New York Giants Draft Prospect: CB Azareye'h Thomas, Florida State

With the right development, Florida State cornerback Azareye'h Thomas has the potential to be an eventual starter.

Azareye'h Thomas

Height: 6’1 ½”
Weight: 191 lbs
Hand size: 10 ⅛”
Arm length: 32 ½”
Class: Junior
School: Florida State
STATS

A former four-star recruit out of Niceville High School in Niceville, Florida, where he was the 17th recruit in the state and the sixth overall athlete in the 2022 recruiting cycle. He was the 121st-ranked recruit in that class. Thomas is the younger brother of Dallas’ Cowboys safety, Juanyeh Thomas.

Thomas allowed just a 51.5% catch rate in 2024. He allowed a 48.8% catch rate in 2023, meaning he’s only allowed 27 catches on 74 targets over the last two seasons for 338 yards, while surrendering just two touchdowns. Thomas was only penalized sic times in his career and mostly played outside cornerback; he had 75 snaps in the slot over his three seasons.

Strengths

Excellent size and length with solid weight
Good athletic ability with sufficient hip fluidity
Quick, sudden, and agile – good change of direction for a CB of his height
Solid job keeping his hips low in and out of breaks – excellent burst/explosiveness
Good overall deep speed and acceleration to carry
Disciplined feet at the LOS and up the receiver’s stem
Active press CB with good one hand jam
Strong jam at the LOS – dictates to the receiver
Very annoying up a receiver’s stem – physical and active
Does well to jam and position himself: can effectively jam and stay on top of routes; jams and midpoints, eyes on responsibilities
Jams and trails well with good leaping ability to force perfect high throws
Excellent man coverage upside – does well to mirror & match
Man coverage is good overall, especially press
Off-man coverage ability is solid
Understands space on the field when midpointing and in zone
Good overall zone feel and spatial awareness
Closes width with haste from depth – excellent click & close
Good tracking and anticipation at the catch point – does well with his timing
Elite body control for his size when jostling in the air
Excellent at the catch point – draped on receivers
Solid overall in run support
Does an adequate job navigating the LOS as a run defender
Solid special teams background
Is a high effort player
Just 20 years old

FSU CB Azareye’h Thomas (6’1.5/191)
Full #SeniorBowl Practice Highlights

AZ was listed as a Standout Performer on all three days of practice by various media.

Of the 12 targets I’ve seen from this week, I charted AZ with 7 “Wins” between 1-on-1’s and team (4 catches allowed).… pic.twitter.com/XpicfKfMkD
— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) January 31, 2025

Weaknesses

High cut frame hinders elite COD
Lacks true deep speed
Solid in run support but his pursuit angle and block deconstruction is still a work in progress
Concedes ground when being blocked – ran himself out of optimal positioning too much
Toes the line of overly physical and drawing a penalty
May only be suitable for an outside role
Only had two career interceptions in college

Summary

Azareye'h Thomas is a quality press man outside cornerback with good feet, a hard jam, and the necessary man coverage athletic traits to be successful at the NFL level. His size/length + his athletic ability give him a high ceiling, albeit his COD, agility, and deep speed fall short of elite.

Thomas handled several responsibilities as the field and boundary CB at Florida State; his press-bail, press-trail, press-midpoint, and press-man were all above average from a technical standpoint, and his harassing nature was evident up and through receiver’s stems.

Thomas timed up his disruptiveness well at the catch point, playing through receiver’s hands with authority and earning his excellent catch prevention percentage. He’s a willing participant in run support but needs refinement as a run defender.

Overall, Thomas has the upside to be a CB1, even though he’s not a perfect prospect. He can execute man or zone assignments and has the temperament and traits to be successful at the next level.

GRADE: 6.31

Nick Falato's Draft Grade Chart | Nick Falato

Azareye'h Thomas

Strengths

Weaknesses

Summary

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