaments (2008 and 2009). He was twice named to the Big Sky All-Tournament team. As a senior, he averaged 10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and shot a school-record .671 from the field.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BPWonderlic
6 ft 4⅝ in 246 lb33 in10 1/4 in 4.68 s 1.62 s 2.63 s 4.31 s 6.96 s 35½ in 9 ft 3 in 16 repsx
all from NFL Combine[8]

Denver Broncos

Thomas was selected in the 4th round, 129th overall, by the Denver Broncos in the 2011 NFL Draft. His rookie contract was four years and $2,420,000 through the 2014 season . It included a $384,000 signing bonus. Thomas had only one catch through his first two years in the league as he battled various injuries before erupting onto the scene in 2013. He scored his first and second career touchdowns in the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5, 2013, having a five catch, 110 yard breakout performance. He followed up this performance in week two with a 6 catch, 47 yard performance that ended with a game-sealing touchdown. In week three he continued his scoring streak against the Oakland Raiders (3 catches for 37 Yards and a TD). Thomas played his best game of the season in week 5, catching 9 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns in a 51-48 shootout win against the Dallas Cowboys. He ended the season with 12 touchdown receptions, the most by any Denver Broncos tight end. Thomas and the Broncos reached Super Bowl XLVIII where he had 4 receptions for 27 yards, but lost 43-8 to the Seattle Seahawks.

In the first game of the 2014 season, the Broncos hosted the Indianapolis Colts. During that game, Thomas caught 3 1st half touchdown passes from quarterback Peyton Manning, tying former Bronco Shannon Sharpe's franchise record for the most touchdowns by a tight end in a single season game. The Broncos went on to win the game 31-24. On October 8, 2014 Thomas was fined $8,000 for a chop block on Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell.[9] On October 12, against the New York Jets, Thomas caught two touchdowns, tying Calvin Johnson's record of 9 through the first 5 games of a season.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 10, 2015, Thomas signed a five-year, $46 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.[10] On Nov. 19, his 5-yard touchdown catch was the game-winner in Jacksonville's 19-13 victory over Tennessee; the Jaguars improved to 4-6 with the win.[11]

Career statistics

Year Team Games Receptions Receiving Yards Receiving Yards per Reception Longest Reception Receiving Touchdowns
2011 DEN 5 1 5 5.0 5 0
2012 DEN 4 0 0 0.0 0 0
2013 DEN 14 65 788 12.1 74 12
2014 DEN 13 43 489 11.4 35 12
2015 JAX 12 46 455 9.9 34 5
Total Total 48 155 1,737 11.2 74 29

Source: [12]

Personal life

Thomas is a Christian. Thomas has spoken about his faith, saying, "When you're going through tribulations and it's one thing after another, it's easier to doubt your faith. It's easier to doubt the Lord. I never allowed that to creep into my mind. I thought, 'God brought me here for a reason.'...What I've learned is that no matter what you're going through, God has a plan".[13]

References

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