NFL Draft 2022: which franchise will pick Kayvon Thibodeaux?
Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux is one of two defensive ends in the running to be the first overall pick at the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas.
The 2022 NFL Draft could be dominated by two defensive ends, with both in the running to be the number-one overall pick. One is Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson; the other is Kayvon Thibodeaux, a hugely athletic Oregon product.
At 6′4″ tall and weighing 254lbs, Thibodeaux, 21, might not have the most imposing physique for an edge rusher. But he had already set about serving notice of his immense talent at high school, where he was considered the nation’s second-best prospect, and at Oregon his skill set has been honed.
Despite receiving offers from universities of the calibre of Alabama, Thibodeaux chose the Ducks because of everything that the school represented. “It was journalism. It was Nike. It was [team head coach Mario] Cristobal. It was the whole program,” he has said.
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Quickly clear Thibodeaux would be “special player” - former Ducks team-mate Herbert
In Oregon, Thibodeaux won the respect of the locker room with his impressive physical prowess. Speaking to The Ringer, former Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert, now in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers, recalled his first days in Eugene. “He came in and was 17 years old. I was 21. “He was able to out-lift me by a couple hundred pounds. I knew then that he was gonna be a special player.”
A dominant force in the front seven, Thibodeaux made 30 appearances in the NCAA, registering 19 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss. He was twice named on the All-Pac-12 first team and was unaminously voted onto the 2021 College Football All-American Team.
With an impressive resumé that also includes a 4.58-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, Thibodeaux promises to be one of the first picks in the Draft. The only factor that could be a turn-off for teams is the development needed in his hand work.
Who could recruit Kayvon Thibodeaux?
The Jacksonville Jaguars, who are expected to pick a defensive end with their first overall Draft pick, must decide whether to go for Thibodeaux or Hutchnison.
If the Jaguars go for the latter, mock drafts are torn on what could happen; the only point they agree on is that Thibodeaux will go in the top 10. One franchise that could well take the California native is the New York Jets.