Seahawks 90-Man Rundown: Bubba Thomas Ready to Prove Worth Vying For Nose Tackle Reps
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Seattle Seahawks rookie defensive tackle Wy'Kevious "Bubba" Thomas looks on during a drill at the team's mandatory minicamp. Credit: Corbin Smith/Instagram [/caption]
With their offseason program all wrapped up, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC on July 23, meaning the start of the upcoming season will be here before fans have a chance to blink.
In preparation for year number two under coach Mike Macdonald, I’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, dishing out fun facts, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2025 campaign.
Bringing extensive experience as a nose tackle from South Alabama to the league, can Wy’Kevious “Bubba” Thomas make a run at a reserve spot in the middle of Seattle’s defensive line?
Wy’Kevious “Bubba” Thomas
Height/Weight: 6-1, 301 pounds
2024 Stats: 41 tackles, one tackle for loss, one swatted pass
Heralding from Riverside High School in Georgia as a two-star recruit, Thomas committed to South Alabama - the only FBS program that offered him a scholarship - in 2019 and after redshirting his true freshman season, he received an additional year of eligibility resulting from the COVID season despite suiting up for 11 games that year. Becoming a starter for the Jaguars in 2021, he recorded a career-high 49 combined tackles with 2.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries, garnering All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention recognition. He followed up with three sacks, five tackles for loss, and a forced fumble in 2022, but somehow wasn’t selected all-conference again.
During his final two seasons in Mobile, Thomas saw a significant dip in pass rushing production in part due to a change in positional role, generating just one sack in 2023 and 2024. But he produced at least 38 combined tackles in those two seasons while seeing more opportunities as a nose tackle, receiving Third-Team All-Sun Belt honors as a junior and Second-Team All-Sun Belt honors as a senior. He went undrafted in April and signed with the Seahawks as a priority free agent, setting himself up for the chance to vie for reps as a nose tackle behind veterans Johnathan Hankins, Brandon Pili, and Quinton Bohanna.
Fun Fact: A stalwart playing both 3-tech and 1-tech alignments for the Jaguars as a defensive tackle, Thomas graded out as one of the top 25 qualified defensive tackles in run defense in both 2022 and 2023 per Pro Football Focus.
Best Case Scenario: Though lacking prototypical size and length for an NFL nose tackle, Thomas’ ability to penetrate gaps as well as take on double teams shows up during training camp and preseason games as he becomes the latest undrafted rookie to secure a spot on the Seahawks 53-man roster following in the footsteps of Poona Ford and Bryan Mone.
Worst Case Scenario: Unable to consistently beat blocks at the point of attack with sub-33-inch arms and often giving up ground against stronger centers and guards, Thomas isn’t able to stand out amongst his peers and receives a pink slip after the final exhibition game without returning on the practice squad.
What to Expect in 2025: The Seahawks have one of the best starting defensive lines in the NFL rolling out Leonard WIlliams, Jarran Reed, and Byron Murphy II in the interior and the return of Hankins late in free agency provides a better starting option at the nose tackle spot in the short-term. But the team doesn’t have much proven depth behind Hankins after releasing former fourth-round pick Cameron Young in April and not drafting any interior defensive linemen, creating significant questions with only Bohanna and Pili - who spent most of last season on the practice squad - as options with game experience who can spell the veteran.
Due to the aforementioned lack of big bodies on the roster as currently constructed, Seattle could be a good landing spot for an undrafted rookie such as Thomas, who did enjoy a stellar collegiate career with production both as a pass rusher and run defender while demonstrating the type of positional flexibility Macdonald covets up front. His measurables could be a major obstacle for him to overcome while dealing with NFL length and power, but at the same time, he has a short, compact build that should help him from a leverage standpoint. If his play against Sun Belt competition translates at all, particularly as a run defender, while playing nose tackle, he has a fighting chance to at least be a practice squad consideration, if not more.
