.jpg) Thornhill in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 22 –Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Safety | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1995-10-19)October 19, 1995 (age 29) Altavista, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Altavista (VA) | ||||||||||||||||
| College: | Virginia (2015–2018) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2019: 2nd round, 63rd pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
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Juan Thornhill (born October 19, 1995) is an American professionalfootballsafety for thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theVirginia Cavaliers and was selected by theKansas City Chiefs in the second round of the2019 NFL Draft.
Thornhill attendedAltavista High School inAltavista, Virginia. He playedsafety andquarterback in high school. He committed to theUniversity of Virginia to playcollege football.[1] Thornhill also played basketball in high school.[2]
Thornhill played at Virginia from 2015 to 2018.[3] Thornhill playedcornerback andsafety at Virginia, where he graduated in December 2018 with a degree in Anthropology. During his career, he had 208 tackles, 13interceptions and 1.5sack.[4]
Scouts Inc. ranked Thornhill as the sixth best safety in the draft (60th overall).Pro Football Focus also ranked him sixth best amongst his position.[5][6]NFL.com analyst and former NFL executiveGil Brandt ranked Thornhill as the third best safety in that year's draft (53rd overall).[7]Sports Illustrated ranked him seventh best among safeties (83rd overall).[8]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft0+1⁄4 in (1.84 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m) | 8+3⁄4 in (0.22 m) | 4.42 s | 1.57 s | 2.60 s | 44.0 in (1.12 m) | 11 ft 9 in (3.58 m) | 21 reps | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine[9] | ||||||||||||
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Chiefs draft Thornhill 63rd overall |
TheKansas City Chiefs selected Thornhill in the second round (63rd overall) of the2019 NFL draft.[10] Thornhill was the sixth safety drafted in 2019.[11] The Chiefs originally acquired the second round pick (63rd overall) during a trade for cornerbackMarcus Peters with theLos Angeles Rams in2018.
On May 14, 2019, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Thornhill to a four–year,$4.64 millioncontract that includes $1.79 million guaranteed and an initialsigning bonus of $1.37 million.[12][13] Throughouttraining camp, Thornhill competed to be the starting free safety against veteranDaniel Sorensen. The role was vacant after the Chiefs releasedEric Berry and following the departure ofEric Murray in free agency.[14] Head coachAndy Reid named Thornhill the backup free safety, behind Daniel Sorensen, to begin the regular season.[15]
During pre-game warmups, head coach Andy Reid unexpectedly chose to start Thornhill at free safety immediately after kickoff.[16] He made his first career start in his professional regular season debut in the Kansas City Chiefs' season-opener at theJacksonville Jaguars and recorded a season-high eight combined tackles (five solo) during a 40–26 victory. He was named the starting free safety moving forward and was paired with starting strong safetyTyrann Mathieu. On October 13, 2019, Thornhill made four solo tackles, a pass deflection, and had his first career interception off a pass thrown byDeshaun Watson to wide receiverKeke Coutee during a 31–24 loss against theHouston Texans.[17] On December 1, 2019, he recorded four combined tackles (three solo), broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass byDerek Carr to wide receiverTyrell Williams and returned it for 46–yards as the Chiefs routed theOakland Raiders 40–9.[18] On December 29, 2019, Thornhill tore his left ACL during a 31-21 victory against theLos Angeles Chargers. He finished his rookie campaign with a total of 58 combined tackles (42 solo), five pass deflections, three interceptions, and one touchdown while starting all 16 games.[19][20] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[21]
TheKansas City Chiefs finished the2019 NFL season first in theNFC West with a 12–4 record, clinching a playoff berth and first round bye. They went on to defeat theHouston Texans and defeated theTennessee Titans 35–24 in the NFC Championship Game. On February 2, 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated theSan Francisco 49ers 31–20 to winSuper Bowl LIV. This earned Thornhill his firstSuper Bowl ring.
