I’ll admit — the news of his addition to the Buffalo Bills roster slipped through the tracks yesterday until I caught a tweet about his inclusion in mandatory minicamp practice before I went to bed.
And when I saw his name, my ears perked up and my eyebrows raised — which is naturally what happens to a draft nerd when a distance draft memory is conjured.
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He’s wide receiver Deven Thompkins.
OK, so that introduction sounds like the Bills unearthed prime Julio Jones.
Of course, I don’t think that.
I just remember having a sizable draft crush on Thompkins in the 2022 NFL Draft. One shred of evidence of the crush:
Here’s what I wrote about him before the draft that year:
“Super-tiny twitch/speed based WR who will scare bigger, slower-footed CBs on the outside or in the slot in the NFL. Double-move master who effortlessly makes his vertical break, often leaving defenders in no-mans land. Not strictly a burner. Has intricate WR skills. Tracks it awesomely over his shoulder deep and will make diving grabs. Some leaping ability too so he doesn’t play as small as his short stature indicates. Didn’t see much press in college and it’s safe to assume longer CBs will get the best of him often at NFL level. Twitch is higher-end but not as ridiculous as his light weight would indicate. YAC is almost all mostly speed-based. Not a Tavon Austin-juke specimen. Scary-fast speed. His advanced WR skills along with his burst/bounce make him an interesting prospect, if one can look past his extreme lack of size.”
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On the “super-tiny” front — Thompkins measured in just under 5’7” and 167 pounds at the Utah State Pro Day. Yeah, he’s super tiny.
At that workout, Thompkins tested like an NFL-caliber wide receiver:
40-yard dash: 4.44
10-yard split: 1.53
Vertical jump: 38.5”
Broad jump: 132”
Three-cone: 6.98
And that’s not all — after three seasons for the Aggies with only decent productivity (815 yards on 65 catches in his first three years combined), Thompkins erupted as a senior with 102 catches for 1,704 yards with 10 touchdowns. That season led to a Third-Team All-American selection.
Of course, because of his diminutive size, Thompkins went undrafted in 2022 but clung to the Buccaneers roster all season before he was elevated to the 53-man roster in December of his rookie season. In four appearances from Week 15 to 18, he had five snags for 32 yards and served as the team’s primary punt and kick returner.
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Thompkins’ performance in the late-season audition was enough for him to earn more playing time in 2023 in Tampa. He played on 22.3% of the offensive snaps — fourth-highest snap count among Bucs receivers — and caught 17 passes for 82 yards with a touchdown. After being waived by the 2024 iteration of the Buccaneers, he stayed in the NFC South — until now — playing on the Panthers before catching three passes a season ago with the Falcons.
Despite his minimal NFL production to date, Thompkins was trusted by his Tampa Bay coaching staffs to play — and run routes — in three playoff games, and he made one catch for four yards in the postseason as a rookie.
While at CBS Sports, I ran a “Practice Squad Power Rankings” series every Friday in season that ranked who I believed were the Top 10 practice squad players in the NFL. Those weekly pieces pushed for PSPR members to be elevated to their respective team’s gameday roster. Thompkins was a Practice Squad Power Rankings fixture.
After I discovered Thompkins was trying out for the Bills at mandatory minicamp and I saw this tweet, I knew I had to write this very article:
We’ll see what happens with Thompkins after today’s final mandatory minicamp practice before the Bills break for the summer.
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He is not your average tryout player. He’s incredibly small but has serious juice, plus quickness, NFL regular and postseason experience, and has one drop on 42 targets as a professional.
Does he get an invite to training camp?
I would not be surprised if he does — and eventually makes some noise at St. John Fisher University in late July and early August.
Yes, draft crushes die hard.
