Thompson Focused on Best Version of Himself in Indianapolis
Mar 08, 2022 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Frtichen
Two months after Skylar Thompson helped lead Kansas State to a dominant 42-20 win over LSU in the TaxAct Texas Bowl, the former record-setting quarterback took center stage again as one of the signal-callers invited to participate in the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine held at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis last week.
Thompson was the first K-State quarterback invited to the NFL Combine since current offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Collin Klein in 2013. He finished his career as the only player in school history with 6,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career and ranked in the top 10 in 15 career statistical categories. His 24 career wins and 40 starts were most by a K-State quarterback since at least 1990.
Prior to the NFL Combine, Thompson threw for one touchdown in the East-West Shine Bowl. A native of Independence, Missouri, Thompson joined Chad May (1994), Michael Bishop (1998) and Jonathan Beasley (2000) as K-State quarterbacks selected to compete in the annual all-star game.
K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen spoke with Thompson about his experience at the NFL Combine:
D. SCOTT FRITCHEN: In one word, describe life over the last two months for Skylar Thompson.
SKYLAR THOMPSON: Opportunity. Throughout this process there's been so many opportunities for me to showcase myself as a player and person, and I've tried to take advantage of every opportunity. Everything in life is truly based on opportunities and making the most of them. It's been an awesome process. To see everything that I've experienced at K-State and that this program has instilled into me come to fruition, to see how it's benefitted me, it's been awesome. There's been so many situations I've experienced through this process. I truly look back and think, "If I didn't experience or learn that at K-State, I wouldn't be as prepared as I am." It's been so awesome. I'm taking advantage of every opportunity.
FRITCHEN: How did going through the K-State football program prepare you for this moment?
THOMPSON: From a football standpoint, our offensive scheme and being a pro-style system, and having the responsibilities that I have had as a quarterback definitely benefits me. In the NFL, of course, everything is more in-depth and there is more there just because it's pro football, but there is so much carryover from K-State to the NFL, and this offensive system definitely prepared me to learn everything. Because of that, I've been able to truly grasp things quicker.
The discipline aspect has also prepared me. Discipline is one of our core values at K-State. Throughout the process, I've transitioned from being with a team every day and having a coach tell me what to do every second of the day — K-State is very structured and put together. This process for the NFL, I've had coaches with me every day and I've had a plan and a schedule, but there's been a lot of free time, and I've had to stay disciplined. This program really prepared me and helped me to build good habits so that I make the most of every moment. I truly invested into those things necessary to better me as a football player.
Our core values at K-State — Discipline, Commitment, Toughness and Be Selfless — being able to display those to these NFL teams and coaches I speak with, it's real. It's not just me speaking words. My actions speak for themselves. I'm truly so grateful and blessed just with what this program and university taught me these six years. It's prepared me for this moment. In the midst of some adversity that I've faced here, it was hard to see that, you know, but to reap the reward for facing some trials and tribulations while I was here, to see it pay off, is really cool.
FRITCHEN: From getting off the airplane for the NFL Combine in Indianapolis to boarding your flight home, what all does the NFL Combine entail?
THOMPSON: It's a non-stop, 100-mile-per-hour start-to-finish evaluation process. I was awake until midnight and then we'd arise at 4 a.m. So, every night I was getting maybe 3 ½ hours of sleep and maybe four on a good night. Every day was like that. It was non-stop.
We had medical and orthopedic exams the first couple days. They performed MRIs on any past injuries and on any question marks, and then I met with team doctors and orthopedic doctors to review the MRIs and discuss any past injuries. That went really well. On Tuesday, they took our measurements, then were scheduled for physical competition from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. It was very taxing mentally and physically. I knew it would be mentally challenging, but I wasn't concerned.
During the start of the week, we met nightly with individual with coaches — like a speed-dating process between 9 p.m. and midnight. NFL teams had formal and informal interviews. Each NFL team had a suite inside Lucas Oil Field. I had two formal interviews.