On July 31, 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs placed Thornhill on the Active/PUP list to start training camp as he recovered from his ACL surgery.[22] On August 19, 2020, he was re-activated from the Active/PUP list.[23] Defensive coordinatorSteve Spagnuolo decided to name Daniel Sorensen and Tyrann Mathieu as the starting safeties with Thornhill listed as the backup safety and nickelback.[24]
On October 5, 2020, Thornhill registered a season-high six solo tackles, broke up a pass, and had his first and lone interception of the season on a pass byBrian Hoyer to tight endRyan Izzo during a 26–10 win against theNew England Patriots.[25] He finished the season with 41 combined tackles (33 solo), three passes deflected, and one interception while appearing in all 16 games with eight starts.[26]
TheKansas City Chiefs continued improving as they finished the2020 NFL season with a 14–2 record, to earn a playoff berth and first round bye. On January 17, 2021, Thornhill appeared in his first career postseason game, but was limited to one tackle and a pass deflection during a 22–17 victory against theCleveland Browns in the Divisional Round. The following week, Thornhill had a career-high four pass deflections during a 38–24 victory against theBuffalo Bills in the NFC Championship. On February 7, 2021, Thornhill helped the Chiefs reachSuper Bowl LV, but was limited to one solo tackle as the Kansas City Chiefs lost 31–9 to theTampa Bay Buccaneers.[27]
He entered training camp slated as a backup safety. Head coachAndy Reid named Thornhill a backup to begin the regular season, behind starting duo Daniel Sorensen and Tyrann Mathieu.[28] In Week 7, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles (seven solo) during a 3–27 loss at theTennessee Titans. On December 5, 2021, Thornhill had six combined tackles (four solo), a pass deflection, and had his only interception of the season on a pass byTeddy Bridgewater to wide receiverJerry Jeudy during a 9–22 win against theDenver Broncos. He finished the2021 NFL season with a total of 64 combined tackles (43 solo), three pass deflections, and one interception while appearing in all 17 games with 12 starts.[29]
TheKansas City Chiefs finished the2021 NFL season atop the AFC West with a 12–5 record. Head coach Andy Reid selected Thornhill to start at free safety throughout the playoffs, alongside Tyrann Mathieu. The Chiefs defeated thePittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Game and defeated theBuffalo Bills 42–36 in the Divisional Round. On January 30, 2022, Thornhill started in the AFC Championship Game and made six combined tackles (two solo) as the Chiefs lost 24–27 to theCincinnati Bengals.
Throughout training camp, Thornhill competed to be a starting safety after the departures of Daniel Sorensen andTyrann Mathieu. He competed againstJustin Reid and rookieBryan Cook. He began the regular season as the starting free safety, alongside strong safety Justin Reid.[30]
On October 23, 2022, Thornhill collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (eight solo), one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass thrown byBrock Purdy toJauan Jennings to seal a 44–23 win at theSan Francisco 49ers. He was inactive for a Week 12 victory at theLos Angeles Rams due to a calf injury. He finished the season with a total of 71 combined tackles (43 solo), nine pass deflections, three interceptions, and one sack in 16 games and 16 starts.[31]
TheKansas City Chiefs finished the2022 NFL season first in the AFC West with a 14–3 record to earn a first round bye. On January 21, 2023, he made five combined tackles (three solo) and a season-high tying two pass deflections during a 27–20 win against theJacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round. The following game, the Chiefs defeated theCincinnati Bengals 23–20 in the AFC Championship Game. On February 12, 2023, Thornhill started at free safety inSuper Bowl LVII and made five combined tackles (three solo) and a pass deflection as the Chiefs defeated thePhiladelphia Eagles 38–35. This earned him his second Super Bowl ring.[32]
On March 16, 2023, theCleveland Browns signed Thornhill to a three–year, $21.00 million contract that includes $14.00 million guaranteed and $8.50 million guaranteed upon signing.[33] He was signed as a free agent in order to replaceJohn Johnson III at free safety.
Head coachKevin Stefanski officially named Thornhill the starting free safety to begin the regular season, alongside strong safetyGrant Delpit.[34] He was inactive for the Cleveland Browns' home-opener against theCincinnati Bengals after injuring his calf. In Week 8, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles (six solo) during a 20–24 loss against theSeattle Seahawks. He was inactive for three consecutive games (Weeks 14–16) after reaggravating his calf injury. He had 54 combined tackles (41 solo) and one pass deflection in 11 games and 11 starts.
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Thornhill entered training camp slated as the starting free safety under defensive coordinatorJim Schwartz. Head coach Kevin Stefanski named Thornhill and Grant Delpit as the starting safeties withRodney McLeod as the nickelback.[35] On September 8, 2024, Thornhill collected a season-high nine combined tackles (eight solo) during a 17–33 loss against theDallas Cowboys. On September 11, 2024, the Cleveland Browns placed Thornhill oninjured reserve after reaggravating his calf injury in Week 1.[36] On October 16, 2024, the Cleveland Browns officially designated him to return after he missed five consecutive games (Weeks 2–6).[37][38] He was sidelined during a Week 13 loss at theDenver Broncos due to another injury to his calf. He finished with 49 combined tackles (31 solo) and three pass deflections while starting in all 11 games he appeared in.[39]
On February 24, 2025, Thornhill was released by the Browns after two seasons.[40]
On March 19, 2025, Thornhill signed with thePittsburgh Steelers on a one-year deal.[41]
