Azareye'h Thomas, Florida State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Thomas was a four-star recruit from Niceville High School in Niceville, Fla. in the class of 2022

This season was a massive disappointment for the Florida State Seminoles and many draft hopefuls in their program. That wasn’t the case for Azareye'h Thomas, who established himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Azareye'h Thomas, CB Florida State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior cornerback from Niceville, Fla.

Background: Thomas was a four-star recruit from Niceville High School in Niceville, Fla. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 89 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 69 for Rivals, and No. 92 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 128th in the nation with an 83 grade out of 100. As a senior, Thomas rushed for 421 yards and ten touchdowns on 49 carries and made 33 receptions for 438 yards and seven touchdowns. He intercepted a pair of passes, broke up six more, and recovered a fumble on defense. Thomas earned Northwest Florida Daily News Large Schools Defensive Player of the Year honors as a junior. That season, he didn’t surrender a touchdown all year as a defensive back. Thomas also participated in track and field and basketball. He was one of the best long jumpers in the district as a sophomore. His brother, Juanyeh Thomas, played defensive back at Georgia Tech before eventually signing with the Dallas Cowboys after going undrafted.

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2024 Honorable Mention All-ACC

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, age, arm length should surpass league thresholds, impressive size and great frame to build on, fluid hips, doesn’t bite on releases, poised footwork to avoid biting on complex releases, controlled footwork helps him throttle up and down, aggressive corner with active hands, good power in hands to disrupt receivers, re-routes receivers in press and off-man, drives outside releases into the sideline, quick turn and burn to match vertical routes off the line, impressive mirroring in soft-shoe press, sudden deceleration and reacceleration to match whip routes, anticipates route concepts to close windows, reads the quarterback’s eyes to trigger on short routes from off-man, acceleration and closing speed to undercut short slants and crossers, allows limited separation on breaks for posts and slants, quick click and close, good effort to limit YAC, impressive awareness and processing to transition between threats in zone, times contact at the catch point well, long arms expand radius at the catch point, rakes the receiver’s hands at the catch point, arm length helps separate from stalk blocks, willing to come downhill and set the edge, assists with tackles vs. the run, tackle radius

Cons: Press punches and swipes hit-or-miss accuracy, punch accuracy and power limit the impact of his jams, missed punches leave him off balance and a step behind the receiver, pulls and tugs when he’s a step late accelerating to match the route, hooks receivers when he loses inside leverage, overuses hands and gets grabby, some leggy transitions at/near the LOS, opens hips too early on some routes, some separation allowed on stutter-goes out of press, moments of clear discomfort with back to the receiver, ball production, block shedding technique is underdeveloped, stuck on some stalk blocks, steep downhill angles in run defense, inconsistent tackling technique, not a reliable open field tackler, relies on arm tackles

Overview: Thomas aligns to the boundary and field for Florida State and has experience in press man, off-man in Cover 1 and Cover 2, and cloud coverage in Cover 3. He’s a young prospect with excellent physical tools and athleticism. His arm length surpasses the league’s thresholds, and he pairs great size with a frame that still has room for physical development. Despite his height, Thomas’ hips are fluid and allow for free movement. He is a poised corner who doesn’t bite on releases and uses patient, controlled footwork to mirror and match receivers. Thomas is aggressive in press man and channels good power through his hands to disrupt and re-route receivers at the line of scrimmage and mid-play. The Florida native needs to refine his punches and swipes in press to improve his accuracy and power. Missed jams cause Thomas to lean forward and fall a step behind the receiver. He has the speed to match routes vertically out of press but occasionally defaults to pulling the receiver when he’s late to accelerate. Thomas hooks receivers when they work across his face and win inside leverage. He overuses his hands but didn’t get flagged for many penalties in college. The former four-star recruit has some leggy transitions near the line but usually avoids this issue. He opens his hips too early on some routes but is still one of the best corners in this class when it comes to mirroring receivers out of press. Thomas’ sudden deceleration and reacceleration allow him to match complex routes. He anticipates route combinations and reads the quarterback’s eyes to undercut throwing lanes. His acceleration and closing burst help him click and close from off man to take away targets or limit yards after the catch. Thomas limits separation at the top of the stem and quickly gets back in phase whenever the receiver creates an opening. He showcases impressive awareness and mental processing to transition between multiple receivers in zone but shows some discomfort working with his back to the receiver. Thomas lacks eye-catching ball production but excels at making plays at the catch point. He times his contact well and uses his massive catch radius to overshadow receivers. He rakes the receiver’s hands at the catch point to strip the ball before the catch is completed. Thomas has the arm length to separate from stalk blocks, but his block shedding is underdeveloped. He relies on swats and swipes to shed blocks but isn’t very technical in this area, leading to him getting stuck on blocks. The junior is a willing run defender but takes steep angles and isn’t a reliable open field tackler. He dives low and aims for back ankle on tackle attempts in space and relies on arm tackles instead of driving through the ball carrier. He had three diving whiffed tackles on the perimeter in one-on-one situations versus running backs against Duke (2024).

Overall, Thomas’ combination of height, weight, length, and speed makes him one of the most physically gifted cornerbacks in the 2025 class. His smooth hips and ability to accelerate or decelerate to mirror and match receivers are rare for a man coverage corner with his build. Most of the wrinkles in Thomas’ prospect profile either relate to run defense or can be ironed out with more experience and coaching.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside corner in a man-heavy scheme

Round Grade: Second Round

Size: 6'2", 198 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 10-28-24

Updated: 12-12-24