Donte Thompson
5'11" 170lbs CB
RS Junior
Transfer Arkansas State
Donte, another starter on the 2022 UIW semi-final team, transferred to Arkansas State for the '23 season before moving on to San Marcos. He becomes the 12th transfer from the '22 UIW team, joining Preston "Max" Harris and Steven Parker, who also transferred in this year. Donte, a former UIW starter, led the team with an impressive 17 pass breakups and an advanced NFL rating of 58.7, a stat published by PFF that measures a quarterback's NFL passer rating generated from a player's coverage numbers when targeted. He earned a spot on the All-Southland Conference defensive 1st team as recognized by Conference coaches and FCS Central, a Sports Illustrated Channel.
Had he transferred to Texas State last year, with the familiarity of the coaches and system, he would have secured a spot on the 2-deep roster, IMO. Unfortunately, despite his successful year at UIW, his experience at Arkansas State was the opposite, where he found himself low on the depth chart and only received a few snaps on special teams. The positive takeaway is that he was able to redshirt and now has the opportunity to recapture the magic of '22, but his lack of success at Arkansas State raises questions. While I could speculate why he wasn't successful at Arkansas State, I won't do so in this case.
Let's stick to the formula: Measurables + Skill + Other = Rating
Measurables:
Donte is a smaller guy, listed at 5'11" and 170lbs. There are very few track stats on him, except a DQ in the 100M and running the 2nd leg on a last-place 4 x 100 team. I'll assume he runs a 4.6 forty because if he was slower he wouldn't have put up the numbers he did at UIW. I rate his measurables at 3.5 out of 5.
Skill:
I rewatched the Sacramento State quarterfinals game and focused on Donte. Coaches had a lot of trust in him, constantly putting him on an island with receivers. He showed good anticipation and instincts, coming close to a pick-6. He showed a nice ability to close on balls. Although his NFL stat for the game was poor, I don't believe it accurately reflects his coverage in this particular game. However, his tackling was below average, displaying an unwillingness to engage. I rate his skill at 4.0 out of 5 solely due to his strong coverage skills.
Other:
Coaches in the Southland held him in high regard, awarding him with a 1st team all-conference selection. He also played for Coach Kinne, and if anyone would know if Donte could compete at this level, it would be the TXST staff. I rate his Other at 4.5 stars out of 5.
Overall, I give Donte a 4 star rating and believe he will make the depth chart as an "or".
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