Syd ' Quan Thompson Syd ' Quan Thompson ( born February 7 , 1987 ) is an American football cornerback of the NFL . Thompson was drafted by the Broncos as the 225th overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft . He played college football at California . Early life . Thompson was born on February 7 , 1987 in Sacramento , California to mother Patrice Thompson . He attended Grant Union High School where he played football and earned all - state honors three times . As a junior in 2004 , he recorded 950 rushing yards for 18 touchdowns , 15 receptions for 360 yards and four touchdowns , returned five punts , and returned one kickoff for a touchdown . That year , Rivals . com ranked him the number - one junior player in the state , and he received the California Mr . Football Award . As a senior , he recorded more than 70 tackles , two interceptions , 1 , 000 rushing yards , and 12 touchdowns . He received an invitation to play in the CaliFlorida Bowl . " The Sacramento Bee " named him to its all - metro second team . Scout . com rated him the number - five player in its West Hot 100 . Rivals . com rated him the 13th - ranked athlete in the nation and the 21st - ranked player in California . ESPN assessed him as the 11th - ranked cornerback in the nation . PrepStar named him an All - American , as did SuperPrep , which also rated him the 17th - ranked defensive back in the nation and the 13th - ranked player in California . Thompson was rated a four - star prospect by both Scout . com and Rivals . com . He received scholarship offers from Arizona , California , Kansas State , Oklahoma , Oregon , UCLA , and Washington . College career . 2005 – 2007 seasons . Thompson enrolled at the University of California , Berkeley where he majored in social welfare . He sat out the 2005 season as a redshirt . In 2006 , starting cornerback Tim Mixon suffered a knee injury before the season , which forced Thompson to fill in that role for the remainder of the season . In the season - opener against Tennessee , Thompson played with a cast because of a broken wrist and was twice outpaced by All - American wide receiver Robert Meachem for touchdown receptions . Tennessee won , 35 – 18 . Thompson started all 13 games of the season , and he recorded 60 tackles including 35 solo , two fumble recoveries including one returned for a touchdown against Stanford , and one interception . " The Sporting News " named him to its freshman All - Pac - 10 team . In 2007 , Thompson again started all 13 games and recorded 78 tackles including six for loss , ten broken - up passes , and one interception . 2008 season . In 2008 , he started in all 13 games at cornerback and as served as the punt returner . He recorded four interceptions for 128 yards and 18 passes defended . Against Washington State , he set a school single - game record with 108 interception return yards . In that game , he intercepted one pass and returned it 90 yards , before being caught by Washington State running back Christopher Ivory five yards short of the goal line . California scored on its ensuing possession , but Thompson reported he was teased by his teammates and asserted that he " was good for the first 40 yards , but then my back and my hip started tightening up . " Against Colorado State , he returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown , for which he was named the Pac - 10 Special Teams Player of the Week . Thompson received the team ' s Andy Smith Award for most playing time , and he was named to the All - Pac - 10 first team . 2009 season . Thompson is on the watch list for the 2009 Lott Trophy , which is an award bestowed upon the nation ' s best defensive player with strong character . He has also been declared a preseason All - American by many various publications . In preseason predictions for California , many analysts have named California ' s secondary a major strength , largely because of Thompson . When asked to name his four most important teammates , California linebacker Worrell Williams included Thompson as the only defensive player . He said , " So what ' s that tell you ? He ' s going to shut down one side of the field when he ' s out there . " The NFL Draft Scout , a CBS Sports affiliate , rated Thompson 15th of its Top 32 seniors for the 2009 season , and wrote , " His straight - line speed , agility , reliable open - field tackling and natural return skills would be earning significantly more attention from the national media if he played in the Big Ten or SEC . " The NFL Draft Scout assessed him as the best cornerback out of the 226 available for the 2010 NFL Draft and projected him as a first or second round selection . Following his senior season , Thompson represented Cal at the 2010 Senior Bowl Professional career . Thompson was drafted in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Broncos as the 225th overall selection . He recorded his first NFL interception against the New York Jets on October 17 , 2010 . On September 2 , 2011 , during the Broncos ' last preseason game at the Arizona Cardinals , Thompson suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon , and missed the entire 2011 season . Thompson was released from the Denver Broncos roster during the roster cuts before the 2012 regular season . Personal . Thompson ' s younger brother Shaq was one of most touted recruits of the class of 2012 . He committed to California on March 6 , 2011 , but a week later , he re - opened his recruitment . On January 7 , 2012 he re - committed to California , but re - opened his commitment once again . On January 30 , he committed to the University of Washington .