Much to the delight of fans all over Tony Roma's at The OBR's Draft Bash Extravaganza shindig, Cleveland Browns and general manager Phil Savage have blown yet another big-money load all over the face of the offensive line.
While the move will be praised almost universally by fans and the ABJ's RainLineman, it will get well-deserved scrutiny from many corners of the football world. On the upside, Thomas has the ability to anchor a sub-par offense on a below-average team for the next ten years.
(Nah, just kidding Cleveland. You got your OL in the first round. Kudos. Really.)
Thomas is a three-year starter at Wisconsin who began his college career at defensive end. He has been All-Conference selection every season since his sophomore campaign. A blocking tight end as freshman, Thomas shifted to left tackle as a sophomore as and started 12 games. As a junior, Thomas started thirteen games and got his first All-American mention, but suffered an ACL injury filling in at defensive tackle during Wisconsin's appearance in Capital One Bowl.
Returning for his senior year as a result of the injury, Thomas emerged as a top offensive lineman in the eyes of many experts, an evaluation confirmed by his being awarded the Outland Trophy after the season, as well as being named to the AP All-American first team along with Michigan's Jake Long.
Stay tuned to The OBR for more updates....