With the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the NY Giants selected edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux out of Oregon. This was a much needed selection, as the team’s pass rush ranked 22nd in sacks, 27th in quarterback knockdowns and 24th in QB hurries last campaign.
There were some bright spots in the pass rush, as former second-rounder Azeez Ojulari had a very solid season, tallying 49 tackles and eight sacks. However, things overall were very poor, so drafting a player of Thibodeaux’s caliber could be a huge addition to a defense that needs him.
As with every rookie, there are some high expectations for Thibodeaux. Whether they are set by himself, or the coaching staff, we believe he will meet most of the ones thrown at him. However, we have some even more head-turning things in mind for Thibodeaux to achieve. With that said, here are four ambitious goals for Thibodeaux in 2022.
1. Win Defensive Rookie of the Year
According to SportsBettingDime.com, Thibodeaux has the second-highest odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, only behind No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson. However, we believe Thibodeaux has possibly the best chance to win the honor.
Not only will Thibodeaux be opposite of a potentially an elite pass-rusher in Ojulari, he also has a much better defensive line around him than Hutchinson has with the Lions. This will make it much harder for offenses to single Thibodeaux out and potentially double team him.
The only player for the Giants to win the DROY award was a Hall of Famer and arguably the best defensive player of all time: Lawrence Taylor. So, if Thibodeaux can win this award, he would be joining some elite company for the organization.
We have always been much higher on Thibodeaux than any of the other pass-rushers in this year’s draft class. While there is a good chance that a player like defensive back Sauce Gardner could steal the honor from Thibodeaux, we believe that he has the best chance out of any of the other rookies to win the esteemed award.
2. Break the NY Giants rookie sack record
While officially Ojulari has the rookie sack record for the NY Giants with eight, Taylor unofficially recorded 9.5 sacks in his rookie year. We say unofficially because LT’s rookie season was in 1981 and sacks were not officially recorded until 1982. Regardless of who actually owns the record, beating eight or 9.5 sacks is very possible for a player of Thibodeaux’s caliber.
As great as it would be for Thibodeaux to break the record, it would make it even cooler if the record was officially set in back-to-back seasons. Thibodeaux not only has the potential to break the record, but shatter it.
From our chair, we think Thibodeaux has a ceiling of 12-13 sacks his rookie year. What makes this goal all the more realistic is the somewhat low bar for the record. While eight sacks is certainly not easy to get, Thibodeaux has the potential to reach double digits.
3. Prove himself as a leader
This does not have much to do with his level of play. However, during the draft process, there were some questions about Thibodeaux’s character and ability to lead. While these reports were certainly questionable, it would be very nice to see Thibodeaux prove all of his haters wrong in a big way.
Thus far, Thibodeaux has done a great job at speaking to the media, both cracking jokes and giving good insight on certain questions. While this does not have a ton to do with his leadership, it is a good start to proving these reports false. It truly seems like Thibodeaux has been dreaming of playing in New York, so if he can come out and not only be a top player on the field, but a class act off of it, it will be huge to his development as a fan favorite.
We have been a huge fan of Thibodeaux throughout draft evaluations. While we never fully believed the reports about his “character problems,” It was somewhat of a concern. To see him already begin to prove these reports wrong makes fans incredibly happy. Thibodeaux will look to keep this going once Week 1 arrives.
4. Make the Pro Bowl
This is probably the hardest goal for Thibodeaux to achieve on the list. However, due to how popular of a player he already is, combined with his massive skill set, it makes this goal somewhat realistic. The last time a rookie on the Giants made a Pro Bowl was Saquon Barkley in 2018. That year, he led the league in yards from scrimmage. If Thibodeaux can achieve the first two goals we listed, there is a very good chance that he will also make a Pro Bowl.
While this is still a hard goal to achieve, as there are a ton of players he would have to beat out, we believe he can still do it. Regardless of the stats he puts up, there will still be a ton of people voting for him based off of his popularity. As we have seen, the Pro Bowl is often a popularity contest compared to a roster of the best players, which is what the All-Pro teams are for.
Last season, the outside linebackers who made the Pro Bowl for the NFC were Chandler Jones – who is no longer in the NFC – Shaquil Barrett and Robert Quinn. These are players who we believe Thibodeaux can beat out for the spot. If Thibodeaux can manage to achieve all of these goals, he will be on his way to a long, fantastic career as a Giant. He has the potential to cement himself as a standout playmaker for years to come.