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Mike Thomas is already impressing Drew Brees
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If Mike Thomas is going to make an impact early in his career, it’ll be because he’s on the same page with Drew Brees.
It’s early, but it appears that’s already in the works.
The former Ohio State wideout “had his training wheels taken off” during practice on Thursday. On a third-down play, Brees said he audibled to a route that Thomas had never repped before.
“In fact, I don’t think we’ve ever even talked about it,” Brees told ESPN.com. “But it was one of those where I’m just in the moment, and hey, he’s my guy over there at that position. So I kind of give him a look, give him a signal or whatever, and he goes and makes the play. And ran the route just like I imagined.
“So that makes you feel good too. ‘Hey, we’re on the same page even though we haven’t even talked about that yet. You kind of know this offense, you have a feel for the game.’ So I like when I see that stuff out of young guys, where you kind of feel like there’s some instincts there.”
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Brees has been working with Thomas individually after the first few days of Organized Team Activities. Already, he likes what he sees.
That’s a small sample size, but that’s a quick way to earn a future Hall of Famer’s trust. There were questions about Thomas’ ability to adjust to a pro-style system, which was perhaps why the 6-3, 220-pound wideout wasn’t selected until the second round.
Sean Payton drafted Thomas in hopes that he would replace the team’s all-time leading receiver, Marques Colston. Thomas’ uncle, Keyshawn Johnson, said that he was a better version of Colston and that he was an NFL-ready receiver.
He might be on his way to proving him right.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.