GET TO KNOW: Julius Thomas

Getting to know new Dolphins tight end Julius Thomas:

• Julius Dewayne Thomas was born June 27, 1988 in Stockton, California.

• His nickname is “Juice” or “Orange Julius.”

• His Twitter handle is @Julius_Thomas.

• Thomas had 33 touchdown catches over the past four seasons, the second-highest total among NFL tight ends behind only Jimmy Graham’s 34.

• Thomas spent the past two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars after signing as an unrestricted free agent in the spring of 2015.

• Thomas joined the Jaguars after making the Pro Bowl with the Denver Broncos in 2013 and 2014, his first two seasons as a starter.

• The Broncos offensive coordinator during Thomas’ two Pro Bowl seasons was Adam Gase.

• Thomas’ 24 touchdown receptions between 2013 and 2014 represented the fourth-highest total in the NFL during those two seasons, behind only Dez Bryant (29), Jimmy Graham (26) and Demaryius Thomas (25).

• In 2014, Thomas had nine touchdown catches in the first five games, the most ever by an NFL tight end.

• Thomas was drafted in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft after playing only one season of college football at Portland State.

• The Broncos traded up in the fourth round to select Thomas.

• Thomas appeared in only nine games his first two seasons (2011-12) in the NFL and had one catch for 5 yards.

• Thomas spent practice time at outside linebacker in 2012, according to mmqb.com.

• He was a four-year letterman on the PSU basketball team and left as the program’s all-time leader in games played (121), career wins (780) and field goal percentage (.663).

• Thomas led Portland State to its first two NCAA Tournament appearances.

• He earned a degree in business administration before he played football in his fifth year at PSU.

• In the summer of 2010, Thomas caught passes from Portland State quarterbacks to prepare for his college football debut.

• He attended Tokay (Lodi, Calif.) High School, where he was a standout power forward and center on the basketball team.