John Bailey Theus (born January 19, 1994) is an American former professional football offensive tackle. He played college football at the University of Georgia.
 John Theus in 2013 | |||||||
| No. 71 | |||||||
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| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | January 19, 1994 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 303 lb (137 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Jacksonville (FL) Bolles | ||||||
| College: | Georgia | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2016 / round: 5 / pick: 145 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early life
editA native of Jacksonville, Florida, Theus attended Bolles School where he was coached by Corky Rogers. As a sophomore, he was part of a 12–1 Bolles Bulldogs team led by running back Jawan Jamison that defeated Tampa Catholic for the 2009 FHSAA Class 4A state title. In his junior season, Bolles went undefeated through the regular season, only to lose 35–21 to Ocala Trinity Catholic in the Region 1-2B championship.[1] In Theus' senior season, Bolles went 16–1 and beat Miami Washington for the second Class 4A state title in three years.[2] After the season, Theus played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was also named All-American by Parade and USA Today.
Regarded as a consensus five-star recruit, Theus was ranked as one of the best offensive tackle prospects of the class of 2012, which also included Zach Banner, D. J. Humphries, and Andrus Peat.[3] With scholarship offers from almost every major program in the country, Theus chose Georgia over Notre Dame, Florida, Texas, and Alabama.[4]
College career
editIn his true freshman season at Georgia, Theus started all 14 games at right tackle.[5] He was only the third true freshman to start at offensive tackle in a season opener for Georgia since freshmen became eligible in 1973, and the first since Trinton Sturdivant in 2007.[6] After a solid season in which Georgia ranked No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in yards per play, Theus was named Freshman All-American by CBSSports.com,[7] The Sporting News,[8] and Phil Steele. As a sophomore, Theus lost his starting job for stints when Kolton Houston returned to the team after having his eligibility cleared by the NCAA.[9] Theus played in all 13 games of the season, starting eight of them.
For his junior season, Theus was moved over to left tackle where he started in all 13 games. He was part of an offensive line that helped Georgia rush for 257.8 yards per game, which ranked first in the SEC. Theus earned Associated Press Honorable Mention All-SEC after the season. For his senior season Theus started all 13 games, 9 at left tackle, 4 at right tackle. Theus was named All SEC 1st team. Theus finished his career being named all around team captain.
Professional career
editPre-draft
editComing out of college, Theus was projected to be a fourth to sixth round selection. He was ranked the 14th best offensive tackle out of the 109 available by NFLDraftScout.com. He was invited to the NFL Combine and was able to complete all their drills and workouts besides the bench press. He participated at Georgia's Pro Day and was satisfied with his combine number, only performing positional drills and the bench.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
313 lb (142 kg) |
34+1⁄2 in (0.88 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
5.22 s | 1.80 s | 3.00 s | 4.78 s | 7.90 s | 28 in (0.71 m) |
8 ft 7 in (2.62 m) |
19 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[10] | ||||||||||||
San Francisco 49ers
editThe San Francisco 49ers selected Theus in the fifth round, (145th overall) of the 2016 NFL draft.[11] On May 5, 2016, the 49ers signed him to a four-year, $2.59 million rookie contract with a signing bonus of $257,612.[12]
On September 13, 2017, Theus was waived by the 49ers.[13]
Carolina Panthers
editOn September 14, 2017, Theus was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers.[14] He was placed on injured reserve on December 2, 2017.[15]
On February 26, 2018, Theus was waived by the Panthers.[16]
New Orleans Saints
editOn February 27, 2018, Theus was claimed off waivers by the New Orleans Saints.[17] He was waived/injured by the Saints on May 7, 2018 and was placed on injured reserve.[18] He was released on May 16, 2018.[19]
Tennessee Titans
editOn May 17, 2018, Theus was claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans.[20]
On August 1, 2018, Theus announced his retirement from the NFL.[21]
References
edit- ^ "Bolles' two-year run of state titles ends with road loss to Ocala Trinity Catholic". Florida Times-Union. November 27, 2010.
- ^ "Jacksonville Bolles' late rally upends Miami Booker T. Washington 33-25". Orlando Sentinel. December 11, 2011.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Bolles' five-star lineman John Theus commits to Georgia". Florida Times-Union. July 15, 2011.
- ^ "Freshman OL John Theus a 'tough kid' with huge upside for Bulldogs". Online Athens. December 30, 2012.
- ^ "Freshman Theus may make a push for starting role on UGA's offensive line". Online Athens. August 1, 2012.
- ^ "CBSSports.com 2012 All-Freshman Team". CBSSports.com. December 7, 2012.
- ^ "Sporting News' 2012 Freshman All-American team". Sporting News. December 7, 2012. Archived from the original on January 6, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
- ^ "John Theus seeks big finish to UGA football career". Times Free Press. July 23, 2015.
- ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles – John Theus". nfl.com. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ Fann, Joe (April 30, 2016). "San Francisco 49ers Draft Georgia OL John Theus". 49ers.com. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
- ^ David Fucillo (May 5, 2016). "49er's draft pick John Theus signs rookie contract". ninersnation.com. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ "49ers Sign LB Elijah Lee, Waive OL John Theus". 49ers.com. September 13, 2017.
- ^ Strickland, Bryan (September 14, 2017). "Panthers claim OT John Theus". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ "Carolina Panthers roster news: Zach Moore promoted from practice squad, John Theus placed on injured reserve". CatScratchReader.com. December 2, 2017.
- ^ "Carolina Panthers release offensive tackle John Theus". CatScratchReader.com. February 26, 2018.
- ^ Alper, Josh (February 27, 2018). "Saints claim John Theus, release Gerald Hodges". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
- ^ Williams, Charean (May 7, 2018). "Saints sign four undrafted rookies, waive four to make room". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
- ^ "John Theus: Waived by New Orleans". CBSSports.com. May 16, 2018.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (May 17, 2018). "Titans Claim Offensive Lineman John Theus off Waivers". TitansOnline.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- ^ Alper, Josh (August 1, 2018). "Titans place John Theus on reserve/retired list". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
