The Facts: Nobody has drawn more "oohs" and "ahhs" during the first two days of New Orleans Saints camp than Thomas, the rookie receiver, did on Friday with his diving one-handed catch of a Luke McCown pass.
Diehards Line:
Most of those reactions came from Thomas’s teammates and coaches. Sean Payton called it an “amazing play.” Receiver Brandin Cooks called it “unbelievable.” Cornerback Delvin Breaux said, “Oh, man, I was like, ‘Whoa, this guy is going to be something special.’” And linebacker Stephone Anthony called it “awesome” and rated it as a 10 out of 10. McCown said a quarterback likes to find out during the early days of camp which receivers are going to fight for the ball and “go get it” to develop confidence in them going forward. As ESPN.com's Mike Triplett notes, this wasn’t Thomas’s first big moment with the Saints. He made a few highlight plays during OTAs and minicamp -- especially in the red zone. And Drew Brees showered Thomas with praise after a play when he signaled a route adjustment to Thomas that they had never gone over before, and Thomas delivered. Given that, the second-round draft pick out of Ohio State has a good chance of cracking the rotation as New Orleans’s No. 3 receiver behind Cooks and Willie Snead. And at 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, he could emerge as a top red-zone threat. If he keeps making plays like this in camp, though, he could be even more than that.