Xavier Thomas, EDGE, Clemson
Size:
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 244 pounds
Arm Length: 32 7/8"
Hand Size: 9 1/8"
Accomplishments:
Third-Team All-ACC (2021, 2019) • 5-star recruit
“Xavier Thomas is an active edge rusher with the explosiveness and bend to be a consistent pressure defender at the next level.”
Strengths:
Explosive first-step
Effective and active hand fighter
Strong pass-rush package
Concerns:
Consistency setting vs. run
Arm length
Block shedding
Film Analysis:
Xavier Thomas is a fastball firing off the edges of the line of scrimmage as a pass rusher. His first-step quickness is sudden and explosive, and he threatens the outside arc of the pocket with ease. Thomas has the hip flexibility to dip/rip underneath the arms of OTs. Thomas is a relentless rusher who lives in the backfield on passing downs—103 pressures during his career in Clemson, some of which were as a reserve rusher behind established veterans. Thomas has flashed the knack for creating turnovers with strip sacks, as he aims for the QB's hand and football.
Thomas has a nice bag of pass-rush moves. From his dip/rip combo, double-hand swipe, euro-steps setups, spin moves, and cross chops, he can win with a variety of moves at the top of his rush. His speed/burst off the ball is the A-trait.
As a run defender, he is not afraid to take on pulling OL from the backside of the formation. Attacking the lead on the pin/pull concepts disrupts the backfield and forces the RB to change paths. He is solid at setting hard edges and keeping outside leverage against tight ends. Thomas is a reliable gap shooter/slicer to quickly defeats blocks before engaged to create quick chaos in the backfield.
Thomas’ arm length appears to be less than ideal on tape—consistently maintaining separation between him and OL is lacking as a result. Against the run, he can get stuck on down/man blocks in the run game. There are struggles to deconstruct and shed blocks from OTs if he cannot dictate the action quickly. Even when setting the edge, breaking free of the block is not the easiest task for Thomas to still make a play on the ball-carrier. Another result of his arm length is the urgency of winning quickly with his hands to corner OTs and get to the QB. If he can not win quickly, it can become an elongated rush attempt.
Overall, Thomas projects as a starting 3-4 or odd-front standup outside linebacker. His ability to be a consistent pressure defender will have value for NFL defenses. His game and situation remind me a lot of Los Angeles Rams rookie Byron Young. At worst, he can be a reliable DPR (designated pass rusher).
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Written By: Damian Parson
Exposures: FSU (2023), Duke (2023), Notre Dame (2023), South Carolina (2023), North Carolina (2023)
