LSU WR Zavion Thomas Was Selected In The Third Round Of The NFL Draft

by Staff Reporter

April 24, 20263 Comments

COTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas was selected No. 89 overall in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.

The Woodmere, La. (John Ehret HS) began his college career at Mississippi State and transferred to LSU, prior to the 2024-2025 season.

Thomas played in 26 games with 10 starts at LSU and caught 64 passes for 706 yards and 6 TDs, while adding 99 rushing yards and a TD. He also excelled on special teams as a returner.

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Pre-Draft Analysis
Thomas ran the third-fastest 40-yard dash at the combine, regardless of position, at 4.28 seconds. He has very good short-area quickness and suddenness when running routes. Plus, he is very efficient getting out of his cuts and tempos his routes. Thomas does a good job idling down when he has green grass around him in zone coverage. He was used as a gadget player over two seasons at LSU, lining up or motioning to the backfield to create mismatches in coverage. His lack of length can hurt him against longer cornerbacks. But he could add value on special teams, accounting for three return touchdowns in college. -- Scouts Inc.

Post-Draft Analysis
Well, here's a big surprise, as Thomas was ranked as a Round 7 player on my board and No. 222 by Scouts Inc. Though there is room in Chicago's offense for a No. 3 receiver, it was a surprise to see Thomas going ahead of Chris Bell, Skyler Bell or Elijah Sarratt. Thomas can scoot, running a 4.28 40 at the combine, but he's a project player at this point of his career. It might be difficult for him to be more than a kick returner early on. -- Matt Miller