A native of Albany, Georgia, Thompson attended Westover Comprehensive High School where he was coached by Octavia Jones and former NFL defensive lineman Jeff Hunter. In his junior season, Thompson recorded 83 tackles and 12 sacks, helping Westover to a third-round GHSA 4A playoff berth and its first region title in school history. He was named Junior of the Year by recruiting service Rivals.com. In his senior season, Thompson tallied 84 tackles, including 36 tackles for loss and four sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. He was named the Class 4A Defensive Player of the Year by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as National Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today. Unanimously regarded as one of the top recruits across all positions, Thompson was heavily recruited by elite NCAA Division I football programs, including Alabama, Florida State, Louisiana State, Michigan State, Auburn, and Southern California. His first offer came from Georgia while he was still a sophomore. When he verbally committed to Georgia over Auburn and Alabama in August 2014, he cited Georgia's early recruiting effort as one of the reasons: “Georgia, they were my first offer. They were the first coaches that came down to see me and showed me the most love.” He signed a National Letter of Intent on February 4, 2015.
College career
Starting his college career with “stardom widely expected,” Thompson was projected as a space-eater in the mold of former Florida State nose tackleTimmy Jernigan, whom Georgia's defensive coordinatorJeremy Pruitt coached in 2013. Thompson played mostly in the second half during the first four games of the 2015 season, where he recorded 7 total tackles including a half a sack. On October 3, 2015, Thompson, listed as a defensive end, made his first start for the Bulldogs in a week 5 loss to the #13 Alabama Crimson Tide, where he recorded four total tackles. Thompson finished his true freshman year with 25 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and half a sack. Pro Football Focus listed him as the best true freshman on the interior defensive line, along with Missouri'sTerry Beckner. In January 2018, Thompson declared his intent to forgo his senior year at Georgia and enter the 2018 NFL Draft.
Thompson was signed by the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football on January 18, 2019. He made the final roster on January 30, 2019. After a four tackle performance in a 38-22 week 1 victory over the Salt Lake Stallions, Thompson was named by Pro Football Focus to their Week 1 AAF Team of the Week.
Thompson signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League on June 6, 2019. He was released before the start of the regular season on June 9.
On October 9, 2019, Thompson was entered into the XFL draft pool. He was selected by the Houston Roughnecks during the 2020 XFL Draft held on October 15 and 16, 2019. He signed a contract with the team on January 16, 2020. He was waived during final roster cuts on January 22, 2020.
Thompson was signed to the XFL's practice squad team, referred to as Team 9, on January 30, 2020. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Thompson signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL on April 20, 2020.
