Daniel Thomas (born July 1, 1998) is an

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 ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). 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 ...

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

Early years

Thomas grew up in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

and attended Robert E. Lee High School. As a senior, Thomas was named first-team All-Metro and second-team ASWA Class 7A all-state after recording 87 tackles, five tackles for loss and seven

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

, including two interceptions returned for a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

, while returning three punts for touchdowns. Rated a three-star recruit, Thomas was considering offers from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, Clemson,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

before signing with

after receiving a late offer from the school on National Signing Day.

College career

Thomas played in 11 games as a true freshman, recording 16 tackles and two interceptions. Both interceptions were against rival

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

on November 26, 2016, starting in place of linebacker, Deshaun Davis, who suffered a knee sprain the week prior against Vanderbilt, becoming the first Auburn freshman with two turnovers in one game since 2009. Thomas played safety and the nickel back, and linebacker positions as a sophomore, finishing the season with 35 tackles, two sacks, one interception and three passes defended. Thomas became a starter going into his junior season and recorded 74 tackles with five passes defended, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a sack. Thomas is described as a "positionless" player, a short stocky defender with run stopping force and ball skills that led the Tigers to a successful 9-4 record. Thomas recorded 74 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, one pass defended and one forced fumble as a senior.

Professional career

Thomas was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round with the 157th pick in the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

. Jacksonville previously acquired this selection by trading

Calais Campbell Calais Mark Campbell ( ; born September 1, 1986) is an American football defensive end for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Miami Hurricanes football, Miami and was drafted by the Arizona ...

to the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

. In Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers, he recorded a touchdown on a blocked punt in the 39–29 loss. In Week 11 against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, Thomas recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Ben Roethlisberger and made a 53-yard return during the 27–3 loss. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on November 24, 2020 with an arm injury.

References

External links

Jacksonville Jaguars bioAuburn Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Daniel 1998 births Living people Players of American football from Montgomery, Alabama American football safeties Auburn Tigers football players Jacksonville Jaguars draft picks Jacksonville Jaguars players