Shaq Thompson

BIOGRAPHY

Shaq Thompson was born on April 21st, 1994, in Sacramento, California. He is a linebacker in the NFL.

A native of Sacramento, California, Thompson attended Grant Union High School, where he was a three-sport star in football, track, and baseball. He was named first-team All-America by Rivals.com, Parade and USA Today, and second-team All-America from MaxPreps.com and Sports Illustrated. He was one of six finalists for the U.S. Army Player of the Year Award. He was named the area's player of the year by The Sacramento Bee, and also the Player of the Year in the Delta Valley League. As a sophomore, he helped Pacers to a 12-1 overall record. As a junior, he rushed for 1,882 yards and 25 touchdowns on 164 carries, helping lead Grant to an 8-4 record and the quarterfinals of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs. He was named the Delta Valley League MVP in 2011. He totaled 57 tackles as a senior while also rushing for 1,134 yards and 15 touchdowns on 120 carries and passing for 893 yards and eight more scores. He also played in the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl after his senior year.

In addition to football, Thompson was a standout baseball player. Thompson was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 18th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, and played for the Sox' rookie-level team in the Gulf Coast League in the summer of 2012. He decided to end his baseball career and focus on football full-time.

Also a talented sprinter, Thompson lettered all four years in track & field. He posted a personal-best time of 10.96 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the 2010 CIF San Joaquin Master Finals, where he took seventh. He finished fifth in the 200-meter dash (21.69 s) at the 2010 CIF State Track and Field Championships. At the 2011 CIF State Track and Field Championships, he placed seventh (21.77 s) in the 200 metres, in a race dominated by defending state champion Remontay McClain.

Thompson was regarded as a five star-recruit. He was ranked the No. 1 safety and the No. 3 overall prospect in the country by Scout.com. He was listed as the No. 1 safety in the nation, No. 4 overall recruit in the country and the No. 1 prospect in the state of California by Rivals.com. He was also rated the No. 4 recruit in the country by SuperPrep, which also named him the Far West Defensive Player of the Year. He first committed to the University of California, Berkeley before changing his commitment to the University of Washington on January 31, 2012.

The Carolina Panthers selected Thompson in the first round (25th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. He was the third outside linebacker, behind Bud Dupree and Shane Ray, and seventh edge rusher drafted in 2015. On December 11, 2016, he made seven combined tackles, broke up a pass, and made his first career interception off of a pass attempt by Philip Rivers in a 28-16 victory over the San Diego Chargers. In Week 16, Thompson recorded a season-high 11 combined tackles and deflected a pass during the Panthers' 33-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Thompson finished the 2016 season with 56 combined tackles (39 solo), five pass deflections, and an interception in 14 games and 12 starts. Pro Football Focus gave Thompson an overall grade of 85.6 in 2016 and played 533 defensive snaps.

On October 1, 2017, Thompson made a season-high ten combined tackles in their 33-30 win against the New England Patriots. He finished his third season with a career-high 61 combined tackles (41 solo), two sacks, and broke up one pass in 14 games and 14 starts. Pro Football Focus gave Thompson an overall grade of 77.4, which ranked 31st among all qualifying linebackers in 2017. On April 23, 2018, the Panthers picked up the fifth-year option on Thompson's contract. He played in 14 games with 11 starts, recording a career-high 79 tackles and 3.5 sacks. 

In March 2022, Thompson agreed to a contract restructure in order free up cap space for the Panthers.