Could Broncos Rookie TE Julius Thomas Be the Next Antonio Gates?
San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates never played college basketball instead of football–yet he’s emerged into one of the most dangerous pass-catching tight ends since joining the NFL in 2003. Now that the 2011 NFL Draft has come and gone, the Denver Broncos hope they have found the next Gates in former Portland State tight end Julius Thomas.
The Broncos used one of their fourth-round picks on Thomas (129th overall) after just playing one season of football with the Vikings while spending most of his college career focusing on basketball–just like Gates. As Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post recently indicates, it was January 2010 when Thomas decided he wanted to give football a chance for the first time since his freshman year of high school.
Now, Thomas looks to make a similar impact as Gates by becoming an effective pass-catching tight end for the Broncos–who are looking to bounce back from a disastrous 4-12 finish last season. If the basketball star turns out to be just like Gates–Thomas may end up being a huge steal for the Broncos.
Now, the only question that remains to be unanswered that everybody wants to know–will it be Kyle Orton or Tim Tebow looking to use Thomas in the passing game next season?
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for RantSports.com.
