Troy Polamalu, Shamarko Thomas and Dick LeBeau’s Blitzing Concepts

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t trade up for Shamarko Thomas to let him sit on the sidelines as a rookie.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded back into the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft, they had given up a 2014 third round pick to land a safety out of Syracuse who would look quite familiar to their fanbase. Of course, there was no reason for any Steelers fans to know anything about Shamarko Thomas, but watching him on the field would instantly remind them of a safety they drafted out of USC back in 2003.

Shamarko Thomas is not Troy Polamalu and he probably never will be. However, he is a similar prospect who plays with great acceleration, agility and aggressiveness on the field. Crucially, Shamarko has the flexibility to do a variety of things in space, which is undoubtedly what attracted Steelers’ defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to him.