Zero-point-two. If we were grading Khyri Thornton’s rookie year with the Green Bay Packers, that would have been his GPA.
The Packers reached to pick Thornton in the third round of the 2014 draft. Here’s a guy who had 39 tackles and a half sack as a senior at Southern Miss. He subsequently came into training camp and was a complete non-factor. Zero impact.
In fact, if Thornton hadn’t pulled a hammy late last summer, you could surmise he would have been cut. He was that bad. Instead, the Packers used that as an excuse to put Thornton on injured reserve, in order to hope he could contribute something in his second season.
Obviously, it remains to be seen if Thornton can contribute, but he apparently got the message.
Thornton admitted he was lazy last year, but claims he now knows what it takes to succeed.
“I didn’t work on things (in college),” Thornton said. “But when you get here, you’ve got to work on everyday things like hand placement, how you do punch, keep your hands above your eyes, take this right step because if you don’t you’ll leave a gap this wide and they’ll hit you for 90 yards.”
In the offseason, Thornton added 10 pounds of muscle and he’s now up to 315. He has been in Green Bay training since last season and will remain throughout the offseason.
This certainly appears to be a make-or-break year. If Thornton doesn’t show anything, then the Packers will have to move on and admit they wasted a third-round draft pick less than two years after they spent it.
If the Packers do get anything out of this guy, it’s pretty much just gravy at this point.
Words to live by….
Interesting piece.
Would be a shame to waste what looks to be good talent….
I would agree that make-or-break is a fair assessment.
for 2 drafts now TT has gone with guys nobody expected or heard of in the first 3 rounds. I think that TT is trying to be too cute and that can hurt us.
Maybe Thorton will end up being a sensitivity trainer in Cleveland.
Dammit, Deepsky, you beat me to it! Well done.