Drake Thomas

Drake Thomas (born February 25, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack and has also been a member of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Early life Thomas was born on February 25, 2000, and grew up in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He attended Heritage High School and played as a linebacker and running back, setting the school's record for career tackles with 393 while also having 203 solo stops. Ranked by 247Sports as the 22nd-best player in the state and the 19th-best inside linebacker nationally, Thomas committed to play college football for the NC State Wolfpack.

College career As a true freshman at NC State in 2019, Thomas appeared in 12 games, three as a starter, and totaled 34 tackles and one interception. As a senior in 2022, Thomas was named a team captain and second-team all-conference while compiling 101 tackles and 7.5 sacks. He finished his collegiate career with 293 tackles, four interceptions and 19.5 sacks in 47 games played.

Las Vegas Raiders After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Thomas was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2023. He was waived by the Raiders on August 29.

Seattle Seahawks On August 30, 2023, Thomas was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks. He was placed on injured reserve on November 6.

On July 18, 2024, Thomas was placed on the Active/PUP list. On August 12, he was removed from the PUP list after he passed his physical. He played in all seventeen 2024 games including 70% of the special teams snaps and a few dozen snaps on defense. In 2025 as of he helped cover injured secondary players and also earned more playing time from his continued performance improvement. Through Week 7 he played 50% of defensive snaps, recording 32 combined tackles,16 solo tackles as well as two sacks. He also still played 99 snaps on special teams.

On January 3, 2026, Thomas intercepted Brock Purdy during a pivotal Week 18 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers to help Seattle win the division. He had six total tackles in Super Bowl LX, a 29–13 win over the New England Patriots.

On March 11, 2026, Thomas re-signed with the Seahawks to a two-year, $8 million contract.

NFL career statistics Legend Won the Super Bowl Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD 2023 SEA 7 0 3 1 2 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2024 SEA 17 0 13 3 10 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2025 SEA 17 14 96 47 49 3.5 10 1 0 0.0 0 0 8 0 0 1 8 0Career 41 14 112 51 61 3.5 10 1 0 0.0 0 0 9 0 0 1 8 0

Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD 2025 SEA 3 3 18 7 11 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Career 3 3 18 7 11 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life Thomas is a Christian. He is engaged to Haylie Beck. Thomas is the younger brother of St. Louis Battlehawks wide receiver Thayer Thomas and played with him at NC State.