Xavier Thomas (born December 20, 1999) is an American professional football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers.
 Thomas with the Tigers in 2019 | |||||||||
| No. 54 – Arizona Cardinals | |||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | December 20, 1999 Florence, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 244 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Wilson (Florence, SC) IMG Academy | ||||||||
| College: | Clemson (2018–2023) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2024 / round: 5 / pick: 138 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 10, 2024 | |||||||||
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Early life
editAfter playing for three years in Florence, South Carolina at Wilson High School, Thomas played his senior season at IMG Academy in Florida.[1]
College career
editAfter recording forty-three tackles, three and a half sacks, and two pass breakups in his freshman season, Thomas was named to USA Today's Freshman All-America Team.[1] During the 2019 season, he earned Third Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors after posting 31 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and two sacks. Thomas contracted COVID-19 and strep throat in July 2020, and announced he would redshirt the 2020 season.[2] However, after the NCAA declared that all players could participate in the season without losing a year of eligibility, Thomas decided to play, despite missing summer workouts.[3] On October 31, 2020, Thomas was ejected for targeting Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec. He missed the first half of the following game against Notre Dame.[4]
College statistics
edit| Season | Games | Tackles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sacks | ||
| Clemson Tigers | ||||||
| 2018 | 14 | 33 | 18 | 15 | 8.5 | 3.5 |
| 2019 | 12 | 27 | 10 | 17 | 8.0 | 1.5 |
| 2020 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| 2021 | 11 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 6.5 | 4.5 |
| 2022 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| 2023 | 12 | 25 | 16 | 9 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Career | 57 | 116 | 62 | 54 | 33 | 18 |
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄4 in (1.89 m) |
244 lb (111 kg) |
32+7⁄8 in (0.84 m) |
9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) |
4.56 s | 1.55 s | 2.69 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) |
10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) |
26 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[5][6][7] | ||||||||||||
2024
editThomas was selected in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 2024 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals.[8] He made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL Season against the Buffalo Bills as the Cardinals lost 34-28. In Week 2, Thomas recorded his first NFL tackle in a 41-10 win against the Los Angeles Rams. In Week 9 against the Chicago Bears, he recorded 3 tackles and 1.5 sacks (the first of his career) in a 29-9 win for the Cardinals. In Week 10, he recorded 1 tackle, 1 sack, and the first forced fumble of his career in a 31-6 win against the New York Jets.
References
edit- ^ a b "Xavier Thomas". Clemson Tigers Official Athletics Site. June 29, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ Keepfer, Scott (August 6, 2020). "Clemson football standout Xavier Thomas planning to redshirt 2020 season". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ Connolly, Matt (September 25, 2020). "Clemson's Xavier Thomas is ahead of schedule in his comeback from COVID-19". The State. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ Gates, Riley (October 31, 2020). "WATCH: Xavier Thomas ejected, will miss first half against ND". 247 Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ "Xavier Thomas Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Xavier Thomas College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Clemson 2024 Pro Day Results". ClemsonTigers.com. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ Romero, José M. (April 27, 2024). "Xavier Thomas to Cardinals in NFL draft: Instant grade, analysis for 138th pick". azcentral. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
External links
edit
Media related to Xavier Thomas at Wikimedia Commons- Arizona Cardinals bio
- Clemson Tigers bio
