Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State Seminoles: 2013 NFL Draft Player Profile
Dec 29, 2011; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles cornerback Xavier Rhodes (27) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second quarter of the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl at the Citrus Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 210 pounds
Position Rank: 2
Drafted By: Minnesota Vikings (1st round, 25th overall)
40 Yard Dash: 4.43
Bench Press: 14
Vertical Jump: 40.5″
Broad Jump: 132″
2012 Statistics
| G | Int. | Yards | TD | Int./G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0.21 |
| G | Solo | Assisted | Total | Total/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 27 | 12 | 39 | 2.79 |
| G | TFL | TFL Yards | TFL/G |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 2.0 | 8 | 0.14 |
| G | Passes Broken Up | QB Hurries | Fumbles Forced | Kicks/Punts Blocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career Highlights (via FSU athletics site)
Phil Steele All-American (Third Team)
Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist
All-ACC (First Team)
Coaches All-ACC (First Team)
Phil Steele Postseason All-ACC (First Team)
College Football News All-ACC (First Team)
2012: One of the top cover corners in the country…the only player from the ACC to be named a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award…started all 14 games at corner…started 38 of 43 games in the secondary in his distinguished FSU career…defended 10 passes on the season, placing 11th in the ACC…his three interceptions tied for 8th in the ACC…led all FSU players with 10 passes defensed and tied for the team lead with three interceptions… also added seven pass break-ups which tied for third on the team…recorded 39 tackles (27 unassisted) and 2.0 tackles for loss…third interception and eighth career pick came in the ACC Championship Game versus Georgia Tech…two other picks came against Murray State and at USF…forced and recovered a fumble in the Orange Bowl against Northern Illinois…registered a season-high seven tackles at NC State…anchored an FSU secondary that held nine of the top 10 receivers in the ACC at the time they faced them to a combined 22 catches for 244 yards…In the last 12 games, was targeted 47 times and allowed just 13 completions for 88 yards with two interceptions and seven pass break-ups… helped Florida State’s defense lead the nation in yards allowed per play (3.86), rank second nationally in total defense (254.14 ypg) and rank in the top six nationally in scoring defense (14.71 ppg), rushing defense (92.29 ypg), pass defense (161.86 ypg), pass efficiency defense (95.43) and opponent three-and-outs (6.29 per game)…earned the Mr. Dependable Skill Award at the team’s annual banquet for the second straight year.
2011: Second-year starter at cornerback who was part of a three-man starting rotation with Mike Harris and Greg Reid…registered 43 stops (36 solo) on the season with 1.5 tackles for loss, one INT and four pass-breakups…made five tackles at Clemson, at Wake Forest and Duke…tallied a season-high six tackles against Maryland…intercepted his first pass of the season against NC State…finished with four tackles in the win over Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl…selected as the Mr. Dependable Skill Award winner at the team’s annual banquet.
2010: Redshirt freshman who started all 14 games at the boundary cornerback position and emerged as a promising young star for FSU’s vastly improved defense…a consensus Freshman All-American, Rhodes was voted the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year…also earned National Defensive Freshman of the Year honors from Collegefootballnews.com…tall and rangy, he used those physical attributes to record 12 pass breakups and four interceptions, good for a share of the team lead…his pass breakups and 16 passes defended led all freshmen nationally…credited with three pass breakups in pivotal Atlantic Division wins over Boston College and Clemson…also intercepted a pass in the end zone against the Tigers which proved to swing the momentum in the Seminoles’ 16-13 victory…previous interceptions came against BYU and NC State…a sure tackler, the Miami native ranked seventh on the team with 58 stops and his 49 solo tackles ranked fourth…Rhodes’ ability to play close to the line of scrimmage in coverage enabled him to collect 3.5 tackles for loss on the season and two sacks…recovered the first two fumbles of his career in FSU’s home finale against Florida in a 31-7 rout…named one of the top newcomers on defense at the annual Florida State football banquet.
2009: Appeared in two games – Boston College and Georgia Tech – on special teams before suffering a hand injury that sidelined him for the balance of the season.
Career Stats
| G | SOLO | ASST. | TOTAL | SACKS/YDS | TFL/YARDS | FF | FR | P DEF | INT/YDS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | 14 | 49 | 9 | 58 | 2 / 9 | 3.5 / 13 | — | 2 | 12 | 4 / 40 |
| 2011 | 13 | 36 | 7 | 43 | — | 1.5 / 3 | — | — | 4 | 1 / 0 |
| 2012 | 14 | 27 | 12 | 39 | — | 2 / 8 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 / 14 |
| TOTAL | 43 | 112 | 28 | 140 | 2 / 9 | 7 / 24 | 1 | 3 | 23 | 8 / 54 |
Scouting Report/Player Notes
Rhodes has excellent and rare size for a cornerback prospect, and while he suffered an injury early in his career, he has been able to adjust to being a full-time defensive player and one of the best in the country. After a stellar freshman season with 57 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions, and 12 passes broken up. Not surprisingly, his numbers took a huge dive as a sophomore, but teams didn’t really throw it his way very often. He needs to be more disciplined, but as a cornerback, he is about as good as they come in terms of the overall game. As a former receiver, he has excellent ball skills and he is a willing hitter who had 43 last year. Rhodes is an incredible athlete who can make plays on the ball and shut down one side of the field. He should wind up being a top 15-20 graded player when all is said and done with his very rare combination of size, speed, and athletic ability.
2011 Notes:
He is a safety with a cornerback skill set, much like Antrel Rolle of the New York Giants. This year Rolle has been called on to cover slot wide receivers because of the extraordinary amount of injuries in the Giants secondary and he has responded well. Rolle is also an effective blitzer, and a beast in run support. This is the kind of player Rhodes can be (maybe even better). There are times where Rolle can lose his concentration and kept beat deep or take bad angles on the ball, but he is very talented. Rolle also runs his mouth a lot and I’m not sure if Rhodes does that so there’s a difference too.
Rhodes has a dynamic skill set and the physical ability to play both the cornerback spot and safety at the N.F.L. level and in a system where he would get to do a lot of press he could be a shut down corenrback in this league. Aldon Smith went really high last year so it’s possible for Redshirt sophomores to go high, but Rhodes will likely return next season where he could sure up a top 10 selection in 2013
Video Highlights (via YouTube)