‘This is a dream come true’: Former K-State QB Skylar Thompson ready for his NFL shot
There were times during his college football career that Skylar Thompson feared he might not get a chance to audition for the NFL.
The former Kansas State quarterback and product of Fort Osage High in the Kansas City area was benched at times during his first few years with the Wildcats. Then, after he proved himself as the team’s unquestioned starter, he missed 10 games because of injuries.
At one point last season, he legitimately thought his playing days were over when he collapsed on the turf at Bill Snyder Family Stadium with an issue in his right knee.
But Thompson fought his way past those obstacles to set the K-State quarterback record for starts (39) and wins as a starter (23) while also amassing 6,875 yards as a passer and 1,077 yards as a runner.
For those reasons, he was invited to the NFL Draft Scouting Combine this week in Indianapolis. Now he’s getting his shot to play pro football.
“Just to be here and have this opportunity, this is a dream come true,” Thompson said during a news conference on Wednesday at the combine. “Ever since I was a little kid I always wanted to be on this stage (and) always believed I could be on this stage. The fact that it’s a reality now and I’m here and have the opportunity to do it, it’s a dream come true. Surreal.”
Thompson has boosted his NFL stock over the past few months.
He began turning heads during his “super senior” season with the Wildcats when he threw for 320 yards against Oklahoma, 296 yards against Texas Tech and then 259 yards against LSU. After that, he had a solid showing at the East/West Shrine Game by completing six of nine passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.
He is currently viewed as a potential late-round pick or a priority undrafted free agent.
“I’m just looking forward to this next opportunity, whatever team it is,” Thompson said. “Wherever invests in me, they’re going to get a great leader, a great quarterback, somebody that’s going to come into the organization and make the organization better and impact every single person he encounters.”
In an odd twist of fate, Thompson said on Wednesday that he thinks his up-and-down journey with the Wildcats will help him impress some NFL scouts in the coming weeks.
He said he learned a lot about the game while he worked his way back from an injury to his right pectoral muscle as a senior. While he was out, he helped K-State backup quarterback Will Howard study film and sat in on meetings with the coaching staff as they prepared for games.
On Saturdays, he sat in the press box and listened as the Wildcats’ offensive coaching staff called plays. Taking a step back and viewing the game from new angles helped him understand things that never registered with him as a player.
Now he hopes to show off everything he has learned, and his natural talents, in front of NFL scouts when he performs drills in front of them on Thursday.
“I just need to be myself, you know?” Thompson said. “I believe in my ability and what I bring to the table as a quarterback and as a person.”
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 2:01 PM with the headline "‘This is a dream come true’: Former K-State QB Skylar Thompson ready for his NFL shot."