Film shows Panthers pick Shaq Thompson may best fit at weakside LB

When Ron Rivera first talked about Shaq Thompson Thursday night, he mentioned the linebacker’s “versatility,” “speed,” “quickness,” “athleticism” and “play-making” ability.

Those are all great football terms, but is Thompson a great football player?

After taking a closer look at the Panthers’ first-round pick, the one – and probably only – position where he can have early success in the NFL is the weakside linebacker.

Thompson is 6-0 and 228 pounds with average strength compared to linebackers in this year’s class. He ran a disappointing 4.64-second 40 at the combine, but he’s more of an outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense than a strong safety.

By now you know some of Thompson’s story. He was drafted by the Red Sox, came to Washington as a safety, moved to linebacker and filled in some at running back. He was the nation’s most versatile player last year and scored six touchdowns, including four on defense.

Tape on Thompson shows that athleticism very clearly. But it also shows why many had Thompson as one of the first round’s biggest surprises.

Thompson looks great in pass coverage, and I regularly saw quarterbacks go to their second or third read when the first read was covered by Thompson. He’s a very good defender when no one touches him.

Time and again Thompson shows he struggles with shedding blockers. He looks fantastic when he goes unblocked – and sometimes he shows he can avoid the blocker well – but he also consistently shows he has trouble when trying to disengage from an opponent.

Below are clips from Washington’s 2014 game against Oregon State and the Huskies’ 2013 contest against Stanford. YouTube links are embedded in the text, as well.

Here against Oregon State, Thompson is swallowed up by the tight end and can’t get a hand on the running back.

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And against Stanford, Thompson gets taken to town by tackle Cameron Fleming, who went on to be drafted by the Patriots last year and had a good rookie season with them.

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Thompson is helpless on this third-and-1 running play against tackle Kyle Murphy, who had 6-foot-7 and 295 pounds and knocks Thompson out of his gap entirely.

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But here’s where Thompson wins. Watch as he dives into the box at the snap, takes a great angle and tackles Stanford running back Tyler Gaffney, whom the Panthers drafted in the sixth round last season.

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Against Oregon State, Thompson makes a nifty move to avoid a lineman meeting him at the second level and gets to the running back on a draw play for a short gain on first-and-10.

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When you watch Thompson’s highlight reel, you see a lot of big plays and big hits, but most of them come when he isn’t touched as either a running back or linebacker.

That’s why if he’s going to succeed, it has to be at the weakside linebacker. He’ll be able to cover the backside of a play while not having to deal with a big tight end. That will give him more room to work and pick his spot.

If Thompson were at strong safety, he’d have more room. It was an idea I entertained last week, but having more room isn’t always a good thing. If his instincts are wrong he could take a bad angle, and all that athleticism and quickness is neutralized in an instant.

Thompson has drawn comparisons to Thomas Davis, but Davis is a true strongside linebacker who can cover tight ends, manhandle blockers and punish the ball carrier. Thompson also likened himself to Tampa Bay outside linebacker Lavonte David, but that comparison also falls short because David seems to enjoy any and all contact.

These comparisons remind me of every short, speedy receiver being considered Steve Smith-like. They can have all the same measurables, but no one shares the brand of on-field intensity that makes Steve Smith Steve Smith.

“There really is only one Thomas Davis but he is unique in his abilities and the things that he does,” Rivera said. “When you watch the way Washington used (Thompson), they used him many different ways. You watch him with a walk out on space. You see him out in space and he looks natural. You watch him move inside and he can play downhill and he can take on the leads. Stuff like that. So, he fits a lot of the needs, some of the things that we want to do.”

Thompson can be his own player, and if Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott gets creative and dials up blitzes at the right time, Thompson will be successful.

“He’s like any young kid,” Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman said. “He’s got to learn to play the pro game. They bounced him around a lot. He’s got to get better at a lot of things, but he’s capable of doing it all and he’s really talented.”

This story was originally published May 1, 2015 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Film shows Panthers pick Shaq Thompson may best fit at weakside LB."