Detroit Lions sign CB Starling Thomas V

According to a report from Jordan Schultz, the Detroit Lions are signing CB Starling Thomas V out of UAB. During his time at UAB, Thomas V had 107 tackles and three interceptions. During his final season at UAB, he had 30 tackles and 15 passes defended. Thomas V is a long shot to make the Lions roster out of training camp, but he is versatile, which the coaches in Detroit love.

Key Points

• The Lions are signing Thomas V from UAB, who had 107 tackles and three interceptions during his time in college, with 30 tackles and 15 passes defended in his final season.
• Thomas V is considered a long shot to make the Lions roster out of training camp, but he is versatile, and the coaches in Detroit appreciate that.
• Dane Brugler of The Athletic evaluated Thomas V before the draft, noting that he has high-level speed and twitchy cover skills, but needs to turn more breakups into interceptions and be more disciplined in his scrappy style. He has the skill set to play both outside and at the nickel position.

Starling Thomas V Scouting Report

Here is what Dane Brugler of The Athletic had to say about Thomas V prior to the draft.

A three-year starter at UAB, Thomas was an outside cornerback in former defensive coordinator David Reeves’ balanced scheme. A Birmingham native, his college career was disrupted by an ACL injury, but he returned to lead the Blazers in passes defended his junior and senior seasons. Thomas displays the explosive acceleration and fluid movement skills desired at the position in the NFL. He gets his hands on plenty of footballs but needs to turn more of those breakups into interceptions and dial back his leaning mid-route, which allows receivers to become unglued at break points. Overall, Thomas lacks ideal height/length and needs to add more discipline to his scrappy style, but he has high-level speed and twitchy cover skills with the toughness to match. He has the skill set to play both outside and at the nickel.

Starling Thomas V Highlights

Here are some highlights so you can get to know the newest Lions CB.