The Washington Redskins drafted Devin Thomas with their second round pick (34th pick overall) this past April. Thomas decided to declare for the draft after his junior season at Michigan State. (Totally coincidental that I picked two former Big Ten players for my first two installments on this subject.) In his second season as a Spartan he set a school record by catching 79 balls for 1,260 yards and eight TDs. In 13 games last year, he went over the 100 yard receiving mark seven times, and over 130 yards receiving in four of those seven games. Those numbers were good enough reasons for the Redskins to draft him. Question is, are they good enough reasons for you to draft him in your fantasy football league this year?

Thomas will likely be the No. 2 guy in Washington with Santana Moss being the primary receiver. With him being a big guy with good speed, Thomas could have a good season. That could, however, depend on how well his QB, Jason Campbell progresses. Campbell has a strong arm which will help with any deep routes Thomas is sent on. Scouts have said that Thomas lacks route running skills, something he will need to learn if he wants to be successful in the NFL, and on your fantasy team.

The competition for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart will come from Antwan Randle El. The Redskins will most likely play Randle El at the slot position, so that frees up time for Thomas to play out wide. In addition to competing for receptions with Moss, he'll also have to compete with TE Chris Cooley. Even with all of that, Thomas should have a good season, especially if he improves on his route running. He's got the skill set to become a good fantasy football player and could be a nice sleeper pick late in the draft.

Rookie receivers don't have nearly as much success as rookie RBs do that are stepping into a team and starting right away, but they can still contribute to your team, especially late in the season once they've established a connection with their QB. Expect Thomas to have a season, one worth having him as maybe your flex player if your league offers that. As the season progresses he could even move up to a good option as a WR3, maybe even a WR2 if the Redskins offense can get on a roll. Rookie WRs are hard to predict, but if there's one to take a chance on late in your draft, it could very well be Devin Thomas.