Ian Thomas in the NFL
In the NFL. Photo: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tight end, Indiana, 2016–⁠17

Ian Thomas

Number
No. 80
Height
6′5″
Weight
248 lb
Hometown
Baltimore, MD
Born
Jun 6, 1996, in Baltimore, Maryland

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Ian Thomas played tight end at Indiana (2016–⁠17). The Carolina Panthers took Thomas in round 4, No. 101 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
376
Receiving yards, 2017 (Indiana, 5–⁠7)
Drafted
No. 101
Round 4, 2018 NFL Draft (Carolina Panthers)

Career highs

93receiving yards, career highvs. Rutgers, 20172receiving touchdowns, career highvs. Ohio State, 2017

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2016Indiana3289.3020
2017Indiana2537615.0571
Career2840414.4571

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosHtWt
2016Indiana80TE
2017Indiana80TE6′5″248

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsage
2016Indiana30.54––1.6–
2017Indiana331.1799th (n=507)0.5238.65%

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2017 Indiana 9 games, 25 catches, 376 yards, 5 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLong
Aug 31vs.Ohio StateL 21–⁠49553225
Sep 9atVirginiaW 34–⁠17431015
Sep 23vs.Georgia SouthernW 52–⁠17279171
Sep 30atPenn StateL 14–⁠45591054
Oct 14vs.MichiganL 20–⁠271606
Oct 28atMarylandL 39–⁠421505
Nov 4vs.WisconsinL 17–⁠451707
Nov 11atIllinoisW 24–⁠1421117
Nov 18vs.RutgersW 41–⁠0493157
2016 Indiana 2 games, 3 catches, 28 yards
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLong
Nov 5atRutgersW 33–⁠271202
Dec 28 ✦vs.UtahL 24–⁠26226020

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

Played in the 2018 Senior Bowl (South team, won 45–⁠16).

DrillCombine 2018
Height6′3⅝″
Weight259 lb
Arm length32½″
Hand size10″
Wingspan80⅛″W
40-yard dash4.74 s
10-yard split1.69 sW
Vertical jump36″
Broad jump10′3″
3-cone drill7.15 s
20-yard shuttle4.20 s

Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

9 seasons, 83 games with a stat; latest team: Las Vegas Raiders.

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2018Carolina Panthers10363332
2019Carolina Panthers10161361
2020Carolina Panthers13201451
2021Carolina Panthers14181880
2022Carolina Panthers13211970
2023Carolina Panthers85560
2024Carolina Panthers3370
2025Las Vegas Raiders9131140
2026 (so far)Las Vegas Raiders34521
NFL career831361,2285

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.

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