Formal interviews included the general manager, head coach and coaching staff, and the entire front office. Literally every significant person was in that one room for the 30-minute interview. One of the teams took a very personal approach and asked me about myself and my story to get to know me. They dissected me top-to-bottom, and inside-and-out to gather every piece of information — how I think, how I work, and how I lead. In another formal interview, I entered the room, everybody was in there, and they had pulled up my film. A majority of the plays entailed interceptions or bad plays. This team was interested in how I explained those miscues, and whether I took ownership of my mistakes or blamed other people. The coaches didn't say a word. The whole time I spoke, they dissected every moment and every word. It was very intense.
During informal interviews – the speed-dating process – a quarterback coach or team pulled me aside for a 20-minute period. Every team was somewhat different. Some went more in-depth than others. Some asked me to draw up one of my plays. Some taught me a play, spoke with me for 20 minutes, and then asked me to recall the play that they taught me to test my comprehension and memory skills. Some teams just tried to get to know me as a person.
It was an awesome week. It was one of the most important weeks of my life. At the end of the day, I just looked at it as an opportunity to showcase what I could do. I'd let people figure out and see who I was as a person and player, and I was straightforward with people. I was being Skylar Thompson. I wasn't trying to be something I wasn't. I was true to myself the whole week.
FRITCHEN: During the on-field throwing drills, it looked like you were having fun. The NFL Network camera showed you half smiling before throwing your first deep pass. How fun and how challenging was that time for you?
THOMPSON: It was a blast. Once I got into the moment, it was like, "I've been doing this since I've been in fourth grade. This moment is no different than me being in fourth grade playing for the Pop Warner Indians throwing an out route the first practice of August." I was very comfortable. I got into the state of mind where I was confident. I knew I was ready for that moment and just didn't allow the moment to get too big. There wasn't a time that I sat there thinking, "Man, I'm throwing at the NFL Combine," or thought, "There are 32 NFL teams watching me throw." All the quarterbacks there were great guys and helped to make that moment really fun and enjoyable. It kind of took the stress off things. Everybody understood that we were all competing against one another but more importantly we competed against ourselves. It was an awesome moment. Anybody who knows me, I'm smiling all the time, so I was just trying to be myself and enjoy it, and just have confidence. I feel like I threw the ball really well. That was my whole goal on testing day.
FRITCHEN: CBS Sports listed you as the sleeper at the quarterback position. Do you consider yourself a sleeper?
THOMPSON: I feel like that's been me my whole life. I've always felt like I've been a sleeper to people until people see me in person or see me firsthand. Then they realize what I can do. I don't know what goes into that or what triggers those thoughts, but that's honestly right where I want to be. That's where I've been my whole life. I'm right in my element having that "sleeper" title. I try not to get caught up in what people think I am. I don't play this game to please other people or for their approval. I play for an audience of one. Having that mindset makes this process so fun. I'm so confident in myself, in who I am as a person and player and what I bring to the table that it doesn't matter what you throw at me or put me through, I'm going to overcome it and show people what I'm capable of. Whether I'm drafted or undrafted — obviously my goal is to be drafted — I'm more concerned with getting a true opportunity to show what I can do. Just let me get my foot into the door and prove what I'm capable of.
FRITCHEN: Having been through the experience now, what would be your biggest piece of advice to young players who one day hope to follow in your footsteps?
THOMPSON: My biggest advice is to run your race. Everybody's journey is different. Everybody's process to get to the destination is going to be different. Don't get caught up in the comparison game of comparing yourself to this guy and that guy and thinking you have to do this or that — no, run your race. Be confident in where your feet are every single day and just focus on being the best "you." That's the biggest thing I've learned through this process. There were so many times in my career, especially early on, where I was worried about results and worried about what somebody thought of me. My journey and the things that I experienced, the adversity, the injuries, setbacks, quarterback competition, and having different coaches, you name it — it all prepared me for this moment. I truly believe that my race and my football journey to get to this point is unlike anybody else in this draft. Any opportunity that a team gives me to tell my story and share what I've experienced and how it's benefitted me as a person and player, I knew that'd be a major plus for me. That's what I'd advise to any younger athlete who wants to be in my position someday. Run your race.
