Allen Park — It’s too early to tell what the fate of undrafted cornerback Starling Thomas will be.
But in the early goings of Detroit Lions training camp, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said Thomas has similar traits as a former UDFA success story: Cornerback Jerry Jacobs.
“Starling, he is physical, he can run, he’s highly competitive, he’s raw,” Glenn said. “Those same things I’ve told you about Jerry when he was here (as a rookie). And I got to do a really good job of understanding those traits that we need as an undrafted free agent, to be able to compete to be a part of this team.”
Thomas, who played four seasons at UAB and had a legit shot to be drafted, has been one of the darlings of Lions camp so far. With the turnover at cornerback this past offseason and Emmanuel Moseley continuing to return from a torn ACL suffered in October, Thomas has had plenty of opportunity to make his mark.
Jacobs signed with the Lions in 2021 as a UDFA out of Arkansas and hung around long enough to take advantage of a depthless position group and, eventually, became one of the most productive UDFAs of his class before tearing his ACL late in the season.
The other way that Thomas resembles Jacobs? His trash talk. Thomas hasn’t been shy on the practice field in early goings of camp, even getting into a skirmish with star wideout Jameson Williams earlier in the week.
“Oh, (Thomas) just a dog. Undrafted guy. Come in. He’s hungry, you can see it in him,” Jacobs said. “He just wants to compete, man. Little remind of me. But I think … he going to be better.
Thomas isn’t the only standout of the team’s UDFA class, and not even the only one at defensive back. Rookie Lions cornerback Steven Gilmore — brother of two-time All-Pro Stephon, who was traded to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason — has also made a positive impression on the coaching staff.
“We liked his tape too when he was coming out and he has some awareness about him, he has some instincts, he has ball skills, pretty good movement skills,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “I think for him, it’s going to be — some of it, along with (skill) development, is the physical development. He’s not a real big guy. He has to get a little bit of mass him, get a little bit stronger.”
“But we see growth out of him. No different than Starling, those guys. I mean, none of those guys…we are disappointed in. We see development. We’re excited about him.”
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @nolanbianchi