Tag: Cameron Thomas

2nd-year pass rusher Cam Thomas named Cardinals’ secret superstar for 2023

Thomas had decent production in limited snaps as a rookie. He is expected to have a big role on defense in his second season.

The Arizona Cardinals hope that second-year linebacker Cam Thomas can make big strides in 2023, his second NFL season. There are other eyes on him, too. Touchdown Wire managing editor Doug Farrar featured the “secret superstar” of each team, an underrated player on the roster who should produce this coming season.

His player for the Cardinals is Thomas, whom the Cardinals drafted in the third round last year.

Thomas first found himself on my radar as I was watching the 2022 class of pass-rushers — only Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. had more total pressures in the FBS in 2021 (82) than Thomas’ 77. The Cardinals took the San Diego State alum with the 87th pick in the third round of the 2022 draft, and Thomas responded well in his rookie campaign. He had three sacks, three quarterback hits, and 13 quarterback hurries in just 155 pass-rushing snaps, and it seemed that the more he played, the more productive he was.

At 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, Thomas can disrupt from any gap — he spent most of his time on the edge, but with J.J. Watt retired and Zach Allen off to the Broncos (more on him in a minute), and the Cardinals’ defensive front pretty barren overall at this point, maybe Thomas might kick inside more often and do more of what he did to 49ers right guard Spencer Burford and quarterback Brock Purdy on this Week 18 sack.

Thomas presumably will get significant playing time in 2023 and will probably be a starter.

With no experienced pass rushers on the edge (the OLB room includes Thomas, fellow 2022 third-round pick Myjai Sanders, second-year pro Jesse Luketa, third-year pro Victor Dimukeje, veteran special teams stud Dennis Gardeck and rookie second-round pick B.J. Ojulari), Thomas should play a lot, giving him the potential to, if he can build on his pressure numbers from last season in very limited playing time, to produce more than respectable stats.

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The NFL’s All-Underrated Team: One Secret Superstar for all 32 teams

From Matt Milano to Denico Autry to Tyler Lockett to Tony Pollard, here are the NFL’s most underrated players by team.

Why are great players underrated in any sport?

There are all kinds of reasons. In football, it could be that the guy playing your position is even better than you are, and he’s been doing it longer. Maybe we only have the attention span for one great player at your position Maybe you’re on a team that doesn’t get much national praise, or you’re part of a unit that… well, stinks… and you’re one of the few bright spots. Or, you’re just getting started on the ascent, and the world hasn’t quite caught up yet.

No matter the reason, there are many NFL players who ply their trade at an exceedingly high level, and they’re not given their proper due. Here, we look to rectify this in 32 individual instances with the most underrated player for every NFL team. Some of these guys have been doing it the right way in the shade for a long time for their teams; a few are new in their uniforms.

No matter why, all 32 of these NFL players deserve more love than they get, and here’s why. Here is every NFL team’s most underrated player.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

WATCH: Rookie Cameron Thomas gets 1st career sack

Thomas’ first career sack forced the Seahawks to kick a field goal on their first drive.

Arizona Cardinals rookie outside linebacker Cameron Thomas now has an NFL sack. After getting limited playing time in the first five weeks of the season, he came up with a big sack in the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks.

With the Seahawks driving in the first quarter and in field goal range, Thomas completely overpowers rookie right tackle Abe Lucas and sacks quarterback Geno Smith on third down for a loss of six yards and ending the Seattle threat. They ended he drive with a 39-yard field goal to tie the game at three.

Here is the play:

It is the first of what hopefully are many, many sacks in his career for the Cardinals and the first of several this season.

He was selected 87th overall in the 2022 draft and was the Cardinals’ first third-round pick.

He appears to be set for a bigger role on defense now that Devon Kennard was released on Saturday.

A sack in the first quarter is a great way to start.

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WATCH: Rookie LB Cameron Thomas gets first sack

Hopefully this is the first of many sacks this year and in his career.

The Arizona Cardinals must find pass-rushing production with the departure of Chandler Jones, the team’s franchise all-time sack leader, this coming season.

They drafted three players to play the edge. The first was Cameron Thomas, a third-round pick out of San Diego State.

He picked up his first sack of the preseason on Saturday against the Tennessee Titans.

On second-and-12, he beat the right tackle and maintained pursuit as Titans quarterback Malik Willis moved to his left. He got him and tackled him for a three-yard loss.

It won’t count toward his stats in his career, but hopefully it is the first of many sacks this year and in the years to come.

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Myjai Sanders a little ahead of Cameron Thomas in development so far

The two third-round pass rusher for the Cardinals are expected to have a role on defense this coming season.

The Arizona Cardinals selected two edge defenders in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft. Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders hopefully can impact the pass rush this season as rookies, aiding in making up for the loss of Chandler Jones, who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency.

Thomas was the higher pick, selected 87th overall, and had the better production in college, but it is Sanders, drafted 100th overall, who appears to have the early edge in development.

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was asked about the pair of rookies Saturday.

