Giants Country

Giants Pluck Oregon Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux at No. 5

Thibodeaux is the Giants first edge rusher taken in the first round since Jason Pierre-Paul in 2010.

Patricia Traina

Giants Pluck Oregon Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux at No. 5
Giants Pluck Oregon Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux at No. 5 /

Get ready, New York because Thibs is coming to the Big Apple.

Oregon edge rushere Kayvon Thibodeaux becomes the first edge rusher to be drafted in the first round by the Giants since 2010 when they took Jason Pierre-Paul out of South Florida and the first defensive player selected in the first round since 2016 when the Giants took cornerback Eli Apple.

Thibodeaux is also the first ORegon player to be selected by the Giants in the first round of the draft, and the first Duck drafted since Shane Lemieux was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. 

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Nick Falato, in his scouting report of Thibodeaux, wrote the following:

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.

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.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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