A former Hurricanes standout will miss his first NFL minicamp after undergoing surgery

The start to former Miami Hurricanes defensive end Chad Thomas' NFL career is going through a minor detour.

The Cleveland Browns announced that Thomas, a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, will not participate in the team's mandatory minicamp this week while he recovers from a sports hernia surgery. Thomas is expected to be healthy for training camp in July.

During his four-year career at Miami, Thomas 103 tackles, 26 tackles for loss and 11 sacks over 50 games (33 career starts). In his final season, Thomas amassed 41 tackles and tied with defensive tackle RJ McIntosh for the team lead of 12 ½ tackles for loss. He had 5 ½ sacks, a pass breakup and three quarterback hurries while serving as a consistent force on Miami's highly touted defensive line.

The Browns selected Thomas with the 67th overall pick. He has the potential to be part of the Browns' defensive line rotation in 2018.

He was the first of six Miami Hurricanes players selected in the draft this year, joining running back Mark Walton (fourth round, 112th overall, Bengals), tight end Christopher Herndon IV (fourth round, 107th overall, Jets), defensive tackle RJ McIntosh (fifth round, 139th overall, Jets), receiver Braxton Berrios (sixth round, 210th overall, Patriots) and defensive tackle Kendrick Norton (seventh round, 242nd overall, Panthers).

This story was originally published June 12, 2018 at 3:51 PM with the headline "A former Hurricanes standout will miss his first NFL minicamp after undergoing surgery."