Chad Thomas (born October 12, 1995), also known as Major Nine, is a former

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 ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

and

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

. He played

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Miami (FL) Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

and was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the

2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...

High school career

Thomas led Booker T. Washington High School to the Class 4A state title as junior in 2012 and class 4A state champs as senior in 2013. He recorded 57 tackles and six sacks in 2012. He was named 2013 second-team All-USA by ''

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'' and tallied 71 tackles and eight sacks as senior. After high school, Thomas chose Miami over

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and

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College career

Thomas started every game as a senior, recording 41 tackles, 12.5 for a loss (leading the team) and 5.5 sacks.

Professional career

On December 27, 2017, it was announced that Thomas had accepted his invitation to play in the 2018 East-West Shrine Game. He had a productive week of practice and separated himself as the top defensive end prospect playing in the

East-West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

. On January 20, 2017, Thomas made one tackle as part of the East who lost 14–10 to the West in the 2018 East-West Shrine Game. His overall performance during the week garnered him an invitation to the

2018 Senior Bowl The 2018 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and prospects for the 2018 draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game was the last ...

. Thomas also impressed scouts and team representatives during practices for the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

, but was unable to play in the game due to an unspecified injury. Thomas attended the

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and completed the majority of drills, but opted to skip the bench press, short shuttle, and three-cone drill. On March 28, 2018, Thomas participated at Miami's pro day and performed the 40-yard dash (4.78s), 20-yard dash (2.81s), 10-yard dash (1.74s), vertical jump (32.5"), broad jump (9'10"), short shuttle (4.83s), and three-cone drill (7.36s). At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Thomas' draft projections varied from as early as the third or fourth rounds to as late as the sixth or seventh rounds by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 14th best defensive end in the draft by

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and was ranked the 19th best defensive end by DraftScout.com. The

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

selected Thomas in the third round (67th overall) of the

. Thomas was the sixth defensive end drafted in 2018. On May 21, 2018, the Cleveland Browns signed Thomas to a four-year, $4.08 million

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

that includes a

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of $1.04 million. Thomas was waived by the Browns on September 5, 2020.

Music career

Thomas is also a music producer and rapper, known as Major Nine. Thomas has worked with

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

Raphael Saadiq Raphael Saadiq (; born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! In addition to his solo and group ...

, and has produced his own music. In 2020, he appeared on

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

and

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

's mixtape ''

Slime & B ''Slime & B'' is a collaborative commercial mixtape by American singer Chris Brown and American rapper Young Thug. It was released on May 5, 2020, by Chris Brown Entertainment under exclusive licensing to RCA. The mixtape includes guest appeara ...

'', on the track "Trap Back". He released his album, "Soul Ties", on December 25, 2018, which led to a huge increase in his fanbase.

References

External links

Miami Hurricanes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Chad 1995 births Living people American football defensive ends Cleveland Browns players Miami Hurricanes football players Players of American football from Miami Rappers from Miami Booker T. Washington Senior High School (Miami, Florida) alumni