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Ohio State Football: Thomas is the best offensive player in the NFL

By David Wysong

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 16: Wide receiver Michael Thomas #13 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates after a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Mercedes Benz Superdome on December 16, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 16: Wide receiver Michael Thomas #13 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates after a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Mercedes Benz Superdome on December 16, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Former wide receiver for the Ohio State football team Michael Thomas earned the 2019 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award on Saturday.

The Ohio State football program has produced some great NFL players, but possibly none more talented than former Buckeye wide receiver Michael Thomas.

Yesterday, Thomas – who currently plays for the New Orleans Saints – learned that he is the 2019 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year as he edged out Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson with 19 votes compared to 17.

Jackson had an incredible year and was one of the most fun young players to watch in the league, but Thomas is easily the best offensive player in the NFL.

This season Thomas broke hall-of-famer Marvin Harrison’s single-season reception record that has stood for 17 seasons as he caught 149 passes. That’s even with quarterback Drew Brees missing some time due to injury.

He also had career-bests in receiving yards with 1,725, as well as yards per game with 107.8 and receptions per game with 9.3. Thomas also earned a trip to the Pro Bowl for the third straight season and was a First Team All-Pro selection for the second consecutive season.

The best thing about Thomas though is that he doesn’t drop passes. NFL.com wrote that according to Next Gen Stats, Thomas had an 80.5 percent catch percentage which was the highest among wide receivers by a large margin.

Thomas’ career-year and dependable hands helped the Saints have one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL as New Orleans ranked third in the league in points per game, averaging 28.6.

While Jackson and the Ravens also had one of the most prolific offenses in the league, what helped Thomas win this award was how big he was when Brees couldn’t play. During the five games Brees sat out, Thomas had 42 catches, 551 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He was a big reason the Saints went 5-0 with their future hall-of-fame QB on the sidelines.

Next. Grading Ryan Day’s 2019 coaching staff. dark

We all knew that Thomas had all the potential in the world when he was an Ohio State Buckeye. Now he is showing it as he is the best offensive player in the NFL.

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