Joseph Thomas (born December 4, 1984) played right tackle, defensive end, tight end, fullback, placekicker and punter in high school. He was listed among the top 20 offensive tackles nationally, a good PrepStar All-American, Second-team All-America offensive guard according to USA Today, member of Detroit Free Press All-Midwest team, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel First-team all-state defensive lineman and Second-team All-state offensive guard as a junior, and also received First-team All-state honors at DE from Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) and Associated Press. He was also a great defensive player winning the WFCA 2002 Defensive Player of the Year. He had 85 tackles and 12 sacks as a senior. As a junior, he had 70 tackles and 8 sacks. He was listed as the third best prospect in the state of Wisconsin in 2003. In track and field, Thomas of Brookfield Central High School set the school record for shotput and discus with throws of 64 ft 10 in (19.76 m) and 185 ft 7 in (56.57 m).
Aside from his athletic prowess, Thomas performed well academically. He was a 4-year honor roll student and a part of the U.S. Army Academic All-America team and played in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Notre Dame vied for his recruitment before he signed his letter of intent to Wisconsin in January 2003.
As a true freshman that fall, he mostly saw action as a blocking tight end. In 2004, he started all 12 games at left tackle, helping the Badgers' ground game with Anthony Davis and Matt Bernstein in the backfield.
In 2005, Barry Alvarez's final season, he started all 13 games at left tackle and was named a First-team All-American by Pro Football Weekly. He blocked for Brian Calhoun, who had an impressive year, racking up 1,500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards. Thomas considered declaring for the 2006 NFL Draft, where he was projected among the top 15 picks (and projected as the second offensive lineman behind Virginia prospect D'Brickashaw Ferguson). The Badgers were invited to the Capital One Bowl against Auburn, where they prevailed 24-10. Unfortunately, Thomas tore his ACL playing defensive end because of injuries to other players at the position. The Badgers finished that season 10-3 with a #15 national ranking. Soon after the game, Thomas announced that he would be returning to Wisconsin for his final year.
His senior season in 2006 began with high expectations. He was named a preseason All-American, and was on the watch lists for several postseason awards, including the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award. As the offensive captain, he started all 13 games and blocked for P. J. Hill, Jr., who racked up over 1,500 yards on the ground.
Following the regular season, Thomas won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior lineman (includes both offense and defense). The Associated Press awarded him placement on its First-team All-American at tackle, along with Michigan's Jake Long. Thomas was a consensus 2006 All-American selection.
Thomas and the Badgers were again invited to the Capital One Bowl, this time against Arkansas. The Badgers prevailed 17-14 and finished the season 12-1, a school record for wins in a single season.
Thomas also excelled at shotput for the Badgers' track and field team and he was a business major.
The Cleveland Browns drafted Thomas in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft (3rd overall) to fill a dire need on the team's offensive line. Instead of attending the 2007 draft festivities in New York, Thomas chose to continue a family tradition and go fishing on Lake Michigan with his father and Joe Panos, who was also a standout offensive lineman at Wisconsin and former Brookfield resident. Thomas discovered he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns via cell phone.
Thomas is an avid outdoorsman. Along with The Plain Dealer outdoors writer D'Arcy Egan, Thomas hosts the television program Outdoors Ohio on SportsTime Ohio. He lives in Westlake, Ohio with his wife Annie. He is also related to New Orleans Saints Tight End David Thomas.
Taken from Wikipedia