2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon

Thibodeaux was the consensus number one college prospect heading into the 2021 season. In Week 1, he rolled his ankle against Fresno State and reportedly played hobbled after missing two games. Thibodeaux maintains top-five status, but various reports allude to a slide on draft day; questions about his fire and passion are the impetus to the rumors.

I watched every Thibodeaux film I could find; unfortunately, only two of them were in 2021. I never saw, nor questioned, his passion or fire. He was routinely making plays down the field from the backside. His Combine may also be used against him, not because he performed poorly, though.

Thibodeaux didn’t perform in the on-field drills after stating he would in multiple interviews. Some seem to view Thibodeaux negatively as a “me” guy because he’s a forward-thinker and about his brand. Assigning him as a “me guy” because of brand awareness seems foolish, but other factors were gleaned in interviews that could substantiate the claim.

At his Cominbe interview, Thibodeaux specifically mentioned the New York Giants and how they were asking him directly about struggling in New York and if he could handle it. Thibodeaux spoke about being a big city kid (Los Angeles) and how the bright lights won’t affect him.

As for on the field, the moldable talent is undeniable. He’s a bit raw with his hands still, but the upside is insane. He was the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2019, was a two-time first-team All-Pac 12 selection, and was a unanimous All-American in 2021.

He won the Morris Trophy for best Pac 12 linemen in 2020. In 31 games, he recorded 19-career sacks (ranks seventh in Oregon history), had 34.5 tackles for a loss, and 116 pressures. Thibodeaux recorded 35 tackles, 12 for a loss, seven sacks, 48 pressures, and two forced fumbles in 2021.

He had a 17.5% pass-rush win rate (average is 9.8%); this is even more impressive because of the attention offenses paid him through 2021. In a draft that isn’t necessarily top-heavy, it’s surprising to hear about a potential slide out of the top five.

• Great size, good length
• Excellent explosive athlete with good change of direction and lateral movement skills
• Twitchy in his lower half, can go 0-100 fast
• Plays with very good balance
• Short area quickness and closing burst are great
• Fires off the ball, exploding low to high with a good firm punch
• His punch can stun and set up secondary moves, heavy-handed
• Uses every centimeter of his length to lockout and present eyes
• Can get both hands inside and sheds well, doesn’t allow bigger OL to gain his chest easily
• Plays with excellent leverage at the point of attack, sinks his hips and raises the center of gravity of OL upon contact
• Has ability to set a good EDGE, functional strength is not an issue
• Can get skinny slanting around blocks penetrating gaps, really good upfield burst
• Chased plenty of ball-carries down from the backside
• Was not a fun unblocked “read-defender” for offenses to block
• Good tackle radius
• Flies into the tackle point with bad intentions and is a solid overall tackler with pop
• Attacks OL with strong bull-rush, generates great power through his lower-half
• Quick enough to win with speed from wider alignment
• Good power rush move initiated by the long-arm technique
• Gets long-arm inside under OL breastplate and influences OL outside, opening B-Gap
• Can convert speed to power, don’t give him an inside alley
• Keeps OL guessing, can effectively win around the EDGE and through OL with power (a nightmare to face for OT on an island)
• Has a very good inside shoulder dip to win the edge
• Has some bend in his hips to get through solid OL contact when attempting to flip hips and corner into the pocket
• Did a good job setting pass-rushing moves up against UCLA (hit a OT with a fake inside spin to win the EDGE)
• Definitely a smart player, albeit still raw (he’s only 21-years-old)
• Dropped in coverage 104 times through three seasons, did not look lost, and had enough athletic ability to succeed
• Versatile enough to be a 3-4 OLB or an EVEN front DE

• Is still raw as a pass rusher
• Has a bull in a china shop approach when initially rushing the passer (did improve on this in the 2021 film I witnessed)
• Hand technique has room to grow
• A work in progress with stringing moves together quickly, pass rush plan was better in 2021, but could still improve
• Ankle flexibility isn’t elite
• Would be baited inside too often as the contain defender, leading to big runs outside
• A bit too aggressive when setting the EDGE, needs to be a bit more disciplined in contain
• There are questions about his “desire” from NFL/media sources - that must be investigated, albeit I didn’t witness it on film

Related:

• Why Giants Gave Kayvon Thibodeaux a "Hard Time" During Combine Interview

Overall, Kayvon Thibodeaux checks a lot of boxes. He is incredibly athletic, with strong hands to quickly disengage and separate from blockers. Thibodeaux explodes off the ball with twitch, burst, and speed to win the EDGE from a slightly wide alignment. He also fires off the snap with great power, leverage, and pop-on contact, while using every bit of his arms to lock OL out and keep his chest clean.

His size/frame, functional strength, and athletic traits alone make him a great option to further develop as a pass-rusher. He’s just scratching the surface; he showed the ability to process and set his moves up--it’s obvious he thinks about his moves--but he didn’t consistently string moves together and, at times, was stuck on one move too long.

His hand technique is still a work in progress when rushing the passer, but a player like Thibodeaux can, and more than likely will, develop in that area once he’s in the NFL; it’s not a terrible trait of his, just one that isn’t too refined. He also does a great job converting speed to power to terrorize opposing OL.

Questions about his ankle flexibility aren’t unfair; I’ve seen him bend well at the waist through some contact at the top of the arc, but there were plenty of reps where he didn’t access the elite level bend (Von Miller, Robert Quinn, etc.), specifically in his ankle joint which resulted in him being floored (seemed to be held on a few of these).

He can, and does, still win at the top of arcs. Thibodeaux is a good run defender who doesn’t get bullied. He sets a good EDGE with the necessary leverage needed, but he does get a bit over-aggressive at times and will bite inside prematurely, leaving his contain responsibility unguarded. Again, that can be coached.

Kayvon Thibodeaux seemed like a Giants’ pipedream a few months ago. Despite the Giants’ abysmal season, there were four other teams who were worse, which seemingly put Thibodeaux out of New York’s range in a draft that lacked typical first-round quarterbacks.

However, the news of a slide gives Giants’ fans glee. Thibodeaux would fit very well into any system, but Wink Martindale could have a lot of fun with a player of his skill-set. He’s very versatile, and the Giants must consider him at five if he’s still available and his interviews checked out.