He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New England Patriots in 2013 and was also a member of the Oakland Raiders, New York Jets and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

[1] A classmate of NFL cornerback Anthony Gaitor and Brady Tiggleman, Thompkins started for Northwestern, but was academically ineligible to play as a sophomore and was later expelled for violating school policy.

Not long after the season concluded, Thompkins was expelled for the third time, after being arrested on armed robbery charges.

At El Camino College, Thompkins recorded two 1,000-yard seasons in a row, being named a team captain as a sophomore.

In Week 6's matchup against the undefeated New Orleans Saints, Thompkins caught the game-winning touchdown on a 2nd down play with 5 seconds remaining in the game.

[13] On May 22, 2018, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL) announced they had signed Thompkins to a contract.

Thompkins was charged by the U.S. federal government with access device fraud and aggravated identity theft on March 26, 2021, after prosecutors alleged that he stole $300,000 in unemployment benefits from the state of California.