Giants OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux Named "Most Underrated Player" Ahead of Camp

People are still sleeping on the Giants' 2022 first-round draft pick despite his impressive showing last season.

New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) celebrates a sack with the defense in the first half at MetLife Stadium on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, in East Rutherford. / Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com /

The last time the New York Giants had a solid homegrown pass rusher was in 2010 when they drafted defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.

But after trading away Pierre-Paul following the 2017 season, an impressive line of homegrown edge players that had included Lawrence Taylor, Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora dried up.

That is until 2022 when the Giants selected Kayvon Thibodeaux out of Oregon fifth overall in that draft. 

After a quiet rookie season in which he got off to a slow start thanks to a knee injury that limited him to four sacks and 13 quarterback hits, Thibodeaux had himself a semi-breakout campaign last year that saw him notch 11.5 sacks (the first player in a Wink Martindale defense to record double-digit sacks), 16 quarterback hits, and 35 pressures, stats that put him into the discussion of defenders opponents should not sleep on.  

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Now, with Brian Burns lining up on defense and Shane Bowen, Martindale’s replacement, running the show, big things are expected from Thibodeaux, SI Conor Orr’s choice for the most underrated Giants player.  

“I felt like Thibodeaux turned into a really solid run defender in his second season and was able to clearly showcase and define his maturity,” Orr wrote.

 “Thibodeaux played in the most unique NFL defense last year. The Wink Martindale system was a complete outlier in terms of general philosophy—I thought it fit the team’s situation but may not be a long-term solution—but now we’ll get the chance to see him paired with both a legitimate threat on the other side (trade acquisition Brian Burns) and a system run by new coordinator Shane Bowen that has generated consistent productivity from its edge defenders.”

As Orr mentioned, Bowen's system will allow Thibodeaux to pin his ears back and get to the quarterback. 

The addition of Burns on the other side shouldn't be understated, as he and All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II will both command special attention. This could leave more one-on-one opportunities for Thibodeaux, creating more problems for opposing offenses.

Thibodeaux's 11.5-sack season was a good start to what the Giants hope he can become, which is one of the league's top pass rushers. In a new system surrounded by better talent, Thibodeaux is well-prepared for an even better season in 2024.

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