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Pros and cons of Arizona Cardinals picking Clemson's Xavier Thomas in 2024 NFL Draft
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- Pros and cons of Arizona Cardinals picking Clemson's Xavier Thomas in 2024 NFL Draft
Defensive end Xavier Thomas from Clemson football is officially an NFL rookie after being picked 138th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft on Saturday.
Thomas is the 12th Clemson defensive end to be drafted in 16 years under coach Dabo Swinney and the fifth since 2019.
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Here's what Thomas brings to the Cardinals, based on our own observations from his tenure at Clemson:
What Xavier Thomas brings to the Arizona Cardinals in 2024 NFL Draft
Although a bit undersized compared to most NFL edge rushers, the 6-foot-2, 245-pound Thomas will arrive packing plenty of athleticism. His 4.62 clocking in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine ranked high among edge rushers, so he's blessed with outstanding speed and agility that enables him beat blockers with his strong initial burst.
Thomas also boasts plenty of power for his size and his range is another positive; he has the speed and motor to thwart runners attempting to turn the corner.
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Because Thomas played six seasons at Clemson, including a COVID year, he'll be 25 in December, which makes him one of the oldest players in the 2024 draft.
Xavier Thomas' highlights, strengths, weaknesses at Clemson
A five-star recruit for Clemson, Thomas burst onto the scene and notched his first shining moment in his freshman season when he had a highlight-reel sack of Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey with 24 seconds remaining to preserve a Clemson victory.
Then, after missing the first five games of the 2022 season with a foot injury, Thomas returned at Boston College where he posted two sacks, forced a fumble and had a quarterback hit despite playing only six snaps. He was presented the Leather Helmet Award as the game's MVP and was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week.
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But Thomas wasn't consistent in producing those big moments and started less than half of his career games due to illness or injury, so his durability remains in question. His production never resulted in first- or second-team All-ACC accolades and he never had more than 3.5 sacks in a season.
Xavier Thomas' stats at Clemson
Thomas was credited with 133 tackles (34.0 for loss, including 17.5 sacks), nine pass breakups, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 61 games, including 30 starts, over six seasons from 2018-23.
Xavier Thomas' player comparison in NFL
Thomas has been compared to similarly sized Nick Herbig , who had 15 solo tackles, including three sacks, in 2023 – his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers .
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Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Arizona drafts Xavier Thomas in 2024 NFL Draft: Pros, cons of pick
