Buffalo Bills wide receiver Deven Thompkins held his second annual Grandmaster Football Camp at Dunbar High School on Saturday, June 27.
The 2018 Dunbar High graduate spent the morning working with young players on receiver and defensive back skill training, footwork, and agility drills as well as sportsmanship and leadership at North Law Firm Stadium.
“I wanted to give back,” Thompkins said. “Obviously, being from here, growing up and stuff like that, and understanding the potential Southwest Florida has as far as sports. Growing up, it was just something that I always saw, and I promised myself that, whenever I did get the opportunity to play in the NFL, I’d want to come back and do something like this, so here living out that childhood dream right now.”
A scheduling change for the camp affected the turnout, but it didn’t stop Thompkins from enthusiastically devoting his time and expertise to the kids in attendance.
“At the end of the day, it’s still an opportunity for these kids to come out here, get to spend the one-on-one time with me, get to run them through some drills and take some pictures, spend some time with them, things like that.”
Thompkins played his senior high school season at Dunbar after previous stops at Island Coast and Bishop Verot in his career. In that 2017 season with the Tigers, he caught 34 passes for 510 yards and seven touchdowns and had three interceptions as a defensive back, including one for a touchdown.
“I remember scoring touchdowns in this stadium,” Thompkins said. “Got my name up there on the scoreboard now, so things change over an amount of time, but it’s always great to come back here and get to be back in this atmosphere for sure.”
Thompkins played four seasons at Utah State, recording 171 receptions for 2,519 yards and 15 touchdowns. In 2021, he ranked second in the FBS with his 1,704 receiving yards, earning Associated Press third-team All-America honors in his final season.
Thompkins signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2002, and in four NFL seasons, including stints with Carolina and Atlanta, he has caught 29 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown. In June, he signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills and rocked some team gear on Saturday.
“Obviously, the journey’s been up and down and a lot of adversity, but I’m excited for this new opportunity,” he said. “Anytime I get to play, I just want to go out there and give it my all, show them that they got somebody that’s ready to play some ball.”
At 5-foot-8, he is one of the smallest players in the league, but he hasn’t let that deter him as he enters his fifth year in the NFL.
“It means everything honestly,” he said. “Coming in undrafted, it’s difficult to make it past Year One, but to be in Year Five and still be able to keep going — being one of the smallest in the NFL too is also another thing. And I think God for it — and I think God for the ability he’s blessed me with to be able to do this for as long as I have and continue to elevate. I think that’s the main thing for me and just get better every single year.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Buffalo Bills’ Deven Thompkins hosts annual football camp at Dunbar
Reporting by Dustin B Levy, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dustin B Levy, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
