Thomas has entered the conversation for the Steelers’ first round pick as a draft board riser.

Approaching the 2025 NFL Draft, we’ll be scouting as many of the top prospects that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their eye on anywhere from Rounds 1 through 7. We’ll break down the prospects themselves, strengths and weaknesses, projected draft capital and their fit with the Steelers.

The Steelers might have a big need at cornerback this offseason with Donte Jackson set to hit free agency. Could Florida State’s Azareye’h Thomas be the Steelers’ next CB2?

The basics on Azareye’h Thomas

• Position: Cornerback
• Class: Junior
• Size: 6’2, 198 pounds
• Age: 20
• Projected draft round: 2

Defensive stats via Sports Reference

Azareye’h Thomas scouting report

I’ll start off this draft profile with a stat I found:

On one hand, that shows just how effective Thomas was in coverage in 2024. He was a lockdown corner, and teams respected his talents and avoided him like the plague in the passing game.

That also meant it took a lot of games watched to piece together enough clips to fill this article — I’ve supplemented it with some Senior Bowl reps as the broadcast angle wasn’t focusing on Thomas much in 2024.

Thomas is a big, smothering press-man corner who is a shockingly fluid athlete. Speed isn’t his calling card, but he can flip his hips and adjust to routes without losing much momentum (No. 8 in all clips; the bottom of the screen here).

His body control and calmness when the ball is in the air also stand out (top of the screen).

And his physicality in man coverage helps him keep reps close against smaller, faster receivers.

(Lined up at the bottom of the screen here).

Here, you can see his jam nullify any chance of a pass quickly going to his side of the field (top of the screen).

Still, there were a few plays where that physicality went a tad too far. Thomas didn’t have a penalty problem at the college level, but he’ll have to clean up some things in the NFL (lined up at the bottom of the screen).

In zone, there were a few instances where Thomas missed a wheel route leaking out on his side of the field in cover 3 or 4, but largely he showed good awareness and drive on the ball. His footwork isn’t the fastest, but zone is by no means a weakness in his game (left side of the screen below).

Where there are major concerns in Thomas’ game is his run support. His effort is questionable, and he routinely takes horrible angles on the football. He also consistently made the receiver blocking him look like the second coming of Hines Ward (top of the screen here).

The good news is that Thomas noticeably improved as the year went on. There were still missed tackles, but he was swooping in and making plays more regularly. I think the interview process will be really important for teams hoping to see his run support improve at the next level (lined up at the bottom of the screen in both clips).

Still, the bad angles never completely disappeared. This play against Florida is especially egregious — it also calls into question Thomas’ long speed, although I don’t think he was ever in an all-out sprint at any point in this clip (bottom of the screen).

It’s hard to get too worried about Thomas’ speed, though. Defending deep routes was probably his best trait in 2024. I never saw him get beat downfield.

He’s a master at jamming at the line and then sitting in the receiver’s hip pocket the entire route. Doing this put him in great position to make what was his lone interception of the season — turnover aside, this was just about the average rep from Thomas last year (bottom of the screen).

Overall, I’m a big fan of Thomas as a cover corner. However, his run support issues — although they improved throughout the year — are a bit of a red flag. If Thomas interviews well and posts a respectable 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine to alleviate the long speed questions, I think his skills in coverage make him one of the best corners in the class and an immediate first-round candidate; for now, I have him as a second-round target.

Strengths

• The definition of a lockdown corner in 2024; barely targeted
• Absurdly sticky in man coverage
• Incredibly smooth athlete for size, length
• Standout body control; doesn’t panic when the ball is in the air
• Just 20 years old

Weaknesses

• Questionable effort; ugly angles and block shedding when defending the run
• Speed and quickness don’t immediately stand out, and his footwork could use some improvement; could struggle against faster receivers
• Can be overly grabby at times in coverage; likely to draw some flags at the next level
• Low interception production

What others are saying about Azareye’h Thomas

Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network

Strengths: Patient footwork … Length … Press-man … Body control on 50-50 opportunities … Concerns: Long speed …. Reaction time … Foot quickness … Undisciplined eyes at times … Azareye’h Thomas is a physical press-man corner who makes opposing wideouts earn each and every yard of grass. He primarily aligns as the boundary corner in the Seminoles’ defense. He’s a long and physical corner who is best when asked to align nose-to-nose with opponents.

Bleacher Report

Azareye’h Thomas projects as a mid-round pick with the potential to develop into a starting outside cornerback in the NFL. Though he has shown decent man skills; his size, length, and physicality make him an appealing fit for press and zone-heavy schemes, where his ability to disrupt routes and contest passes will be maximized. While his technique and consistency in both the run and pass games need improvement, Thomas’ athletic traits and competitive mentality provide a solid foundation for growth. With refinement, he has the potential to become a valuable contributor in an NFL secondary. … GRADE: 7.1 (High-Level Backup/ Potential Starter— 3rd Round) … PRO COMPARISON: Benjamin St.-Juste.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com

Press-man cornerback with average speed but excellent length to disrupt game flow for opponents. Thomas deters early looks his way from quarterbacks by jabbing, crowding and smothering the release from press. He lacks route recognition and lateral twitch to stay tight to breaks from off-man. He also needs to develop his instincts and trust his eyes from zone coverage. He has average top-end speed but competes to shrink the receiver’s downfield catch odds using his length and ball skills. He’s more likely to spoil a catch than make a play on the football that results in a turnover, but that could change with more experience. He’s below average in run support, although he improved in that area in 2024. Thomas needs more seasoning, but he could become a good starter within two or three years.

Azareye’h Thomas’ fit with the Steelers

Thomas has some definite similarities to Joey Porter Jr., and if they formed a starting duo it could give Pittsburgh a pairing of excellent press-man specialists on the outside. It’s an exciting proposition, and Thomas simply looks the part of a Steelers cornerback.

However, valid concerns about his run defense and some questions about his long speed make him a risky first-round pick at the moment. I doubt he’ll be available when the Steelers pick in the second, either.

Still, I remain incredibly bullish on Thomas’ coverage abilities and think he’ll continue to rise up draft boards. Should he be a favorite for the Steelers’ first round pick at the moment? Probably not, but I’d urge you to keep an eye on Thomas as the NFL Combine draws closer.

TL;DR: Thomas is a big press-man corner who is both physical and smooth in man coverage. He was an elite, shutdown corner in 2024, but questions about his speed and major problems in run support damper his NFL projection.

What are your thoughts on Florida State cornerback Azareye’h Thomas? And which draft prospects would you like to see profiled next? Let us know in the comments below!