FRITCHEN: What is the next step in preparation for you now that you've completed the NFL Combine?
THOMPSON: I'm going to throw at the K-State Pro Day on Wednesday. I'm not going to take any measurements or do any testing because I did all that at the combine. I'm going to throw on Wednesday and then after that it's just about staying in shape. I'm going to be in Manhattan until May. That'll allow me to be around the guys and coaches for another couple months. I'm just going to try and stay in as good of shape as possible. It's going to be very important that I'm very disciplined through this process because I'm going to have the freedom to do what I want to do and control my workouts. I'm really diving into the things that I need to work on in preparing myself for whenever rookie camp comes in May.
FRITCHEN: Can you describe your flight home after the NFL Combine?
THOMPSON: It was the best feeling ever flying back home. I did so much reflecting on my way home. To reap the rewards of what this university and program at K-State taught me, I was so unbelievably prepared for that week at the NFL Combine. There wasn't one moment, or situation thrown at me that I wasn't ready for. I truly believe that this organization, program, my coaches and teammates, everybody here for the last six years prepared me for this moment, one of the biggest moments of my life. I felt so at ease during the process solely off my experience at K-State. I've expressed how grateful I am for this place, but it was one of those moments where, wow, this program prepared me for everything. When I came to K-State, that was my goal. I wanted to come to this program because I knew it'd develop me as a person and as a football player. It truly did that and it prepared me for one of the biggest moments of my life. I had some happy tears. I was flying home, listening to some music, and next thing I knew a tear came down my face. I was very, very grateful for it. It's been an awesome process.
Two months after Skylar Thompson helped lead Kansas State to a dominant 42-20 win over LSU in the TaxAct Texas Bowl, the former record-setting quarterback took center stage again as one of the signal-callers invited to participate in the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine held at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis last week.
Thompson was the first K-State quarterback invited to the NFL Combine since current offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Collin Klein in 2013. He finished his career as the only player in school history with 6,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career and ranked in the top 10 in 15 career statistical categories. His 24 career wins and 40 starts were most by a K-State quarterback since at least 1990.
Prior to the NFL Combine, Thompson threw for one touchdown in the East-West Shine Bowl. A native of Independence, Missouri, Thompson joined Chad May (1994), Michael Bishop (1998) and Jonathan Beasley (2000) as K-State quarterbacks selected to compete in the annual all-star game.
K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen spoke with Thompson about his experience at the NFL Combine:
D. SCOTT FRITCHEN: In one word, describe life over the last two months for Skylar Thompson.
SKYLAR THOMPSON: Opportunity. Throughout this process there's been so many opportunities for me to showcase myself as a player and person, and I've tried to take advantage of every opportunity. Everything in life is truly based on opportunities and making the most of them. It's been an awesome process. To see everything that I've experienced at K-State and that this program has instilled into me come to fruition, to see how it's benefitted me, it's been awesome. There's been so many situations I've experienced through this process. I truly look back and think, "If I didn't experience or learn that at K-State, I wouldn't be as prepared as I am." It's been so awesome. I'm taking advantage of every opportunity.
FRITCHEN: How did going through the K-State football program prepare you for this moment?
THOMPSON: From a football standpoint, our offensive scheme and being a pro-style system, and having the responsibilities that I have had as a quarterback definitely benefits me. In the NFL, of course, everything is more in-depth and there is more there just because it's pro football, but there is so much carryover from K-State to the NFL, and this offensive system definitely prepared me to learn everything. Because of that, I've been able to truly grasp things quicker.
