Thomas also starred in track & field at Cedar, where he competed in hurdles and relays. As a junior in 2006, he posted a personal-best time of 37.19 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles at the UIL T&F Championships. At the 2007 District Meet, he placed 3rd in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.47 seconds, 2nd in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 37.33 seconds and ran the second leg on the 4 × 400 m relay squad, helping Cedar win the event with a time of 3:14.81.[1]
Thomas started four games as a true freshman and registered 45 tackles, 4 passes defended and one interception.
As a sophomore, Thomas played in 12 games with eight starts. He finished second on the team with six passes defended and recorded 57 tackles and three forced fumbles.
As a junior in 2009, Thomas had 10 starts, recorded 45 tackles and ranked second on the team with 9 passes defended.
In his last year at Buffalo, Thomas was the team's top cornerback, mainly covering the opposing teams' top wide receiver; he posted 12 starts, 58 tackles, 8 passes defended, one interception and 2 sacks.
At his Pro Day, Thomas (5-foot-10 5/8, 192 pounds) ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, had a 40-inch vertical jump and a 10-8 broad jump, ran a 6.89 3-cone drill, and stood on his short shuttle time and bench-press repetitions.
On September 4, 2011, he was claimed off the waivers by the Carolina Panthers.[4] In 2012, he started the last 4 games, registered 24 tackles, 7 passes defended (second on the team) and 7 special teams tackles.
On the third play of a game against the Miami Dolphins on November 24, 2013, Thomas intercepted a pass from Ryan Tannehill which was intended for Rishard Matthews.[5] It would be the only interception of his professional career. In 2013, he played in 13 games (6 starts and 3 inactive) as part of a defensive unit that ranked second in the league in points allowed and total defense.[citation needed] He finished with 28 tackles, 2 passes defended, 4 special teams tackles and one interception. He was released on August 30, 2014.[6]
Thomas signed with the New York Jets on October 13, 2014. He provided depth after the team placed cornerback Dee Milliner on the injured reserve list.[9] Thomas was released on December 16, days after his car was broken into and, by his estimate, nearly $12,000 worth of items were stolen.[10][11] According to Thomas, the Jets told him that part of the reason that he was released was because he did not "engage" enough with his teammates.[11]
Detroit Lions
The day after his release from the Jets, Thomas was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions on December 17, 2014. In his brief stint with the Lions, Thomas earned $75,882 while appearing in only one game and failing to record any statistics.[12]
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings signed Thomas on July 24, 2015, following the news that cornerback Jabari Price would be suspended for two games to start the season.[13] He was released on September 5.