Noel Thomas Jr. looking to catch on in CFL as Redblacks receiver

For Ottawa Redblacks receiver Noel Thomas Jr., the football dream is very much alive.

There are still some speed bumps to get past — the Redblacks have several very good receivers in training camp — but when the dust settles in the next couple of weeks, Thomas Jr. hopes he’s a member of the Canadian Football League team.

A year ago, Thomas Jr. was with the Detroit Lions. Signed as an undrafted free agent, he was cut, then re-signed and added to the practice squad (he was there until Week 5). While with the Lions, the 23-year-old was a sponge, absorbing information and taking advice from the Lions receivers who have been there, done that. He got a call from the Redblacks in January and decided Ottawa would be the next stop in his journey.

“It’s tough. Getting cut is hard to deal with,” said Thomas Jr. “It’s a tough business, but it’s the life I chose. Not everybody can do what we do, but we’re pros and we have to act like it.

“I was in a receiving corps with Marvin Jones and Golden Tate. Those two guys taught me a lot. I try to soak in information from everybody. I want to take things they do well and try to translate it into my game.”

For Thomas Jr., it’s all about getting an opportunity. At UConn, he had 1,179 receiving yards on 100 catches in 2016, a single-season record for the school. There’s plenty of competition for jobs in the Redblacks receiving corps. Guys like Linell Bonner III, Seth Coate, RJ Shelton, Dominique Rhymes, Kieran Duncan, RJ Harris and Chance Allen are also battling for jobs.

“You can only control what you control,” said Thomas Jr. “I’ve been in Detroit, I’ve been through this process. I understand how it works. I just go out, do what I can and be the best player I can be.”