Draft Profile: Azareye’h Thomas
Defensive Back, Florida State
6’2, 198 lbs.
Projected: Second Round
The 2024 Steelers defense is a bit of an enigma. At times they played well and were responsible for doing enough for the offense to win games. This includes games where Chris Boswell WAS the offense. The entire offense. Other times they looked terrible. The secondary does have some promising young players in Joey Porter Jr., Corey Trice, and even undrafted free agent pickup Beanie Bishop.
With that much youth comes some growing pains. Joey Porter Jr. was more handsy than a tipsy grandma at a Vegas Chippendale’s. Corey Trice has difficulty staying healthy which has hindered his growth. There was apparently a lack of trust in Bishop, so he was replaced by Cam Sutton (no relation). We all saw how that turned out. Veteran Donte Jackson played well when healthy, but he was also hurt and will be a free agent.
The defensive back position is one that may be addressed in free agency, but the Steelers could stand to add more to the group via the NFL Draft. It seems that they are destined to select either a wide receiver or a defensive lineman in the first round. Azareye’h Thomas is a player that could potentially be available in the second. Scouts and different draft analysts seem to have him all over the board and some feel he is a first-round prospect. But what if he is available to the Steelers in the second round?
Strengths:
Azareye’h Thomas posseses the size and length that Tomlin and Co. typically look for in a DB at 6’2, 198 lbs. He uses his size to be very disruptive at the line of scrimmage, throwing receivers off their routes and timing. Thomas is agile for his size and plays the receiver well. He played offense in high school which shows in his ability to locate and make plays on the ball when it’s in the air. Thomas is still young and has room to grow. He is a good teammate, works hard, and was one of the players on Florida State’s roster to win a Humanitarian award. At the Senior Bowl, Thomas did very well and was one of the better, more consistent players in practice.
Weaknesses:
Although Thomas uses his hands well at the line of scrimmage, at times this persists much too long. There are a lot of instances on his tape of grabbing that he will not get away with in the NFL. Thomas does not get a lot of interceptions and is more likely to bat the ball away. He is a willing tackler but sometimes takes bad angles. He also needs to get stronger and can be bullied by blockers. It does not appear that Tomas has elite recovery speed, and he will need to improve his footwork.
How he fits:
Overall I really like Thomas’ game. At the Senior Bowl he opened some eyes for NFL personnel, and I think he may be a better athlete than some teams realize. If Thomas ends up being a true shutdown corner than he is easily worth a mid to late second round pick. There is some concern about his late hand usage as we are already experiencing that with Joey Porter Jr. However, if the Steelers can fix some of these issues and get him committed to an NFL strength program, he has the potential to be great. Worse-case scenario he could eventually be moved to safety and may thrive in that role. I’ve watched some of his interviews and I feel like he will be a great fit in the locker room.
Player Comp:
Although this really feels like cheating, my comp for Azareye’h Thomas is Joey Porter, Jr. They have a very similar build, and a lot of the same attributes- both good and bad. JPJ was considered a first-round pick that fell to the second round and I think that could also happen for Thomas. Both need to eliminate all of the grabbing from their game or at least learn to be a little more subtle. They are physical off the line and very good at re-routing receivers.
Azareye’h Thomas is a very good defensive back that still has room to grow. I am looking forward to how he performs in Indianapolis at the Scouting Combine. The numbers don’t need to be eye-popping because of his size so if he just does well it will help his draft stock. Thomas will need a hands-on DB coach to get the most out of him and help him fine tune his technique. My expectation is that the Steelers will bring in a veteran corner to pair with Joey Porter Jr., and Corey Trice will be strongly in the mix. This would be the ideal situation for Thomas to give him some time to develop. If the Steelers can land Thomas in the second round I believe they’ll be getting a steal.
