It’s funny how one play can influence opinions of a player.
Going into the 2017 preseason, there was lots of excitement surrounding the prospect of watching the free safety who the Seattle Seahawks decided to spend a fourth round pick on. The rangy, ball-hawking Tedric Thompson, now understudy to Earl Thomas, was sure to impress against second-rate competition.
Suddenly concerns about Thompson’s 4.60 forty time were raised. Fans reiterated their appreciation of Earl while Thompson was written off in most circles. “He can’t compete against second stringers”, “He’s not an NFL player,” and “He’s just too slow” were commonplace critiques.