Bears Take Forner West Virginia Linebacker J.T. Thomas in 6th Round
The Bears closed out their 2011 draft by selecting J.T. Thomas, linebacker out of West Virginia. Thomas is considered to be a little undersized at only 6’1″ and 241 pounds at the pro level. He started his last 39 games at West Virginia at weak side linebacker.
Linebacker is clearly a position of need for the Bears since they only have Pro Bowlers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs under contract. It’s likely they’ll make a strong push to resign some of their own free agents like Pisa Tinoisamoa, Nick Roach, Brian Iwuh and Rod Wilson whenever that signing process can begin. In the meantime, Thomas will be expected to be able to come to compete and contribute on special teams.
Welcome aboard J.T.