Brayden Thomas (born March 20, 1998) is a professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

for the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

University of Mary The University of Mary (UMary or simply Mary) is a private, Benedictine university near Bismarck, North Dakota. It was established in 1959 as Mary College. The university is the largest degree-granting institution in western North Dakota. It ha ...

, Minnesota State, and

North Dakota State North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as th ...

Early life and high school

Thomas grew up in

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...

and attended

Bismarck High School Bismarck High School (BHS) is a public high school located in Bismarck, North Dakota. It currently serves 1,197 students and is a part of the Bismarck Public Schools system. The grades offered at Bismarck High school are ninth through twelfth. The ...

College career

Thomas began his college football career at the

. He played one season for the Marauders before transferring to Minnesota State-Mankato. Thomas was named second team All-

Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the western Midwestern United States. Nine of its ...

(NSIC) as a junior after he recorded 21 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. His senior was canceled due to COVID-19. After his senior season, Thomas transferred to North Dakota State (NDSU) as a graduate transfer. He decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and return to NDSU for a sixth season. In the final season of his college career, Thomas had nine sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss and was named first-team All-

Missouri Valley Football Conference The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivis ...

Professional career

Los Angeles Rams

Thomas was signed by the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2022. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 30, 2022, but was signed to the team's

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

the next day. Thomas was elevated to the active roster on December, 2022, for the team's Week 16 game against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

and made his NFL debut in the game. He signed a reserve/futures contract on January 9, 2023, and was waived by the Rams on March 10, 2023.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On September 12, 2023, Thomas signed with the

of the

(CFL).

References

External links

Mary Marauders bio

Minnesota State Mavericks bio

North Dakota State Bison bio

Los Angeles Rams bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Brayden Living people American football offensive tackles Players of American football from North Dakota North Dakota State Bison football players Minnesota State Mavericks football players Mary Marauders football players 1998 births Minnesota State University, Mankato alumni