INDIANAPOLIS — It remains to be seen if what the Giants showed Kayvon Thibodeaux was tough love or abject skepticism.
Clearly, Thibodeaux is one of the best pass rushers in the upcoming NFL draft, and that interests the Giants. He has what they need. But is the entire package what they want?
Thibodeaux, among edge rushers, is expected to come off the board behind only Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan. The Giants have the fifth- and seventh-overall picks in the first round. There is a good chance Thibodeaux will be sitting there when the Giants are on the clock at No. 5. The concerns about him are not athletic or schematic. Teams want to know about his drive, his love of the game and if he is already too much of a superstar in his own mind.
Count the Giants as seeking answers to those questions. They played hardball during their formal interview with him this week at the scouting combine.
“Yeah, I’ve talked to the Giants, we had a great interview,’’ Thibodeaux said Friday. “They were kinda on me, they were giving me a hard time, but I felt like it was like that big brother moment where they give you a hard time because they’re interested in you and they like you. For me, just showing them that I’m really a guy, I grew up in a big city so a big city is nothing new to me, right?’’
What does “giving me a hard time’’ mean?
Thibodeaux, who is from South Central Los Angeles, smiled.
“I mean, just giving me a hard time, like when you bring up what’s gonna happen if I’m not the star coming in, five games in if I don’t have a sack this is what they’re going to be talking about,’’ Thibodeaux said. “The media’s gonna be down on me, everybody’s gonna be — I’m gonna be in the doghouse, how am I gonna handle that?
“I let them know I’ve been in the media since my sophomore year of high school. So I’ve been trained for this my whole life and I know that most of it is entertainment, right? So I’m not really worried because whatever happens between the four walls of the team and the organization is what’s gonna dictate the future and if I have five bad games we’re gonna focus on that next week, how we’re gonna dominate the team that’s next.’’
Thibodeaux had an answer for everything, sounding more like a polished 10-year NFL veteran than a soon-to-be rookie. Attracting a teeming media throng, he sat down and said, “Hello my good people.’’ As a player in the spotlight for several years, he has been around this block many times before.
He provided plenty of insight into what makes him tick as he responded to this question: What does he want to convey to NFL teams this week?
“I think the biggest thing I want to articulate to teams is that I’m really a student of the game,’’ Thibodeaux said. “I really love this game. This is something that has done a lot for me. Football has taught me a lot, it’s helped me grow a lot through my life, and it’ll be there until the day I die. No matter what else I do off the field, football is my main focus and winning a Super Bowl, getting a yellow jacket, being Defensive Rookie of the Year, it’s all my goals.’’
Thibodeaux had 19 sacks in three seasons at Oregon. He had seven sacks, 12 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in 2021, playing on a sprained ankle much of the season. He insists no one should be worried about his dedication.
“I don’t think I necessarily had to convince teams of it but that’s the media narrative,’’ Thibodeaux said. “I’m an L.A. kid, and if you know the adversity I went through to get here and the things I had to sacrifice and the things my mother had to sacrifice for me to get here you’d really understand how I feel in my heart. When you talk about fire, you talk about passion, I can’t really explain it. I get emotional thinking about it because of all the sacrifices it took me to get here. I’m blessed to be here.’’
If the Giants take Thibodeaux it will buck a trend: They have not drafted a linebacker in the first round since Carl Banks in 1984.
The Giants have five players on their roster who managed to get at least one sack for them in 2021: Ajeez Ojulari (8), Leonard Williams (6.5), Dexter Lawrence (2.5), Logan Ryan (1) and Julian Love (0.5). Of that group, only Ojulari is an edge-rusher. Lorenzo Carter, who had five sacks, is an impending unrestricted free agent. That’s not much for new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale to work with.
If it is not Thibodeaux, is any other edge-rusher in this draft worthy of the No. 5 or No. 7 pick? David Ojabo had 11 sacks this past season for Michigan. Jermaine Johnson II had 11.5 sacks for Florida State. Travon Walker of Georgia had six sacks and George Karlaftis had 4.5 sacks for Purdue. A case would have to be made for any of these players to go so high. Not so with Thibodeaux. Just ask him.
The Link LonkMarch 05, 2022 at 12:12AM
https://nypost.com/2022/03/04/nfl-combine-giants-gave-kayvon-thibodeaux-a-hard-time/
Giants give top edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux 'a hard time' at NFL Combine - New York Post
https://news.google.com/search?q=hard&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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