The thing about professional sports is it’s a cyclical thing. One generation is influenced by the previous and that generation influences the next. It is a central way sports stay in business. It is no different for the NFL. Every talented young player who enters the league is almost invariably influenced by somebody great from years past. Caleb Williams loved Aaron Rodgers growing up. Jaylon Johnson took after Richard Sherman. Colston Loveland is a big fan of George Kittle. The list goes on. It is no different for Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Zavion Thomas.
While he wanted to build his own style of play, it was inevitable that he would be influenced by somebody. Larry Mayer of Chicagobears.com asked him who that might be. Thomas reeled off four names. None of them follows a similar line of thinking.
“Odell Beckham. LeBron. Tavon Austin. Braxton Miller.”
Beckham makes obvious sense. For a short period in the 2010s, he was the most dynamic receiver in football with the New York Giants. Many kids probably saw him as an idol. Then we get a little weird. LeBron James is one of the two or three best basketball players of all time. Tavon Austin was a superstar at West Virginia, but had an okay NFL career. Braxton Miller? He was a stud quarterback for Ohio State between 2011 and 2013. Sadly, he didn’t make it in the NFL after switching to wide receiver.
Zavion Thomas seems influenced by undersized wizards.
Beckham was an LSU legend, so that connection isn’t hard to make. LeBron is a worldwide superstar, even if he plays a different sport. The more telling names are Austin and Miller. Both were considered undersized. Austin was only 5’8″, and Miller was 6’1″. People kept telling them they were too small to make it in big-time football. Then they dominated. Thomas, who is only 5’10” himself, was undoubtedly drawn to their ability to defy the odds through speed, athleticism, and dogged determination.
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Nobody can say Thomas lacks any of those qualities. He’s been determined to get to the NFL for a long time. In fact, he got it tattooed on himself when he was 16 years old.
I got it at 16. I got it because my dad and my uncle, they have “HFL” on their arms and that’s basically where they grew up – Harvey, Louisiana. So when I saw their tattoo, I was thinking it was NFL, and I’m going to the NFL, so I was like, “all right, y’all got HFL, I’m putting NFL.”
Thomas has heard the buzz about him: short, skinny, not productive enough, maybe has a future as a returner. Nobody is giving him a chance to become a viable receiver in Chicago. Head coach Ben Johnson and the Bears brass feel differently. They think he has untapped potential.
Thomas knows what he’s up against.
This isn’t a situation where he is joining a team devoid of talent at wide receiver. The Bears have no incentive to plug him in immediately just because he’s a 3rd round pick. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden are already entrenched as starters. Kalif Raymond is a dependable veteran who can do all the same things Thomas can. If the rookie wants to get on the field, he’ll have to earn it in practice. The good news is he’s already in the process of doing that. Reports indicate he was one of the clear standouts at OTAs and minicamps in the spring.
Can he succeed where others like Austin and Miller failed? He certainly landed in a great situation. Zavion Thomas will have Ben Johnson as his head coach. Few in the NFL are better at finding ways to get receivers open. If the rookie learns to master the details, he’ll have his chances. From that point, it’s about making plays. Beckham and LeBron certainly knew lots about that. Thomas will carve his own path. Bears fans hope it will be a good one.
