Former Red Sox Prospect Shaq Thompson Would Look Good in a Patriots Uniform
Shaq Thompson might have been one of the least successful professional baseball players in history, but the failed Red Sox prospect is set to be a first round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he’d look awesome in a Patriots uniform.
In a profile from the MMQB, Thompson’s brief – but memorable – baseball career is rehashed. An average high school baseball player in just one season, he had his pick of the litter for football scholarships. And yet, he was drafted in the 18th round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Red Sox as part of an experiment to acquire top notch athletes and try to develop their baseball skills.
In one ill-fated season of rookie ball, Thompson went 0-39 at the plate and struck out 37 times. He enrolled at the University of Washington in the Fall of 2012 and quickly showed that his career would be on the football field.
As a 6’2’’ 230-pound jack-of-all-trades, Thompson developed into a Swiss Army Knife at UW, finding success at linebacker, safety, running back, and on special teams. His NFL future appears to be as a linebacker/safety hybrid, capable of running stride for stride with tight ends and also laying the boom on running backs.
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A projected first-round pick, Thompson could go as high as the top 10 if he runs a 4.4 40-yard-dash, as outlined in the MMQB piece. The Patriots pick is number 32 overall, so they’ll need Thompson’s stock to drop in order to have a chance to select him.
Still, the unlikely prospect of a defense boasting Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, Thompson, and Devin McCourty up the middle would be enough to get even stone-faced Bill Belichick to chuckle with glee. Throw in Thompson’s ability to be used creatively at just about any position and you have a player that seems tailored perfectly for what the Patriots value.
New England will need help to pick him, but the Patriots would love to have Thompson. With his size, athleticism, and versatility, there’s almost nothing he can’t do on the field.
Just please don’t ask him to hit a baseball.
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