FSU football: Top 15 most important defensive players for 2024 season
By Kelvin Hunt
No. 5 AZ Thomas-CB
If you can't tell by now, I believe this defense will have its defensive front complementing the secondary and vice versa. Both will be vitally important, with the linebackers holding a status quo of competency. That's largely what we got last year and the defense was top 10. However, when you have a player like AZ Thomas moving into a starting role, it's a game-changer. Thomas is next in line to be one of the great cornerbacks to continue the "DBU" legacy.
He started taking snaps away from Fentrell Cypress last year, granted Cypress was still learning a new defensive scheme. However, the two paired-up will give the pass rush a bit more time to collapse the pocket and get to the quarterback. In turn, the defensive front pass rush will absolve the defensive backs from covering receivers for long periods.