Scouting Report: Xavier Thomas (EDGE) - Clemson
Sales Pitch: "Twitchy speed rusher with the bend and quickness to take the corner. An older player at 24, needs to add strength and additional rush moves to become a starter at the next level but has the tools to be an upside developmental project on late Day 2, early Day 3."
Athletic Profile
Height: 6’ 2”
Weight: 244 lbs
Arm Length: 32 7/8”
Hand Size: 9 1/4”
40 Yard Dash: 4.62
10 Yard Split: 1.58
Vertical: 32.5”
Broad Jump: 10’ 0”
Short Shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Age: 24
Relative Athletic Score: 8.17 / 10.00
Statistics
Career: 148 PR - 22 SK - 69 TKL - 74 STOP
2023: 43 PR - 4 SK - 15 TKL - 14 STOP
Strengths
Good athlete with excellent speed and quickness
60+ games of Power-5 experience
Plays with effort and toughness in all facets of the game
Dynamic first step out of 2-point stances
Speed rusher with the quickness and bend to take the corner
Never stops his feet and gets solid secondary pressure as a result
Displays a quality two hands swipe and rip move
Speed to chase down runs in backside pursuit
Willing to throw his body around in the run game
Movement skills to drop into coverage
Weaknesses
Undersized frame with short arms
24 year old prospect with a likely maxed out body
Delayed get off from 3-point stances
Lacks any sort of power rush profile
Limited counters in pass rush arsenal
Light frame that struggles to stay on rush path while turning the corner
Does not have the strength to hold up in the run game
Longer lineman can overwhelm him and control reps
Designated pass rush only at the next level
Summary
Xavier Thomas is a speedy edge rusher with the quickness and bend to turn the corner and generate pressure. The former 5-Star from Florida was the #3 overall player in the 2018 recruiting class. Thomas got off to a hot start in his Clemson career, winning Freshman All-American honors in 2018 and following it up with All-ACC honors in 2019 and 2022, before suffering a foot injury that caused him to miss most of the 2022 season. Thomas is a good athlete with plus movement skills and burst. He uses that speed and quickness to attack the upfield shoulder of tackles and stress them vertically. He displays a solid trio of moves - two-hand swipe, club-rip and ghost move, to get separation at the top of his rush. He has good bend and finishing speed to turn the corner and close on quarterbacks. Thomas’ issue is he is a predictable rusher. He fails to use his agility and quickness to access counters to cross tackles faces. Longer, stronger tackles are able to ride him wide of the pocket as he lacks the play strength or weight to stay on his track through contact. Until Thomas finds a way to win inside or covert his speed to power more consistently, he will struggle to have his pressures turn into sacks as a pass rusher. Thomas is also a below average run defender. He lacks the strength or weight to take on blockers at the point of attack. He is easily washed out of the way by base blocks and caved in by double teams. Thomas isn’t a complete negative on early downs. He has the closing speed and effort to chase down ball carriers from the backside. Despite his size he is willing to throw his body at pullers and when Clemson asked him to reduce down inside and he showed no quit. Thomas projects as a 3-4 OLB who best fits in a designated pass rusher role. He has the athletic ability and speed rush foundation to be a solid Day 2 upside project. The problem? He’s 24, not 21, and his body is likely maxed out at this point in his career. If Thomas can add some counters to go with his bread and butter moves he has a shot to be a quality pass rush specialist at the next level. Given his age and injury history he is likely a Day 3 pick but has the chance to out perform his draft slot with the right landing spot.