Drafted by the Cardinals in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Clemson.
2024: Appeared in 14 games his rookie season and tallied 2.5 sacks, 10 tackles, two tackles for loss, four QB hits, a pass defensed and a forced fumble ... became the first Cardinals rookie since 2022 to have a sack and forced fumble in a game in Week 10 ... made his NFL debut @ Buf (9/8) ... registered his first NFL tackle vs. LAR (9/15) ... had one solo tackle vs. Det (9/22) ... had three tackles (two solo) and 1.5 sacks of Bears QB Caleb Williams in the win vs. Chi (11/3); was one of just six rookies across the NFL in '24 to have multiple sacks in a game ... had a strip sack of Jets QB Aaron Rodgers in the red zone in the win vs. NYJ (11/10); the forced fumble marked the first of his career and the sack gave him at least one in back-to-back games; became the first Cardinals rookie since 2022 to have a sack and a forced fumble in a game ... had a QB hit @ Min (12/1) ... recorded a pass defensed @ LAR (12/28) ... had a tackle in the win vs. SF (1/5/25).
During his six years (2018-23) at Clemson, Thomas appeared in 63 games (30 starts) and totaled 121 tackles, 17.5 sacks, 34 tackles for loss, seven passes defensed, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries … started 11-of-13 games played in his final season with the Tigers in 2023, finishing the year with 25 tackles, four tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, a team-high 21 QB pressures, two passes defensed, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble ... limited by a foot injury to four games in 2022 where he collected four tackles (two for loss), 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble ... started 10-of-12 games played in 2021 and earned third-team All-ACC honors after totaling 27 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a pass defensed and a team-leading 17 QB pressures … in 2020, played seven games (one start) and finished with 11 tackles (four for loss), 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble ... started eight-of-12 games played in 2019 and earned third-team All-ACC honors after totaling 27 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery ... in 2018, played all 15 games in his debut college season and earned first-team Freshman All-American honors from USA Today, ESPN.com and The Athletic after registering career highs in tackles (35) and tackles for loss (10.5) while adding 3.5 sacks, two passes defensed and a forced fumble; had three tackles and a half-sack in the National Championship victory over. No. 1 Alabama.
Attended Wilson (Florence, SC) High School for three years (2014-16) before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL for his senior campaign … left high school as one of the nation's top recruits … as a senior at IMG Academy, was named a USA Today National Defensive Player of the Year finalist and was also the #2 recruit nationally by MaxPreps, #3 by 247Sports, #4 by ESPN and #5 by PrepStars and Rivals.com … USA Today National Defensive Player of the Year finalist … Anthony Munoz national lineman-of-the-year … U.S. Army All-American Game participant … helped IMG Academy to a 9-0 record and No. 2 national ranking by MaxPreps as a senior, totaling 34 tackles and eight tackles for loss … had 70 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and nine sacks as a sophomore … had 568 yards and eight TDs on 59 carries as a sophomore … had 59 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks and 21 QB pressures as a freshman.
