Hall of Fame 2023: Zach Thomas, the brains behind the Dolphins' dominant defense
The Pro Football Hall of Fame will formally welcome its Class of 2023 on Saturday. This week, Yahoo Sports is highlighting each member of the nine-man class, leading up to the big ceremony.
Despite finishing his senior season at Texas Tech as a unanimous first-team All-American, the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Butkus Award, Zach Thomas' NFL outlook was bleak heading into the 1996 NFL Draft.
Lacking the prototypical physical traits for an NFL linebacker, Thomas put forth an unimpressive performance at the NFL scouting combine that reinforced pre-existing concerns regarding his athletic profile and hurt his draft stock.
Ultimately, the Miami Dolphins picked Thomas in the fifth round, their second linebacker selection of the draft, with an eye toward a potential role on special teams. But what came next even the Dolphins did not see coming.
From his first training camp, it became clear that what Thomas lacked in size and athleticism, he made up for in intangibles. In the end, his lauded preparation, intelligence, instincts and leadership carried him to a Hall-of-Fame career.
Immediate impact
After an eye-opening first summer sparked Thomas' shocking ascent of the depth chart, he was named the Dolphins' starting middle linebacker shortly before his rookie year began, a decision that proved to be shrewd.
Thomas never looked back, finishing his first season, in which he posted 154 combined tackles, three interceptions and two sacks, according to Pro Football Reference, with NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and the Dolphins' team MVP award.
Model of consistency
From there, the accolades kept on coming for Thomas, who led the Dolphins to seven consecutive top-10 finishes in total defense from 1998-2004 and five consecutive playoff appearances from 1997-2001. Across his 12 seasons in Miami, Thomas was a five-time first-team All-Pro, a seven-time Pro Bowler (more than any other Dolphins defensive player) and the two-time NFL Linebacker of the Year.
Thomas also won a second team MVP award in 2001 and was the first three-time winner of the Dolphins' Don Shula Leadership award. The 49-year-old remains the franchise leader in interceptions returned for touchdowns and sits second among Dolphins defenders in all-time games played with the team, at 168.
This long list of achievements, which perhaps does not do justice to the impact Thomas had against offenses, led to his induction into the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll in February.
An easy choice
With a standout résumé, it is not difficult to see why Thomas is joining the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
His 13-year career, which ended in 2008 after one season with the Dallas Cowboys, ultimately landed him fifth on the NFL's all-time tackles leaderboard and a member of the league's 2000s All-Decade Team.
Yet while the Texas native's career quickly appeared it was headed for promising heights, his dedication and student-of-the-game mentality that led to his rise from fifth-round underdog to Pro Football Hall of Famer is what should be remembered of Thomas' journey.
"The most unnerving thing about playing Miami was Zach Thomas calling out all of your plays," Peyton Manning said via the Dolphins' team website. "He caused the most problems for me of any player I ever faced."
