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INDIANAPOLIS — It was over four and a half hours before a running back came out to speak to the media Friday, but the first one was an interesting one in Kansas State’s Daniel Thomas.

The son of two pastors and a former quarterback whose low grades and SAT scores forced him to go the junior college route, Thomas is one to keep an eye on.

A well-rounded back who the Patriots could potentially nab in the third-round area, Thomas put up big numbers in his two years at Kansas State. After fielding numerous offers from top schools out of junior college, he chose Kansas State over other schools because they were the only program that viewed him as a corner back. Other schools including Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Baylor wanted him, but only as a defensive back.

Now, after back-to-back 1,200 yard seasons at Kansas State (including a 1,585-yard senior campaign), Thomas is in that mix of second-tier backs after Mark Ingram and Mikel Leshoure. He said he would compare himself to “Larry Johnson in his prime” and that when it comes to this class, he doesn’t take a back seat.

“Right at the top with the best,” he said when asked where he ranks in this class.

Not the speediest guy in the world, Thomas will not run in Indianapolis due to an injured hamstring. He measured here at the combine at 6-foot-0 and 230 pounds.