Broderick Thomas Madden Career 1992-1998 - Peak 82 OVR

Broderick Thomas came out of Nebraska with a first-round pedigree and a nickname, the Sandman, and for a few years in Tampa Bay he lived up to both. The sixth overall pick in 1989, he was a fast, aggressive edge rusher whose best seasons came early, an eleven-sack year in 1991 anchoring a run of productive football on some bad Buccaneers teams.

Madden rated him a solid starter, peaking at an 82 in the mid-1990s, with the noisy attribute values the old scale produced. The grade fit a good, not great, pass rusher whose production tailed off as he moved around the league.

Thomas spent his prime in Tampa Bay before bouncing to Detroit, Minnesota and finally Dallas in 1996, a veteran adding depth to a defense past its dynasty peak. He finished with 47.5 career sacks, a productive if unspectacular total for a top-ten pick. He was never a Pro Bowler, but he was a multi-year starter and a real edge threat in his best seasons. Madden's grades, solid and steady, are an accurate read of a player who arrived with high expectations, met them for a while, and settled into being a useful veteran.