Watch: Juan Thornhill Makes Diving Interception in NFL Preseason
The NFL world was abuzz Friday night with talk about former UVA standout Juan Thornhill after the third-year safety made a diving interception during the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. Thornhill leapt and picked off Colt McCoy’s pass in the end zone late in the first half of the game, a play that set the internet on fire with messages about Thornhill’s incredible display of athleticism.
Thornhill played cornerback and safety for the UVA football program from 2015 to 2018 and collected 13 interceptions and made 208 tackles during his time as a Wahoo. In his senior season in 2018, Thornhill finished No. 3 in the nation with six interceptions and was named first team All-ACC for a Cavaliers team that finished 8-5 and shutout South Carolina 28-0 in the Belk Bowl.
The Chiefs selected Thornhill in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and earned the starting free safety position by the beginning of Kansas City’s following season. Thornhill had an impressive rookie season with 42 tackles and three interceptions, including a 46-yard pick-six against the Raiders. He started all sixteen regular season games for the Chiefs that year, but suffered a torn ACL injury in the final game of the regular season, sidelining Thornhill for the entire playoff run that ended with the Chiefs winning Super Bowl LIV against the 49ers.
Thornhill has had a long journey back from the injury and was never 100% during a 2020 season in which Thornhill started eight of Kansas City’s 16 games and recorded 41 tackles and one interception. Entering the 2021 season, Thornhill is still dealing with significant physical and mental obstacles preventing him from playing with full confidence. Both Thornhill and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid see Thornhill’s acrobatic interception as a very positive sign of his progress.
“I’m back, I’m back,” Thornhill said after the game. “There were some times last season, I was doubting myself. I was never 100% and I just had to fight through the pain. This offseason, I just attacked it trying to get my knee back to 100% and I can definitely say that I’m back.
“We need Juan,” Andy Reid said. “We need him in there feeling good about himself and playing. I think this will help him.”
With Thornhill looking more and more like his old self, this could be an exciting year for the third-year safety out of Virginia.
