Matt Elam (Rd 1) vs. Shamarko Thomas (Rd 4)

**Bluto** · 04-29-2013, 02:15 PM

Well Carnell said he has a 40 inch vertical jump. Pretty sure that inch is not a big deal. Love the pick.

**BigRob** · 04-29-2013, 02:18 PM

Originally posted by Bluto

Well Carnell said he has a 40 inch vertical jump. Pretty sure that inch is not a big deal. Love the pick.

I agree 100%. I think Shark is going to be a great player. Just trying to figure what separated them as prospects. What does Elam do better than Thomas to make him a first round pick?

**SteelSpain** · 04-29-2013, 02:23 PM

Right now I think Shamarko in the 4rd has way more value than Elam in the 1st. Just my opinion.

How it develope in the coming years nobody knows. But now I don�t change them.

**thor75** · 04-29-2013, 02:24 PM

Probably my favorite pick of the draft. I think he'll see time on the defense this year. Height is the only knock, but he's got a 40 inch vertical IIRC. AJ Green took a TD grab over Polamalu and Clark in the end zone. Everyone may lose a battle here and there. He can always hit him out of bounds before two feet land. I'm not concerned about it. Time to turn the def. backfield into the shark tank.

**flippy** · 04-29-2013, 02:38 PM

I personal think Thomas is the better player. He's the better athlete and if he was a couple inches taller he woulda been the top S in the draft. Elam made a couple highlight reel hits in the SEC and got overrated as a result imho.

Shmarko also showed the capability to play corner and lined up outside at times following the other teams best WR. So he'll be fantastic in the slot. He's probably the best cover guy of any of the safeties. He's lightning fast on the field.

I think Thomas is more versatile and might be able to be used in a lot of different ways to get him on the field asap.

In a couple years, he's gonna have a Troy like impact on this defense.

**hawaiiansteel** · 04-29-2013, 02:40 PM

Originally posted by SteelSpain

Right now I think Shamarko in the 4rd has way more value than Elam in the 1st.

I agree completely.

**SteelerOfDeVille** · 04-29-2013, 02:46 PM

Originally posted by thor75

Probably my favorite pick of the draft. I think he'll see time on the defense this year. Height is the only knock, but he's got a 40 inch vertical IIRC. AJ Green took a TD grab over Polamalu and Clark in the end zone. Everyone may lose a battle here and there. He can always hit him out of bounds before two feet land. I'm not concerned about it. Time to turn the def. backfield into the shark tank.

Agreed... Story is "if he's 5'11", he's a first rounder"... same thing happened to Bob Sanders a few years back; of course concussions and injuries messed up an potential HOF career for him (and he was a late 2nd rounder, not a 4th rounder)... As it stands right now, this should really most of our favorite picks... Great, GREAT value...

**BigRob** · 04-29-2013, 02:58 PM

[URL]http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/index.ssf/2013/04/gritty_pittsburgh_steelers_gri.html[/URL]

This type of play is what the Pittsburgh Steelers like to see out of their safeties. It's what they should get out of Shamarko Thomas. (Frank Ordoñez / The Post-Standard)

[URL="http://blog.syracuse.com/orangefootball_impact/print.html?entry=/2013/04/gritty_pittsburgh_steelers_gri.html"]Print[/URL]
[URL="http://connect.syracuse.com/user/chriscarlson/index.html"][/URL]By [URL="http://connect.syracuse.com/user/chriscarlson/posts.html"]Chris Carlson | [/URL][EMAIL="ccarlson@syracuse.com"]ccarlson@syracuse.com[/EMAIL]
on April 27, 2013 at 7:16 PM

Email

The Steelers are known for the physical play of their safeties. Shamarko Thomas was the physical presence in the Syracuse secondary.

Thomas loves to refer to his renown work ethic as "grinding." Few communities embrace that mindset more than Pittsburgh, home to steel mills and frigid football weather.

The match of mentalities was made with the 111th pick of the NFL Draft on Saturday, when Pittsburgh selected Thomas with the 14th selection of the fourth round. "That is the kind of safety I like," Pittsburgh secondary coach Carnell Lake said. "That is the kind of safety that the Steelers are looking for. Not only will he cover well, but he will hit you and hit you hard." That's been Thomas' approach from the start at Syracuse, where he led the team with 84 tackles and three forced fumbles last year, while also contributing a pair of interceptions.

A weight-room warrior, Thomas' work ethic showed and his stock soared after the NFL Combine when he ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any safety and bench-pressed 225 pounds 28 times, the third-best effort ever for a defensive back. He also owns a vertical leap of more than 40 inches.

Now he'll join the Steelers, one of the organizations that has given its secondary the freedom to roam and make plays, turning safeties into household names. Troy Polamalu, with the help of his flowing hair, does advertisements for shampoo, while Ryan Clark is a well-known commodity at a position that is often overlooked. "I'm definitely glad they picked me up," Thomas said. "I had a great visit. I loved the defensive coaches. I am blessed."

