For Dylan Thompson, wedding and honeymoon come first, then 49ers training camp

Dylan Thompson is taking a well-earned break.

Life has been on the go for Thompson over the past year. He threw nearly 35 passes per game this past season, piling up an SEC-leading 3,564 yards to leave him No. 1 on South Carolina’s single-season passing chart. Christmas wasn’t much of a holiday because he had to prepare to lead his team in the Duck Commander Independence Bowl.

Following that, he began training for the NFL, going through Pro Day, individual workouts and earning an invite from the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent. Minicamps and organized team activities (OTAs) have gone well enough to where Thompson will be in preseason camp at the end of July.

He deserves a break, which is why he’s looking forward to this one. On Saturday, he’ll fulfill the wish he’s had since July 27 – making Melanie Helm his wife.

“I’m not nervous at all. I’m really excited, actually,” Thompson said. “I feel like the nerves in the process were all around the engagement, making sure all that went right. This will be easy.”

Thompson proposed to Helm before last season began, and managed to plan the wedding throughout his hectic final season. He and Helm will be married Saturday in her hometown of Lancaster, and then …

“Relax,” Thompson said. “Just relax. We’re going to the Caribbean for about a week, and I’m looking forward to just relaxing, turning the phone off. I haven’t had a chance to slow down really since last summer.”

His season and workouts earned him a pro shot, and landing with the 49ers seems the best possible spot. San Francisco currently has three quarterbacks – starter Colin Kaepernick, backup Blaine Gabbert and Thompson – and while Thompson hasn’t been guaranteed anything, he feels good about his chances of making the squad.

“He’s a collected individual,” coach Jim Tomsula said in a story on the 49ers’ web site. “He’s got those … intangibles. Then you watch the tape. This guy can throw a football around.”

NFL life is never as simple as guaranteed deals equal roster spots. Thompson went in with his eyes open.

“Nothing’s guaranteed at that level,” he said. “Anything anybody says that might sound good, I try to just kill it. I just really kind of keep everything low-key and see what happens.”

It’s been a good start, aided by him being across the country but surrounded by friends. Bruce Ellington, who caught a game-winning touchdown from Thompson in the 2013 Outback Bowl, is beginning his second season with the 49ers and rookies Mike Davis and Rory “Busta” Anderson were also in camp.

“I know they’re giving me a definite shot. I’ve gotten some good reps,” Thompson said. “Preseason games are going to be a lot of fun. A lot of guys don’t get the chance to show what they have because of numbers.”

He’s worked with quarterbacks coach Steve Logan and he and Ellington have expressed their fondness for the four-vertical passing game. Wedding and marriage planning have gone smoothly, and Thompson and Helm plan to move to the West Coast after their honeymoon.

An elementary-school teacher for three years, Helm will try to get a similar job in California. The two plan to find an apartment there to start their lives as a married couple, while Thompson chases his dream.

He’s stared down some of the best collegiate defenders in the country and was surrounded by some of the world’s top professional talent throughout training camp. There weren’t many nerves.

There won’t be any when he’s at the chapel Saturday, hand-in-hand with Helm. The only two times he’s been really nervous over the past year were when he dropped to one knee on the 50-yard-line at Williams-Brice Stadium and asked Helm to marry him, and another a day short of seven weeks later.

Thompson plunged himself into a pile of bodies for the one yard USC needed to beat Georgia, at almost the exact spot where he proposed. Officials huddled, discussed, measured and awarded the game-clinching first down.

“That was nervous,” Thompson admitted. “Probably because it took so long. The engagement was pretty quick. That Georgia spot felt like it took an hour.”

This story was originally published June 25, 2015 at 3:49 PM with the headline "For Dylan Thompson, wedding and honeymoon come first, then 49ers training camp."