“Myjai right now is playing really fast and you can see his natural pass-rush ability,” he said. “He’s going to help us rush the passer on sub downs for sure. Cam right now is trying to figure out how to play with his power and grow in that area.”

Sanders appears to already have a spot in certain packages, while Thomas still needs some work.

Thomas played only one season on the edge at San Diego State but never played standing up, which Arizona’s outside linebackers often do.

Joseph doesn’t think that Thomas is behind. He just is making more adjustments.

Both should have roles in 2022 as rookies.

“They both should help us win this year in certain packages,” he said.

Both will be players to watch in camp and especially in the preseason to see how much impact they can make.

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2021 NBA Draft: 10 bold predictions from the preseason revisited

Rookie Wire made 10 bold predictions for the 2021-22 rookie class and made a vow to come back and see how we did.

Rookie Wire offered 10 bold predictions for the 2021-22 rookie class last October and made a vow at the time to come back after the season and see just how we did.

Well, it is that time to look back and review the results.

Our annual revisit of these bold predictions is our favorite time of the year. It typically just consists of us trying to convince basketball fans why we made the picks and why they should have come true, but ultimately didn’t.

Upon further review, this year proved to be no different.

Several predictions fell well short of expectations but to be fair, we were pretty close on a few. We just ask that you don’t alert the authorities at Freezing Cold Takes about the ones we missed badly on.

Here are the latest results with the verdict from each prediction.

POLL: Which rookie Cardinals pass rusher can develop into one of league’s best?

The Cardinals drafted both Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders in the third round. Which can develop into a top pass rusher in the NFL?

The Arizona Cardinals are transitioning this offseason at outside linebacker. 2021 sack leader Markus Golden returns in 2022 but Chandler Jones, the all-time franchise leader in sacks, is no longer on the team. He signed a three-year contract to join the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason.

He is one of the top edge defenders in the NFL, according to Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield.

The Cardinals did not add an established, proven pass rusher this offseason. They hope to replace Jones’ production with a combination of Devon Kennard, Dennis Gardeck and two rookies they drafted in the third round — Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders.

Thomas was one of the nation’s best pass rushers for San Diego last season. He reminds some of Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson. He has the size, athleticism and motor to be successful.

Sanders is leaner but was very disruptive last season for Cincinnati but only had 2.5 sacks last season. He missed several.

Can either of them develop into one of the best edge defenders in the league, appearing on a similar Touchdown Wire list in the years to come?

Vote in the poll to give your thoughts.

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LSU forward Tari Eason selected by Houston Rockets with No. 17 pick in the 2022 NBA draft

Eason becomes the highest drafted Tiger since Ben Simmons went No. 1 in 2017.

Standout sophomore LSU forward [autotag]Tari Eason[/autotag] wasn’t a lottery pick during Thursday night’s 2022 NBA draft, but he didn’t have to wait long after.

The transfer from Cincinnati, who was voted as the SEC’s sixth man in 2021-22, was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 17th overall pick, a spot which several recent mocks projected he could go. He becomes the highest-drafted Tiger since [autotag]Ben Simmons[/autotag] went with pick No. 1 in 2016.

He’s the second first-round pick from LSU in the last two seasons after [autotag]Cameron Thomas[/autotag] went to the Brooklyn Nets at No. 27 last year.

The Rockets finished last season 20-62 and had the worst record in the Western Conference. They also picked at third overall, a selection they used on Auburn forward Jabari Smith. Houston has some young pieces but remains in the middle of a rebuild. In Eason, it lands a high-upside player who may need to develop a bit to become a starter in the NBA.

After a relatively quiet freshman season with the Bearcats, he had a huge campaign with LSU this season. He averaged 16.9 points per game with 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He mostly came off the bench despite averaging 24.4 minutes, and his tendency to get into foul trouble played a role in that.

Still, this seems like a good opportunity for Eason to develop on a roster where the expectations will not be extraordinarily high, at least not immediately.

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One rookie from each NFL team who will surprise in 2022

These rookies across the NFL could exceed expectations in Year 1 and make a significant impact this season.

Every team expects a lot out of their top picks in the NFL draft, but they won’t be the only rookies who contribute in Year 1. There will be first-year players who emerge as valuable starters or key role players at some point this season.

It’s just difficult to predict which rookies will be the ones to step up and surprise both fans and analysts.

The NFL Wire network went team by team and selected one rookie who could be a pleasant surprise in 2022, highlighting players on an upward trajectory.

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97 days till the Cardinals’ 2022 season opener vs. Chiefs

Let’s take a look at some players who have worn No. 97 for the Cardinals over the years.

There are now 97 days until the Arizona Cardinals play their 2022 regular-season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium.

No. 97 was worn by defensive tackle Jordan Phillips the last two seasons. He was released this offseason after two disappointing, injury-filled years.

It now belongs to one of their more intriguing rookies — third-round pick Cameron Thomas, who should get meaningful playing time this season as a pass rusher.

Below are some of the players to wear No. 97 over the years, as there are 97 days until the season opener.

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