Cardinals Safety Jalen Thompson's Standards Led to Exceeded Expectations

He joined Arizona in a non-traditional way, as a supplemental draft fifth-round pick in 2019. Once he reached the NFL, he took advantage of his opportunities. 

"He's been a silent assassin, man," Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "He doesn't say much, but he's always thirsting for knowledge since he got here.

"He's always asking questions, 'How can I get better? What can I do?' Everything is full speed. If we do a walkthrough, him and Budda (Baker) back there, it just looks like full speed still."

That is also a consistent report from his previous stops. 

His safeties coach in 2018 at WSU, Kendrick Shaver, told AllCardinals that Thompson "had one gear, and that’s high gear."

Thompson has been an advent learner of the game since his high-school days. 

Williams recalled the future Cardinal picking something to work on for the week, like press coverage, back-pedaling or tackling. He would then grind through lunches and other free time to master it on his own. 

Thompson was originally a cornerback in high school, but the team moved him to safety during his junior year.

That meant he had to improve his tackling ability, something he took very seriously. 

"That's the year that he really developed into being a strong tackler," Williams said. "He always talked about not missing tackles and he really beat himself up when he missed a tackle. He would overanalyze the film, 'Why did I miss this?'

"And every game he would try to fix those things, whether it's dropping his head, not driving his feet not taking the extra step."

Thompson took the cornerback reigns for his senior season, but at Washington State he shifted to safety again. 

"My coach switched me to safety my freshman year so I had to learn how to tackle in open space," Thompson said. "The biggest job as a safety when it breaks out to the third level is we've got to get the ball down. So I take pride in doing that."

There's a controlled speed that Thompson plays with that is reminiscent of his All-Pro safety teammate Baker. 

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph says that he stops big plays from happening. 

In the open field, he is as strong a tackler as there is in the NFL. 

Thompson has the lowest missed tackle percentage among the Cardinals' starters at 5.6%. Only nine other players in the NFL have at least 85 tackles and a missed tackle percentage that low.  

"I just try to take my shot and play fast," Thompson said. "I feel like a lot of that goes to just watching Budda play over these last couple of years, seeing how he plays and how he flies around. I'm thinking to myself, 'I'll fly around that same way.'"

Joseph has said Thompson showed real promise during his first season, even displaying Baker-like qualities as a tackler. 

Last year was tough for Thompson, who played in only five games due to ankle injuries. 

His return and health has played a major role in Arizona becoming a top-four scoring defense. 

"We knew he was going to be a good player, but this year he has definitely grown up," Joseph said. "And boy, he can tackle. His skill set to make open-field tackles and also cover big tight ends and slot receivers with ease, he makes calling defenses easy."

Joseph mentioned Thompson first when asked about players who have exceeded expectations in a major way.

The safety's leadership has grown along with his physical skills, and he is now leading discussions in meetings. 

"For a third-year guy to do that, it's special to watch," Joseph said. 

Hunter Dale, a defensive back at WSU from 2015-2018, said Thompson was a quiet guy by nature. He led by example. 

But as Thompson's football IQ grew, he began to talk more.

"The more he got comfortable with coverages and game plans on understanding the opponent he would communicate louder and more often," Dale told AllCardinals. "It didn't just get better over the years, it got better each game starting from his first game freshman year all the way until his last game."

His communication growth with the Cardinals has been praised all season, especially his ability to point out details on the field. 

Joseph calls him one of the team's best communicators. 

Film study since high school has helped him see the field differently.

Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. said Thompson constantly asks questions in the film room to try to see what others are doing on each play. 

The Cardinals have one of the younger defenses in the NFL, especially in the secondary. Thompson, Baker, Murphy and cornerback Marco Wilson are all 25 years or younger. 

They are the foundation of one of the game's strongest up-and-coming units, an exciting prospect for the Cardinals this year and beyond. 

But, Thompson still sees a lot in his game he wants to clean up. He's hard on himself, sometimes a bit too much. 

He's working on that. 

But the young defender has a drive to dissect and correct every facet of his game, which has led to a rare adaptability and versatility. 

Thompson knows he has to maintain an incredible level to be effective in the NFL, but his own standards may be even higher.