He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round (25th overall) of the 2013 NFL draft.

In his senior year, he led his school in both rushing and receiving, and earning a spot on the Miami Herald All-Dade team on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

[4] At the 2008 Sam Burley Hall of Fame Meet, he earned a third-place finish in the 200-meter dash event with a time of 22.25 seconds.

[5] As a senior, he qualified for the state finals in the 100-meter dash after running a career-best time of 10.70 seconds in the prelims of the regional championship.

As a freshman in 2009, Rhodes played in only two games against Boston College and Georgia Tech on special teams before suffering a hand injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season.

[11] In 2010, Rhodes started all 14 games at the boundary cornerback position and emerged as a promising young star for FSU's vastly improved defense.

[citation needed] He used his physical attributes to record 12 pass breakups and four interceptions, good for a share of the team lead.

[citation needed] He was credited with three pass breakups in pivotal Atlantic Division wins over Boston College and Clemson.

[citation needed] Rhodes's ability to play close to the line of scrimmage in coverage enabled him to collect 3.5 tackles for loss on the season and two sacks.

[citation needed] In his redshirt sophomore season in 2011, Rhodes started as part of a three-man cornerback rotation with Mike Harris and Greg Reid.

[32] He anchored an FSU secondary that held nine of the top 10 receivers in the ACC at the time they faced them to a combined 22 catches for 244 yards.

[33] Shortly after FSU's 31–10 victory over Northern Illinois in the 2013 Orange Bowl, Rhodes announced his decision to forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility, entering the 2013 NFL draft.

[42] Head coach Leslie Frazier named Rhodes the third cornerback on the depth chart, behind veterans Chris Cook and Josh Robinson.

[44] He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Minnesota Vikings' season-opener at the Detroit Lions and recorded three solo tackles in their 34–24 loss.

Rhodes made his first career tackle on wide receiver Calvin Johnson after a seven-yard reception in the second quarter.

[47] Rhodes recorded a season-high four pass deflections and made four solo tackles during a 26–26 tie at the Green Bay Packers.

[48] On December 8, 2013, Rhodes made three solo tackles and three pass deflections before exiting the Vikings' 29–26 loss at the Baltimore Ravens after sustaining an ankle injury.

[50] On December 30, 2013, it was announced that the Minnesota Vikings fired head coach Leslie Frazier after finishing fourth in the NFC North with a 5–10–1 record.

[54] Head coach Mike Zimmer officially named Rhodes the starter to begin the regular season, along with Captain Munnerlyn.

[64] He finished the 2015 season with a career-high 58 combined tackles (55 solo), ten pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts.

[66] On January 10, 2016, Rhodes started in his first career playoff game and recorded four solo tackles and two pass deflections during a 10–9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card Round.

[68] Head coach Mike Zimmer retained Xavier Rhodes and Terence Newman as the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season.

[70] On October 3, 2016, Rhodes recorded two combined tackles, broke up two passes, and intercepted quarterback Eli Manning during a 24–10 victory against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.

[73] In the second quarter, he intercepted a pass intended for John Brown and returned it for a 100-yard touchdown [74] Rhodes performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

[86][87] On January 14, 2018, Rhodes recorded two solo tackles and two pass deflections during the Vikings' 29–24 win against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Round.

[95][96] In Week 3 against the New York Jets, Rhodes recorded his first two interceptions (including a 44-yard pick six) as a member of the Colts off of passes thrown by Sam Darnold during the 36–7 win.

[105] On January 16, Rhodes was elevated to the active roster and made his Cowboys debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Round.