Earl Thomas

Earl Winty Thomas III (born May 7, 1989) is an American former professional football safety who played in the NFL. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, where he was a consensus All-American and appeared in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. After his redshirt sophomore season, he entered the 2010 NFL draft and was selected in the first round by the Seattle Seahawks. With Seattle, Thomas was a key part of the Legion of Boom defense, earning six Pro Bowl selections and five All-Pro nods. He helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos and started in Super Bowl XLIX. Following nine seasons in Seattle, he signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Ravens and played one season there, earning his seventh Pro Bowl invitation.

Thomas attended West Orange-Stark High School in Orange, Texas, playing football for the Mustangs and also lettering in basketball, baseball, and track. He was an all-state selection and a three-year starter at defensive back, running back, and wide receiver. In high school, he recorded 112 tackles, 11 interceptions, two kickoff return touchdowns, and two punt return touchdowns, along with 1,850 rushing yards and 2,140 receiving yards. On the track team, he competed as a sprinter and jumper, helping the 4 × 200 meters relay team reach the state finals with a time of 1:27.92, and he finished second in the long jump at the 2007 Region 3-3A Meet with a personal best of 7.14 meters. Rivals.com rated him a four-star recruit and the No. 12 athlete in the 2007 class.

At the University of Texas, Thomas played for coach Mack Brown from 2007 to 2009. After redshirting his first year, he started all 13 games at strong safety in 2008, ranking second on the team with 63 combined tackles and setting a freshman record with 17 pass breakups. He also had two interceptions, four forced fumbles, and a blocked kick, earning multiple All-Freshman honors from the FWAA, Sporting News, College Football News, and Rivals.com. As a redshirt sophomore in 2009, he intercepted eight passes, returning two for touchdowns.

He was a consensus first-team All-American, first-team All-Big 12, and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. The Longhorns went undefeated in the regular season and lost to Alabama in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. Thomas then skipped his final two years of eligibility to enter the 2010 NFL draft, where he was the third defensive back taken, after Eric Berry and Joe Haden.

Thomas announced his draft decision on January 8, 2010. He attended the NFL Scouting Combine, skipping the short shuttle and three-cone drill, and later improved his 40-yard dash time to 4.37 seconds at Texas’ pro day, though a hamstring injury cut his workout short. He had pre-draft visits with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Miami Dolphins. NFL analysts projected him as a first-round pick; Mike Mayock ranked him the top safety in the draft, Mel Kiper Jr. and ESPN Scouts Inc. ranked him the second-best safety, and DraftScout.com ranked him the second-best cornerback prospect.

The Seattle Seahawks selected Thomas with the 14th overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, making him the second safety taken after Eric Berry. At age 20, he was one of the youngest draft-eligible players. On July 31, 2010, he signed a five-year, $18.30 million contract with $11.75 million guaranteed and a $500,000 signing bonus. Head coach Pete Carroll started Thomas at free safety alongside strong safety Lawyer Milloy.

In his NFL debut, a 31–6 win over the San Francisco 49ers, he recorded seven combined tackles. In Week 3 against the San Diego Chargers, he made six tackles, two pass deflections, and two interceptions, including his first career pick off Philip Rivers. He had a season-high eight solo tackles in a Week 10 win over the Arizona Cardinals. In Week 12, he returned a blocked punt for a 10-yard touchdown in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

As a rookie, Thomas started all 16 games, totaling 76 combined tackles (64 solo), seven pass deflections, five interceptions, and a forced fumble. The Seahawks finished 7–9, winning the NFC West, and Thomas recorded eight solo tackles and a pass deflection in his first playoff game.