Zavion Thomas
American football player (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zavion R. Thomas (born February 14, 2004) is an American professional football wide receiver and kickoff returner for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs and LSU Tigers and was selected by the Bears in the third round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Woodmere, Louisiana, U.S.
| No. 81 – Chicago Bears | |
|---|---|
| Positions | Wide receiver, kickoff returner |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 14, 2004 Woodmere, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | John Ehret (Jefferson Parish, Louisiana) |
| College | Mississippi State (2022–2023) LSU (2024–2025) |
| NFL draft | 2026 (3rd round, 89th overall pick) |
| Career history | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
Thomas attended John Ehret High School in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. As a senior, he had 37 receptions for 1,025 receiving yards, 18 receiving touchdowns, 779 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns and three punt returns for a touchdown. He committed to Mississippi State University to play college football.[1]
College career
Thomas played in 11 games as a true freshman at Mississippi State in 2022 and was named a freshman All-American as a punt returner after returning 15 punts for 202 yards and a touchdown.[2][3] He entered the transfer portal after the season, but returned to Mississippi State for his sophomore year in 2023.[4] Thomas started 8 of 11 games that season, recording 40 receptions for 503 yards and one touchdown.[5] After the season, he entered the transfer portal again and transferred to Louisiana State University (LSU).[6][7] In his first year at LSU in 2024, Thomas started 3 of 13 games and made 23 receptions for 218 yards with two touchdowns. He returned to LSU for his senior year in 2025.[8]
Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | Receiving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2022 | Mississippi State | 11 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Mississippi State | 11 | 40 | 503 | 12.6 | 1 |
| 2024 | LSU | 13 | 23 | 218 | 9.5 | 2 |
| 2025 | LSU | 13 | 41 | 488 | 11.9 | 4 |
| Career | 48 | 106 | 1,213 | 11.4 | 7 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10+3⁄8 in (1.79 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 6 ft 1+1⁄8 in (1.86 m) | 4.28 s | 1.52 s | 2.51 s | 36.0 in (0.91 m) | 16 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[9][10] | ||||||||||||
Thomas was selected by the Chicago Bears in the third round, 89th overall, of the 2026 NFL draft.[11] He signed his rookie contract on May 8.[12]
Personal life
Thomas is related to NFL running back Walter Payton.[13]