TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Deven Thompkins is known for his blazing speed and incredible hands.
“I use my athletic ability. My coach said to use your attributes to your advantage,” Thompkins told ABC Action News sports anchor Kyle Burger. “I am able to jump high and run fast; I can change direction, more than a bigger guy can do.”
Those are skills a young receiver needs when the Bucs only list him at 5-foot-8, which is generous.
He laughed, “I’m 5’7.”
During his senior season at Utah State University, he set single-season school records in receptions (102), receiving yards (1,704), and games with at least 170 receiving yards (5), all while raising two children.
“Understand what is important, when to prioritize the right thing,” Thompkins said. “When it’s family time, I spend my time with my children when I have my time off. When it’s football time, when I step into the building, it’s all business.”
Thompkins has his daughter Nayomi when he was still attending Dunbar High School in Fort Myers. Two years later, he and his wife welcomed their son Messiah.
Messiah has been diagnosed with Down Syndrome.
“He hasn’t been able to walk yet, and little development things, you know, speech. Other than that, he’s been great. He’s really been a blessing to have,” he said.
But there have been challenges raising kids while taking classes and going to practice.
“She was always working; we weren’t able to pay for childcare; I took them both to class with me,” Thompkins said. “One of my professors would hold my daughter while she was doing the lecture. It was really cool, you know. I would bring my kids to practice, to meetings; my coaches were really helpful and really cool with everything.”
While he juggles football and fatherhood, his kids are staying with his parents in Fort Myers. Being away from them has been hard during training camp, but he’s getting life advice from veteran receivers Mike Evans and Julio Jones.
“I went through a hard period last week. Camp is always grinding, always grinding,” he said. “You always hit a little wall in camp. I got homesick for my babies. Everybody around me just lift me up, talking to the vets and seeing how they deal with their off-the-field things. They gave me great insight, great wisdom.”
On the field, he hopes to make those babies proud.
“I’ve been keeping my head down and listening to what all the older boys say, just trying to find my role on this team. The receiving room is really stacked. It’s a dog fight in there,” he said. “I want to play; whether it’s on special teams, kickoff, returning punts, whatever it is, I want to give me a chance to make this team.”