Both Polamalu and Clark frequently deliver heavy blows and play around the line of scrimmage, a strength of Thomas, who even played some linebacker during his time at Syracuse. Lake also praised Thomas for his versatility, a sign that Pittsburgh could use him as the primary backup for both or get him on the field in nickel and dime situations. Clark, 33, and Polamalu, 32, are still very effective but probably past their physical peaks. Lake said Thomas will probably start out helping on special teams and learning strong safety, where Polamalu plays, but the array of positions he played at Syracuse will help him get on the field faster. "I will play anywhere they want me," Thomas said. "I just want to be on the field. I want to help out the Steelers."

That was one of [URL="http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/index.ssf/2013/04/nfl_draft_former_syracuse_safe.html"]Thomas' selling points during his pre-draft interviews.[/URL] Since his primary drawback is his height, the 5-foot-9 and 213-pound Thomas made it clear to teams he'd be comfortable playing anywhere on the field, from strong safety to nickel corner. That willingness might have been what ultimately sold the Steelers. When asked what performance of Thomas' impressed him most, Lake recalled Thomas' effort last year against Southern California when he went away from his traditional safety spot and spent most of the game locked in man-to-man coverage on Robert Woods, a second-round draft pick. Thomas defended Woods both in the slot and out wide. Thomas' strength made it difficult for Woods to get started on his routes, and the Syracuse safety even made an interception. "Why would you have your strong safety covering one of the better receivers in the draft man-to-man throughout the whole game?" Lake said. "For me that was almost a game-changer. Sealed the deal in my opinion."

Thomas was selected back-to-back with Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib, the first time Syracuse players have ever been chosen consecutively. The closest gap between Syracuse players prior to this year was three picks. Projected as a possible second-round choice and a likely third-round pick, Thomas dipped just slightly into the fourth. He was considered a top five safety but was the 11th selected. The wait, though, may have been worth it. Thomas and Pittsburgh feel like a perfect match. "I don't know why other teams are afraid of him," Lake said. "I am only speculating, but I think they are afraid of two inches because he has everything else. I think if he had two more inches he would have been in the first round. That's how highly I think of this young man."

**SidSmythe** · 04-29-2013, 04:48 PM

IF Thomas can cover WR's man to man, just think how effective he'll be covering TE's in today's NFL. Sure he'll give up some height but he'll force QB's the place the ball perfectly at a point Thomas can't defend.

**birtikidis** · 04-29-2013, 04:54 PM

I think Elam went about 10 picks high, but the dude is a player. I can't comment on Thomas, as I only saw him play a handful of times, but Elam was my dream pick in the 2nd.

**BigRob** · 04-29-2013, 05:03 PM

Originally posted by birtikidis

I think Elam went about 10 picks high, but the dude is a player. I can't comment on Thomas, as I only saw him play a handful of times, but Elam was my dream pick in the 2nd.

I'm not saying that Elam is a bad player. I watched him in the SEC and he played well. He is a lot like Bernard Pollard. I just don't see a huge difference between him and Shark Thomas.

Elam was exposed against Louisville in the bowl game. I do, however, think that may have been because he was disinterested. Thomas doesn't seem like the type of dude that gets complacent.

**Eddie Spaghetti** · 04-29-2013, 06:36 PM

Originally posted by flippy

I personal think Thomas is the better player. He's the better athlete and if he was a couple inches taller he woulda been the top S in the draft. Elam made a couple highlight reel hits in the SEC and got overrated as a result imho.

Shmarko also showed the capability to play corner and lined up outside at times following the other teams best WR. So he'll be fantastic in the slot. He's probably the best cover guy of any of the safeties. He's lightning fast on the field.

I think Thomas is more versatile and might be able to be used in a lot of different ways to get him on the field asap.

In a couple years, he's gonna have a Troy like impact on this defense.

no offense flip, but elam had a lot more than a couple of highlight reel hits. He is a very solid player.

time will tell, but I think shamarko will struggle against some of the matchups he will see in the NFL.

**Slapstick** · 04-29-2013, 07:17 PM

Shamarko is as similar a player to Troy Polamalu as we've seen on the Steelers roster since 2003...

Not saying he'll be an all-time great like Troy, but he has a lot of the same physical tools...if he has anything close to Troy's closing speed...damn...

**BigRob** · 04-29-2013, 08:04 PM

Originally posted by Eddie Spaghetti

no offense flip, but elam had a lot more than a couple of highlight reel hits. He is a very solid player.

time will tell, but I think shamarko will struggle against some of the matchups he will see in the NFL.

Look, I like the SEC as much as anyone. I'm from the south. They know football. But Elam is mostly an in the box safety. Did you watch Florida's bowl game? Teddy Bridgewater and that Big East team took it to them. He was repeatedly abused in that game.

Elam's going to struggle as much as Thomas in that respect. Thomas has a better vert and is only one inch shorter.

Matt Elam (Rd 1) vs. Shamarko Thomas (Rd 4)

Matt Elam (Rd 1) vs. Shamarko Thomas (Rd 4)

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