Arizona Cardinals rookie and former Clemson standout Xavier Thomas had an impressive showing in his NFL debut against the New Orleans Saints at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., Saturday.
Thomas finished with three tackles (two solo), one tackle for loss, one sack and two quarterback hits. The Florence, S.C., native picked up his first NFL sack early in the fourth quarter against Saints rookie and former South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler. Thomas sacked Rattler on a 3rd-and-5 play from the Arizona 47-yard line.
The Saints went on to defeat the Cardinals, 16-14, thanks to a game-winning drive engineered by Rattler in the final two minutes that saw New Orleans grab the lead on a field goal with 5 seconds left.
.@atxlete gettin' sneaky with the inside move
đź“ş: #NOvsAZ on CBS pic.twitter.com/kXrIO8wmTK
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 11, 2024
The 24-year-old Thomas was a fifth round (No. 138 overall) selection by Arizona in this year’s NFL Draft after spending parts of six seasons at Clemson (2018-2023). He sustained a broken foot in 2022 and received an additional year of eligibility under the NCAA’s universal waiver stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thomas led Clemson with 21 quarterback pressures in 2023 and had 25 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. He finished his collegiate career with 121 tackles (34 for loss) and 17.5 sacks over 61 games. During his time at Clemson, Thomas also battled depression, something he has opened up about at length.
The Cardinals will face the Indianapolis Colts in their next preseason game, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. ET. Arizona opens the regular season at Buffalo, Sept. 8 at 1 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium.
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