Grand Canyon Times

When San Diego State defensive end Cameron Thomas was picked with the 87th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, multiple dreams were realized in moments.

Not only had Thomas earned a chance to play in the NFL, just like his hero, J.J. Watt, but now, Thomas will have the chance to be teammates with Watt and learn from him on the job.

“He’s just like my role model,” Thomas said in a story by Arizona Sports 98.7.“I have watched so much of his film and to be able to learn from him, I’m really excited to pick his brain.”

Thomas pattered much of his game on Watt’s style, even wearing Watt’s No. 99 in college. He won’t be able to do that with the Cardinals, but he does hope to follow Watt’s path to success.

“Relentless and effort, those are the two things I pride myself on,” Thomas said. “I see a lot of similarities. During my time at San Diego State, I would line up all over the line of scrimmage and that’s something he also does, but he just dominates. Wherever you line him up, he’s going to win.”

Thomas is set to be behind Watt on the depth chart, but he’ll also battle other defensive linemen like Zach Allen, Michael Dogbe and Kingsley Keke for playing time. He also said he would be nervous when meeting his hero.

“I might be like a little kid when I meet him, seriously. We’ll see how that goes but I’m really excited to meet him.”