The discipline aspect has also prepared me. Discipline is one of our core values at K-State. Throughout the process, I've transitioned from being with a team every day and having a coach tell me what to do every second of the day — K-State is very structured and put together. This process for the NFL, I've had coaches with me every day and I've had a plan and a schedule, but there's been a lot of free time, and I've had to stay disciplined. This program really prepared me and helped me to build good habits so that I make the most of every moment. I truly invested into those things necessary to better me as a football player.
Our core values at K-State — Discipline, Commitment, Toughness and Be Selfless — being able to display those to these NFL teams and coaches I speak with, it's real. It's not just me speaking words. My actions speak for themselves. I'm truly so grateful and blessed just with what this program and university taught me these six years. It's prepared me for this moment. In the midst of some adversity that I've faced here, it was hard to see that, you know, but to reap the reward for facing some trials and tribulations while I was here, to see it pay off, is really cool.
FRITCHEN: From getting off the airplane for the NFL Combine in Indianapolis to boarding your flight home, what all does the NFL Combine entail?
THOMPSON: It's a non-stop, 100-mile-per-hour start-to-finish evaluation process. I was awake until midnight and then we'd arise at 4 a.m. So, every night I was getting maybe 3 ½ hours of sleep and maybe four on a good night. Every day was like that. It was non-stop.
We had medical and orthopedic exams the first couple days. They performed MRIs on any past injuries and on any question marks, and then I met with team doctors and orthopedic doctors to review the MRIs and discuss any past injuries. That went really well. On Tuesday, they took our measurements, then were scheduled for physical competition from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. It was very taxing mentally and physically. I knew it would be mentally challenging, but I wasn't concerned.
During the start of the week, we met nightly with individual with coaches — like a speed-dating process between 9 p.m. and midnight. NFL teams had formal and informal interviews. Each NFL team had a suite inside Lucas Oil Field. I had two formal interviews.
Formal interviews included the general manager, head coach and coaching staff, and the entire front office. Literally every significant person was in that one room for the 30-minute interview. One of the teams took a very personal approach and asked me about myself and my story to get to know me. They dissected me top-to-bottom, and inside-and-out to gather every piece of information — how I think, how I work, and how I lead. In another formal interview, I entered the room, everybody was in there, and they had pulled up my film. A majority of the plays entailed interceptions or bad plays. This team was interested in how I explained those miscues, and whether I took ownership of my mistakes or blamed other people. The coaches didn't say a word. The whole time I spoke, they dissected every moment and every word. It was very intense.
During informal interviews – the speed-dating process – a quarterback coach or team pulled me aside for a 20-minute period. Every team was somewhat different. Some went more in-depth than others. Some asked me to draw up one of my plays. Some taught me a play, spoke with me for 20 minutes, and then asked me to recall the play that they taught me to test my comprehension and memory skills. Some teams just tried to get to know me as a person.
It was an awesome week. It was one of the most important weeks of my life. At the end of the day, I just looked at it as an opportunity to showcase what I could do. I'd let people figure out and see who I was as a person and player, and I was straightforward with people. I was being Skylar Thompson. I wasn't trying to be something I wasn't. I was true to myself the whole week.
Sky's The Limit@skylarjthompson | #NFLCombine pic.twitter.com/1rHCbL9sWg
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) March 4, 2022
FRITCHEN: During the on-field throwing drills, it looked like you were having fun. The NFL Network camera showed you half smiling before throwing your first deep pass. How fun and how challenging was that time for you?
