RENTON – The Seahawks starting cornerbacks are Shaquill Griffin and Tre Flowers – both of whom are key contributors to their reformed defense. Akeem King, who was retained this offseason on a one-year deal, is arguably the third best corner Seattle has. He's one of the front runners for the nickelback job.

Look further down the depth chart at the position and you'll find little-known Simeon Thomas, a 2018 sixth-round pick by the Browns. He was waived by Cleveland at the start of last season and ended up on the Seahawks' practice squad for most of the year. Thomas signed a reserve/future contract in January to remain a prospect for the team entering 2019.

He's the focus of this week's 'Who's that Seahawk?' installment.

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A product of the University of Louisiana, the 25-year-old Thomas has a physical profile that coach Pete Carroll loves to see in his corners: long arms and a tall frame. Thomas is 6 foot 3 with a slender 197-pound body.

But he's somewhat of a raw prospect. Thomas played just one full year in college due to various suspensions. He sat out his entire sophomore season in 2014 due to an academic suspension, and he also served a nine-game NCAA suspension the following year due to his involvement in a high school recruiting-violations scandal.

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Thomas spoke to SeattlePI about what he feels he brings to the Seahawks' cornerback room that's unique, what he learned in his first season around professional football, the pride he takes in being from the rough Miami neighborhood of Liberty City, and much more.

Continue reading below for the full Q&A (check out the gallery above for the slideshow-formatted version of the conversation).

SeattlePI: How's training camp/preseason going?

Thomas: "It's going a lot better (than 2018). I can play faster than I did last year, with me knowing the plays and stuff like that. I know the scheme."

SeattlePI: What do you feel that you bring to the Seahawks' cornerback room that's unique?

Thomas: "I mean, I'm still learning every day about my length. Knowing how to use my length on the outside. I know that's what Pete (Carroll) loves, and that's what (the Seahawks) like: long corners. So I'm just trying to use my body more and more, and learn how to use my body more and more ... I'm a much longer guy, so I gotta handle different situations differently than the shorter guys."

SeattlePI: What did you learn from being on the Seahawks practice squad last year?

Thomas: "I think all in all, it taught me a lot really. Just knowing how to be accountable, how to handle my business. It kind of give you a chip on your shoulder just to prove (you belong). For me, it was like you put me on practice squad, you kind of take it like 'I feel you ain't good enough.' So I try to make myself better."

SeattlePI: You missed a lot of games in college due to suspension. Do you feel like missing so much time made you miss football more?

Thomas: "In regards to the suspension, I wouldn't do (the way I handled it) no way different. It just gave me the extra drive ... When you love football and you get it taken away from you, most people would've just gave it up. I just kept going though.

"I did (think about quitting). But you have people in your corner that still looking out for you, making sure you're making the right decisions and to keep pushing for your dreams."

SeattlePI: With the games that you missed in college, do you almost feel like you haven't reached your full potential?

Thomas: "I kind of feel like didn't reach my full potential (in college). That's why I said I'm still learning. Still learning the corner position, how to really be a full-time corner. Just learning defense and all, how to talk, schemes with the coaches. Just trying to pick up where I left off before the suspension happened, just trying to keep up with my other peers."

SeattlePI: The Liberty City section in Miami, where you're from, is notoriously known as a rough neighborhood in Miami. What does it mean to you to be from there?

Thomas: "It give you a whole different attachment to it. It's a very rare, rare opportunity (for me to be here). These opportunities really just don't come by like that. So when you have them, you try to take full advantage of them ... They give (the general public) the background, they give you the story about the place, you know what I'm saying? You don't want to go back to that. You trying to stay here. You want to stay in front, not in the background. There's not too many ways out in Miami, or in the inner city."

SeattlePI: Where does your nickname "Bo" come from?

Thomas: "My grandma called me that. I was bowlegged when I was little."

SeattlePI: What is something about you that most people don't know, but they should know?

Thomas: "Everybody got their opinions. With the job I do, they gonna judge how you play. So I'd rather show them on the field than talk."
