Syracuse, NY — Former Cicero-North Syracuse football standout Lorenzo Thompson will sign with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent, according to Cleveland-based television reporter Camryn Justice.
Justice works for Cleveland’s local ABC affiliate. Players who sign as undrafted free agents have an uphill battle to make a team’s final roster.
Thompson played college football for the University of Rhode Island, blossoming into a First Team All-Colonial Athletic Association offensive tackle and a team captain this past season.
Former Cicero-North Syracuse coach Dave Kline said that Thompson was an excellent player for the Northstars during his high school career.
“He was a hard-working kid,” Kline said. “He played for us back in our beginning sectional runs. The way he changed his body-type upon entering college was unbelievable. He went from a lean 6-foot-7 kid to 6-foot-7 and 300 now. Seeing him progress and playing on TV has been truly amazing.”
Thompson earned a spot as part of Rhode Island’s Class of 2017 by showing a willingness to play physically and a long frame at C-NS. Kline said that major college football programs, including Syracuse, questioned whether he’d be able to add enough muscle mass to be successful at a higher level.
“He always had that nasty streak that you like an o-lineman to have,” Kline said. “Nothing bad but just a toughness. … You knew once he got to school he was going to put weight on and become a good college offensive lineman. I went up to SU, and some other schools, and tried to get them to take a chance. They weren’t sure he was going to get thick enough.”
Instead, Thompson headed to Rhode Island where he added weight and became a high-level FCS player. Rhode Island listed Thompson at 6-foot-7 and 295 pounds during his senior season.
Thompson started the final 37 games of his career with the Rams. The team has finished with a winning record the past three seasons, the first time it has accomplished that since the 1980s.
Thompson was a member of the CAA’s all-conference team the past two years, including a First Team honor this year. He was also picked as a Third Team All-American by Phil Steele.
During Thompson’s senior year of high school in 2017, Cicero-North Syracuse won the Class AA sectional title and advanced to the state semifinals. Over his final two years the North Stars went 20-2. He was named an All-State Second Team player during each of those seasons.
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