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Xavier Thomas NFL Draft Profile
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Xavier Thomas Scouting ReportXavier has the classic athletic frame. He has long arms. He plays with tremendous explosiveness off the snap. He has a relentless motor to seek and track ballcarriers across the field. He challenges inside with quickness and strong hands. He is excellent wide and bull rushes when he is first off the snap. He accelerates low with power. He has that power and ability to close. Thomas is a run and chase defender who can leave a mark. He possesses accurate snap anticipation and timing to beat blockers off the edge. He looks the part. He possesses long, athletic build with room for additional muscle mass. He flashes a burst off the snap. He has good enough to cross the face of collegiate tackles and put him in position to make big plays behind the line of scrimmage. Xavier flashes nimble feet to chase running backs and mobile quarterbacks to the sideline when lined up at end. He spins off blocks to get back into the play. He has the vision to loacte the ball and recognize cut blocks. He can rip past blockers and pull down ballcarriers when he cannot fully disengage from linemen.
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Xavier Thomas Areas for ImprovementXavier is raw and gets by on natural ability with no technique refinement. He is very pursuit conscious and will take unneeded wide angles. His hand placement needs work. Has to work on leverage. He doesn't absorb power properly and can be pushed off balance and can not recover in time to reinsert himself back into the play. His pass rush arsenal is limited.
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Xavier Thomas Career at ClemsonXavier Thomas was No. 3 player in the nation by 247Sports, No. 4 player by ESPN and No. 5 player by PrepStars and Rivals. He was No. 1 defensive end in the nation by 247Sports, ESPN, PrepStars and Rivals. He was No. 1 player in Florida by 247Sports, ESPN, PrepStars and Rivals. Was named Anthony Munoz national lineman of the year. Was also U.S. Army All American Game participant. He played at IMG (Fla.) Academy as a senior after playing three seasons at Wilson High School (Florence, S.C.) He helped IMG Academy to a 9-0 record and No. 2 national ranking by MaxPreps as a senior. True freshman in 2018, credited with 43 tackles, 10.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks with two pass breakups in 304 snaps over 15 games. He was first team Freshman All American selection by USA Today, ESPN.com, The Athletic and 247Sports. In 2019, was named Third team All ACC selection. He was credited with 31 tackles, 8 for loss and 2 sacks. He had two pass breakups and a fumble recovery in 434 snaps in 12 games with 8 starts. Junior campaign, Thomas inititally intended to play only four games in 2020 and redshirt after complications with Covid-19 and strep throat, but ended up playing seven games upon the NCAA's blanket eligibility waiver for 2020. He was credited with 11 tackles, 4 for loss and 3.5 sacks. He also forced a fumble in only 119 snaps over seven games with one start. This season he registered 20 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 2 forced fumble with one pass defend.
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Xavier Thomas NFL Draft Player ProfileXavier is a guy that can be lined up anywhere on the defensive line. He excels on the inside but the 6'2", 265 pound force is a guy that will come out of nowhere to make big plays. His stats will not jump out at you, but he plays with a lot of power and aggressiveness. His technique is very impressive and he can be a scary guy to face if you are an offensive tackle.
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