Auburn was able to grab Daniel Thomas at the very last minute and I’m sure they’re very glad they did. After offering him a scholarship at the end of National Signing Day, Thomas picked the Tigers over North Carolina, Minnesota and South Carolina.
Despite racking in 87 tackles, seven INTs, and returning five kicks/punts for touchdowns as a senior at Robert E. Lee high school in Montgomery, Thomas was only seen as a three-star prospect.
Like Dinson, Thomas was outside the top 1000 recruits in his class (No. 1,532) to be exact and was never expected to be a major contributor for the Tigers.
But, Thomas quickly proved that wrong as he made the SEC All-Freshman second team in 2016 and made a strong impact in 2017.
By his junior season, Thomas was the Tigers’ starter at strong safety alongside Dinson and by the end of his Auburn career, Thomas would be an All-SEC talent.
Thomas ranked second on the team in total tackles in both 2018 and 2019 and also recorded nine TFLs, eight passes defended and five interceptions for his career.
The former three-star prospect was selected in the fifth round of the most recent NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars — not the usual for someone who wasn’t even considered a top 1,500 player in their class.