Quick Facts
Biography
Jahad Thomas (born November 6, 1995) is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Temple University, where he earned second-team All-American Athletic Conference Second Team honors in 2016. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2017 NFL Draft.
Early life
Thomas was born to Connie Thomas and Eddie Roberts in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Thomas was a two-sport athlete at Elizabeth High School where he played both football and basketball. Thomas captained both teams. In football, Thomas played both running back and cornerback. He played alongside his college quarterback, Phillip Walker who currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts.
Coming out of high school, Thomas was ranked as three-star prospect by ESPN and the fourth best running back in the state of New Jersey. Thomas also played in the North-South All-Star Football Game.
College career
Thomas decided to decided to sign with the Temple Owls in 2013. In his freshman team with the Owls, Thomas served as the team's Kick Returner. His play was good enough to warrant a spot on Phil Steele's All-Conference Third Team. He missed a game against the Army Black Knights with a knee injury.
During the summer before his Sophomore year at Temple, Thomas transitioned into becoming a full-running back. He did not start in the team's first game against Vanderbilt, but led the team with 44 years on 12 carries. Temple went on to win that game.Later in the year, Thomas made his first start against Navy. His season highlight came against Tulsa when he ran for 152 yards and caught a 20-yard touchdown, the first of his Temple career.
Thomas' best year came as a Junior. He led Temple's offense with 1,262 rushing yards, 1,677 all-purpose yards, and 114 points. That year, Temple went 10–4 and 7–1 in their American Conference. Temple went on to appear in the 2015 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game and the 2015 Boca Raton Bowl. They even had College Gameday in Philadelphia.
In his final year with Temple, Thomas ran for 953 yards. However, he gained enough yards to move up to fourth on Temple's all-time list in total yards.
That year, Temple went on to win the 2016 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game, but lost in the 2016 Military Bowl against Wake Forest.
Professional career
Entering the draft, Thomas was labeled as a "Productive running back lacking in NFL-caliber size and strength but who makes up for it with his quickness and ability to help as a pass catcher and return man." by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.
| Ht | Wt | Hand size | 40‑yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10 3⁄4 in (1.80 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 9 1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 4.47 s | 1.58 s | 2.62 s | 32 1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 116 ft 0 in (35.36 m) | 11 reps | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine. { | ||||||||||||
Dallas Cowboys
Thomas signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent on May 12, 2017. He was waived on July 28, 2017.
New York Jets
On August 23, 2017, Thomas was signed by the New York Jets. He was waived on September 2, 2017.