I lumped these two together because there’s not a whole lot to go on with either player.
For safety Phillip Thomas, the fourth-round pick out of Fresno State, his season amounted to two weeks of training camp and part of one preseason game because of a Lisfranc injury. (His four to five month recovery period should be about over.) He didn’t show a whole lot in the time we had to watch him, though the coaches liked how he had improved in certain areas, such as in his run fits, in camp.
But there was no proof that Thomas would have gone on to win a starting job, though given the secondary issues this past season he definitely would have gotten a chance. We still don’t know how he’ll fare in the NFL, though what I liked about him entering camp was his intelligence. He’s a smart player who loves to study film; that helped him overcome not being a blazer (4.68 time in the 40-yard dash) as he used anticipation and instincts instead of speed. As the Redskins often pointed out, he was usually aligned on the wide side of the field in college. Those attributes will give him a chance to contribute, but he and the Redskins would be best served with him in a backup role in 2014.
For running back Jawan Jamison, he did himself a disservice by not reporting to training camp in better shape. It’s inexcusable for a seventh-round pick to be in anything other than fantastic shape when camp opens -- especially one who felt he would go, and should go, higher in the draft. The former Rutgers standout finally was promoted off the practice squad late for the final three games, but didn’t do anything. He showed some ability, when through the line, to make defenders miss in college. He also did well in pass protection in college. Can’t say he did anything to stand out in training camp. He needs to have a good offseason.
