The Zavion Thomas Halloween costume has a real claim to the funniest moment of the Chicago Bears ' season. The rookie receiver showed up as Lord Farquaad, the pint-sized tyrant of Duloc from Shrek , and a clip of him in full regalia went viral on Saturday . Red tunic. Black bob. The scowl. He didn't half-do it.
The video started on teammate Luther Burden III's Instagram, and the reactions from the guys around Thomas are half the fun: disbelief first, then laughter.
The short version: the Bears took Thomas 89th overall out of LSU, where he earned Second-Team All-SEC honors. He's 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, and he ran a 4.28 at the combine. In the preseason finale he turned a catch into a 97-yard touchdown against the Titans. The regular-season role is smaller so far: five catches for 37 yards through seven games , plus kick-return duty.
Then there's the family tree. Thomas is a distant relative of Walter Payton. "It's still a long way," he says, but minutes after the draft his grandfather told him that he and Payton used to share a bed as kids. General manager Ryan Poles didn't know about the connection until after he made the pick.
Which means Walter Payton's distant relative just dressed up as a tiny fairy-tale dictator and broke the internet. Payton, who pulled pranks on everyone from teammates to Bears brass , would have approved.
The Zavion Thomas Halloween costume lands at exactly the right time. Chicago is 5-2 with two straight wins, and a Monday-night trip to Seattle is waiting. That's the kind of week when a rookie can go all-in on a bit and the whole room loves him for it. Thomas is still earning his time on offense. But a third-round pick comfortable enough to show up as Lord Farquaad is a player who feels at home, and that's a good sign for a locker room.
Farquaad famously warned his knights that some of them may die. Thomas' teammates survived. Barely. The costume won't show up in any box score, but it might be the best thing to happen at Halas Hall all week.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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