*Walt taking 2014 and 2018 |
Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
Alabama S Deionte Thompson Generating First-Round Buzz
Updated Sept. 20, 2018By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
The Crimson Tide have been a factory for top NFL talent in the Nick Saban era, but perhaps no position group has been as consistent at churning out good pro talent as the secondary. Saban coaches the group himself and has produced a plethora of early-round picks among the Alabama defensive backs. There was some thought that the streak could have a pause this year, because the Crimson Tide lost their entire starting secondary to the 2018 NFL Draft. Yet as is always the case with Alabama under Saban, elite players were ready to take their place. As the replacement for Minkah Fitzpatrick, Deionte Thompson has had an excellent start to the 2018 season, and in speaking with multiple team sources, he is generating first-round buzz for the 2019 NFL Draft.
Thompson has an excellent skill set with size, speed and athleticism. Listed at 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, he has excellent height and length for matching up against NFL wide receivers and tight ends. Thompson has shown great range to cover a lot of ground in the deep part of the field during the early going of this season. Three games into 2018, the redshirt junior has two interceptions, three passes broken up and 16 tackles. His numbers are also somewhat suppressed as Alabama has blown out opponents, leading to the starters haing been pulled at halftime.
Two years ago three games into the season, WalterFootball.com was first to report that Ohio State safety Malik Hooker was generating a buzz in the scouting community as a first-round talent. Some of the same sources are high on Thompson this year and see him being a Thursday night pick.
