BIOGRAPHY
Xavier Rhodes was born on June 19th, 1990, in Miami, Florida and currently plays cornerback in the NFL.
He attended Miami Norland high school, where he led the school in both rushings and receiving as a senior. He earned Miami Herald All-Dade honors as an all-purpose back, All-Dade honors on the defensive side of the ball, he played in the 12th annual Nike South Florida All-Star game.
He played college football at Florida State University; as a freshman in 2009, he got a medical redshirt after playing in two games on special teams. In 2010 he started all 14 games at the boundary cornerback position. He was a consensus Freshman All-American, Rhodes was voted the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year; he also earned National Defensive Freshman of the Year honors from Collegefootballnews.com.
He recorded 12 pass breakups and four interceptions, good for a share of the team lead; his pass breakups and 16 passes defended led all freshmen nationally. As a sophomore in 2011, he was a started at cornerback and recorded 43 stops (36 solo) on the season with 1.5 tackles for loss, one INT, and four pass breakups.
In 2012 as a junior, he started all 14 games at corner and was the only player from the ACC to be named a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award. He recorded 39 tackles (27 unassisted), and 2.0 tackles for loss. He announced his decision to forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility, entering the 2013 NFL Draft.
The Minnesota Vikings selected Rhodes in the first round (25th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft; he saw action in 13 games starting 6. He set Vikings rookie record with 23 passes defended, the 2nd most in team history.
In 2014 he started all 16 games in a breakout season for the 2nd-year CB and finished the season with a team-high 18 passes defended, ranked 4th in the NFL, and 2nd in the NFC. During the 2015 season, he started every game in the regular season and Wild Card playoff game for NFC North champions. He recorded a career-high 58 combined tackles (55 solo), ten pass deflections, and an interception.
In 2016 he started all 14 games he appeared in, having his best season as a pro; he recorded 52 combined tackles (44 solo), 11 pass deflections, five interceptions, and a touchdown. During the 2017 season, he recorded 63 tackles and 2 INTs as he started all 16 games for the 3rd time in his career. He earned 1st-Team All-Pro honors at CB and 2nd-Team honors at DB, the 1st time receiving the honor in his career, as well as All-NFL honors by PFWA.
In 2018 he started all 14 games he appeared in, helping lead the NFL's 3rd-ranked pass defense (218.8 yards allowed per game). He finished the season with 50 total tackles (44 solo), 1 FF, 1 INT, and nine passes defended.
On March 30, 2020, Rhodes signed a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts. In his career he has been selected to three pro bowls and one 1st team all-pro.
