Daniel Thomas

After failing to break camp with the Dolphins last season, Thomas ended up rejoining the team about a month later after injuries compromised the team’s running-back depth. Thomas would appear in 12 games, but did little to distinguish himself. He averaged 3.8 yards on 44 carries and hauled in 13 passes -- rather middling production that failed to earn him a new deal with the Dolphins. The veteran back latched on with the Bears in training camp, but after failing to climb higher than sixth on the depth chart over the first three preseason games, he was released in late August.

Thomas did little in 2013 to redeem himself from a poor start to his career. Take away a 105 yard performance versus Pittsburgh in Week 14 and there wasn't much to like in the 15 games he appeared in. With the Dolphins grabbing Knowshon Moreno in free agency, Thomas was squeezed out of the team's backfield mix.

A 2011 second-round pick, Thomas has been a disappointment in his two seasons, missing seven games with knee and hamstring injuries as well as a concussion, and failing to capitalize on opportunities. Thomas has averaged a paltry 3.5 YPC over his career and is just 4-for-25 inside the 10-yard line despite checking in at 6-1, 228. Coach Joe Philbin did not draft Thomas but selected the more gifted Lamar Miller and tougher Mike Gillislee in two drafts with the team, making Thomas' future in Miami not especially bright.

Thomas had a disappointing rookie season, running for just 581 yards while getting a paltry 3.5 YPC. He also failed to score on any of his seven goal-line carries and took a backseat to Reggie Bush. Thomas consistently battled nagging injuries and lacked power even when healthy, as his 1.9 YPC after contact tied for 62nd among running backs. Thomas still has plenty of time to turn his career around, but he enters 2012 behind Bush on the depth chart in an offense that lost Brandon Marshall during the offseason and might be starting a rookie quarterback at some point. Last season’s 216 carries were easily a career high for Bush, so an opportunity could open for Thomas, but he’s so far not shown much and is in one of the league’s weaker offenses.

The Dolphins traded up to draft Thomas with the No. 62 pick, and all signs point to the rookie immediately becoming the team’s feature back. Thomas, who racked up 1,856 total yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior at Kansas State, has three-down ability and could even see time out of the Wildcat. Thomas wasn’t able to run at the Combine because of a lingering hamstring injury, but noted prospect guru Mike Mayock rated him as the No. 2 running back in the draft, and he’s been compared to Larry Johnson in his prime. With Ronnie Brown off to Philadelphia and Ricky Williams unlikely to return, Thomas' main competition will come from Reggie Bush, who likely will not take many carries away. Rookies can be gambles as we don’t know how they’ll react to the pro game, but running back is also the easiest position to pick up coming from college, and while Thomas may not be a truly special talent, he’s the rookie in the best position to succeed right out of the gate.