Monti Ossenfort stuck with defense with his second third-day draft pick in the fifth round. The Arizona Cardinals have selected defensive end Xavier Thomas from Clemson. As a six-year player at Clemson, Thomas would average between 2-3 sacks a season and will be part of a rotation on the defensive line in Arizona. Thomas is one of those players that has shown to attack head on rather than trying to bend and get around the outside so he will need to work on adapting that to his game.
The Cardinals already took a defensive end in Darius Robinson in the first round, but adding Thomas not brings in more competition, but it also gives Arizona a chance to have another pass rusher for the NFC West that is loaded with them already. Arizona was near the bottom of the league last year in sacks with only 33 so the Cardinals are doubling down on edge rushers by getting Thomas. One aspect of his game that Cardinals fans will love is Thomas’ effort and how he is constantly going.
While his stats may not be the highest, he creates a good amount of pressure to help collapse the pocket as well as defend the run. Thomas comes into this defense with a lot against him, but with also a lot of potential if he can keep applying himself to the Arizona defense.
Ossenfort continues his trend of defense by getting another pass rusher. With Arizona going heavy on offense in the third round, it should be no surprise that they are going on a run for the defense. As of right now, the Cardinals are set to make three more picks before the end of the NFL Draft. Will they continue on defense? Or could they go back to offense? Tune into the draft to find out.