Thomas and Ogbonnaya Climb Up the Depth Chart

First-round pick Earl Thomas signed a five-year, $21 million contract over the weekend and has immediately moved into the top position on the Seattle Seahawks depth chart, alongside veteran Lawyer Milloy, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Thomas plans to spend a large chunk of the money on a new house for his parents, whose previous home was destroyed by Hurricane Rita in 2005.

Meanwhile, St. Louis Rams’ GM Billy Devaney mentioned Chris Ogbonnaya as the player to watch when discussing Steven Jackson’s backup running back with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“But the guy we all have confidence in, too, and he showed flashes last season, is Chris Ogbonnaya. Especially on third down, if you’re going to be in there on passing downs, you know they’re throwing the kitchen sink at you; you better be able to hang in there and figure out which guy to block. Ogbonnaya is super smart. He’s got really good hands and he’s a hard runner.”

Ogbonnaya has carried the ball 140 times for 597 yards and 8 touchdowns since entering the league in 2005.