THOMPSON: It was a blast. Once I got into the moment, it was like, "I've been doing this since I've been in fourth grade. This moment is no different than me being in fourth grade playing for the Pop Warner Indians throwing an out route the first practice of August." I was very comfortable. I got into the state of mind where I was confident. I knew I was ready for that moment and just didn't allow the moment to get too big. There wasn't a time that I sat there thinking, "Man, I'm throwing at the NFL Combine," or thought, "There are 32 NFL teams watching me throw." All the quarterbacks there were great guys and helped to make that moment really fun and enjoyable. It kind of took the stress off things. Everybody understood that we were all competing against one another but more importantly we competed against ourselves. It was an awesome moment. Anybody who knows me, I'm smiling all the time, so I was just trying to be myself and enjoy it, and just have confidence. I feel like I threw the ball really well. That was my whole goal on testing day.
FRITCHEN: CBS Sports listed you as the sleeper at the quarterback position. Do you consider yourself a sleeper?
THOMPSON: I feel like that's been me my whole life. I've always felt like I've been a sleeper to people until people see me in person or see me firsthand. Then they realize what I can do. I don't know what goes into that or what triggers those thoughts, but that's honestly right where I want to be. That's where I've been my whole life. I'm right in my element having that "sleeper" title. I try not to get caught up in what people think I am. I don't play this game to please other people or for their approval. I play for an audience of one. Having that mindset makes this process so fun. I'm so confident in myself, in who I am as a person and player and what I bring to the table that it doesn't matter what you throw at me or put me through, I'm going to overcome it and show people what I'm capable of. Whether I'm drafted or undrafted — obviously my goal is to be drafted — I'm more concerned with getting a true opportunity to show what I can do. Just let me get my foot into the door and prove what I'm capable of.
FRITCHEN: Having been through the experience now, what would be your biggest piece of advice to young players who one day hope to follow in your footsteps?
THOMPSON: My biggest advice is to run your race. Everybody's journey is different. Everybody's process to get to the destination is going to be different. Don't get caught up in the comparison game of comparing yourself to this guy and that guy and thinking you have to do this or that — no, run your race. Be confident in where your feet are every single day and just focus on being the best "you." That's the biggest thing I've learned through this process. There were so many times in my career, especially early on, where I was worried about results and worried about what somebody thought of me. My journey and the things that I experienced, the adversity, the injuries, setbacks, quarterback competition, and having different coaches, you name it — it all prepared me for this moment. I truly believe that my race and my football journey to get to this point is unlike anybody else in this draft. Any opportunity that a team gives me to tell my story and share what I've experienced and how it's benefitted me as a person and player, I knew that'd be a major plus for me. That's what I'd advise to any younger athlete who wants to be in my position someday. Run your race.
FRITCHEN: What is the next step in preparation for you now that you've completed the NFL Combine?
THOMPSON: I'm going to throw at the K-State Pro Day on Wednesday. I'm not going to take any measurements or do any testing because I did all that at the combine. I'm going to throw on Wednesday and then after that it's just about staying in shape. I'm going to be in Manhattan until May. That'll allow me to be around the guys and coaches for another couple months. I'm just going to try and stay in as good of shape as possible. It's going to be very important that I'm very disciplined through this process because I'm going to have the freedom to do what I want to do and control my workouts. I'm really diving into the things that I need to work on in preparing myself for whenever rookie camp comes in May.
FRITCHEN: Can you describe your flight home after the NFL Combine?
THOMPSON: It was the best feeling ever flying back home. I did so much reflecting on my way home. To reap the rewards of what this university and program at K-State taught me, I was so unbelievably prepared for that week at the NFL Combine. There wasn't one moment, or situation thrown at me that I wasn't ready for. I truly believe that this organization, program, my coaches and teammates, everybody here for the last six years prepared me for this moment, one of the biggest moments of my life. I felt so at ease during the process solely off my experience at K-State. I've expressed how grateful I am for this place, but it was one of those moments where, wow, this program prepared me for everything. When I came to K-State, that was my goal. I wanted to come to this program because I knew it'd develop me as a person and as a football player. It truly did that and it prepared me for one of the biggest moments of my life. I had some happy tears. I was flying home, listening to some music, and next thing I knew a tear came down my face. I was very, very grateful for it. It's been an awesome process.
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