Round 1, Pick No. 5: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
The first four names off the board in this New York Giants mock draft were Aidan Hutchinson, Ahmad Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr., and Kyle Hamilton.
That presents an interesting decision early in the draft. There are three players worth considering here: Thibodeaux, Ikem Ekwonu, and Charles Cross.
We’ve got the fifth and seventh picks, with the Panthers sandwiched in between. While I don’t think they’re going to take an EDGE, it would be quite a gamble to pass on Thibodeaux here given that we’re guaranteed to get one of our two preferred offensive linemen at No. 7.
So, the New York Giants take the Oregon edge rusher with tons of upside. Two quotes on Thibodeaux stand out, first from the NFL.com scouting report:
"“He’s not fluid like (Jadeveon) Clowney, but he has the same type of upside coming out … He’s going to get better as a rusher but he might top out at 10 or 11 sacks — I don’t see him as a ‘dude’ in that area.” — Personnel director for NFC team"
I’ll take Clowney-like upside here.
Thibodeaux’s physical talents seem to jump off the page, but scouts do wish he had a little more bend and fluidity. Nevertheless, with tons of upside and 19 sacks across three seasons at Oregon, there’s plenty to like. But you may recall from last week plenty of discussion over defensive coordinator Don Martindale’s preference for versatility.