Thompson went from top Dog to undrafted
Former Georgia defensive tackle Trenton Thompson made some dubious history this past weekend, becoming the first No. 1 national prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings to eventually go undrafted.
Thompson was the top signee in the 2015 class but went unclaimed during the NFL’s seven-round event that spanned three days in Arlington, Texas. The 6-foot-3, 288-pounder who bypassed his senior season with the Bulldogs has signed a freeagent contract with the Cleveland Browns. Of the previous 15 top national prospects coming out of high school, 10 wound up becoming first-round selections. Of those 10, six were top-10 picks and three went in the top five.
Former South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is the only player who was the No. 1 prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings (2011) and the No. 1 selection in the NFL draft (2014). Former Texas quarterback Vince Young was the third overall selection in the 2006 draft, while former LSU running back Leonard Fournette was the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft.
247Sports launched in 2010, but the site went back several years to compile additional composite rankings.
Thompson was plenty productive for the Bulldogs, starting 13 of 25 games his first two seasons and totaling 81 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. In the 31-23 win over TCU in the 2016 Liberty Bowl that closed his sophomore year, Thompson racked up three sacks and was named the game’s MVP.
Yet weeks after his stock was at an all-time high, Thompson had to be rushed to the hospital in February 2017 because of an adverse reaction to medication he had been taking. He was discovered walking late at night in downtown Athens, and when questioned by police, he revealed he played football but did not know what position.
After that bizarre incident, Thompson dropped out of Georgia for the spring semester.
He had 38 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss last season, when he played in 13 of Georgia’s 15 games but made just three starts. A sprained MCL in the 41-0 win at Tennessee resulted in him sitting out the ensuing victories over Vanderbilt and Missouri.
Leading up to the draft, NFL.com described Thompson as “a tough, athletic three-technique who offers an adequate combination of disruption and strength at the point of attack. Though he’s known as a player who plays with pain, his inability to stay healthy clearly had an impact on his lack of production this season. If Thompson’s medicals check out, he could find work as a rotational defensive tackle for a 4-3 defense and may work himself into an eventual starter role.”
The top overall signee in the 2016 class, Michigan defensive tackle Rashan Gary, already has been projected by longtime ESPN analyst Mel Kiper as a top-10 prospect for the 2019 draft.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6524.