The parallels aren't exact by any stretch. Xavier Thomas is an outside linebacker, Darnell Dockett was a defensive lineman, a three-technique with his hand in the dirt. Dockett came into the NFL talking to anyone that would listen, Thomas isn't necessarily quiet but he plays it more close to the vest.

As someone who was covering the Cardinals when Dockett showed up back in 2004 and, of course now with Thomas, it's hard not to see a bit of a facial resemblance. But in both cases you have a player driven to be a quarterback-wrecker, players that were taken later in the draft -- Dockett in the third round, Thomas in the fifth -- than either felt they should have gone because their college careers left just enough questions.

Dockett had a heck of a career with the Cardinals, with 40.5 sacks, 90 tackles for loss and three Pro Bowls. Thomas has a long way to get there.

But there is another parallel between Dockett and Thomas. Confidence.

"I never had a doubt in my mind that I was going to make the team, knowing my capabilities and what I intended to do," Thomas said.

Thomas did have a good training camp and preseason, after both he and coach Jonathan Gannon acknowledged he had a slow start in the offseason trying to absorb the new playbook. The Cardinals certainly could use a guy to emerge as an edge rusher of some renown.

The thing is, Thomas was supposed to be that guy for a long time. His path to the NFL has been a lot more bumpy than he wanted, but he's fine with the spotlight. He had it in high school, he had it in college -- for good and bad -- and if he needs to be the guy for the Cardinals off the edge, he's good.

"That spotlight on me, it's nothing new," Thomas said. "Regardless if they have expeciations on you or they don't have expectations on you, you've got to go out there and do what you have to do."