Shamarko Lanell Thomas (born February 23, 1991) is an American former professional football safety.

He played college football at Syracuse, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft.

He was unable to perform the three-cone drill due to a hamstring injury but did make it up at Syracuse's Pro Day.

Thomas was comfortable enough with his combine performance that he chose not to do any exercises, besides three-cone drill, at his Pro Day.

[7] He entered his rookie season as the third-string backup to Pro-bowl veteran Troy Polamalu and Damon Cromartie-Smith.

[8] He made his professional debut in the Steelers' season opener against the Tennessee Titans and finished with two tackles.

On November 3, 2013, he had his best game of the season after he made a season-high 8 total tackles during the Steelers' 31–55 loss to the New England Patriots.

[8] In his second season with the Steelers, he was unable to receive prominent playing time and was mainly used as a gunner on special teams.

During the 2014 season, Thomas played in 11 games, none as a starter, recording 5 solo tackles and his first career forced fumble at Carolina Panthers in Week 3.

On April 9, 2015, Polamalu announced his retirement from the NFL, and Thomas was assumed to be the heir apparent.

[11] Thomas entered the offseason with an opportunity to regain the starting position after the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to overhaul their pass defense after ranking 28th in 2015.

[27] While attending Syracuse University in 2010, Thomas lost his mother and father in a span of nine months.

As the oldest child in his family, Thomas questioned whether or not to enter the 2012 NFL draft so he could have an income to help his siblings.