NFL exec has tough take on NY Giants rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux
Just about everyone thinks that NY Giants No. 5 overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux is going to be ready to have a monster year for the defense from Day 1. Thibodeaux, a former star for the Oregon Ducks, was a total force in the Pac-12 and he’s got people in New York and New Jersey amped to see what he can do.
Well, should people temper their expectations a little bit? That’s what one NFL exec thinks. In an interview with The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, the exec told the Giants insider that while he thinks Thibodeaux can make a strong impact, he just doesn’t see him as an ‘athletic freak’ and that he may not be as tremendous as people are hyping him up to be.
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"“I think it will be a matter of expectation,” the exec told Duggan. “He’s not an athletic freak. He’s a good athlete, he’s not a great one. Really more of a technical rusher. So I think he’s going to be productive. I just don’t know if he’s this Von Miller double-digit sacks, Jevon Kearse out of the gates, like, ‘How do we block this guy? He’s taking the world by storm.’ I think he’s just going to be a really steady six-to-eight-sack guy that’ll be a productive pass rusher in this league, primarily because of his hand use. He’s got a long arm and he understands how to work off his long arm. He’s got some polish as a rusher.”"
This take really brings the fanbase down to earth a little bit. People have been dreaming of Thibodeaux making his way to the quarterback like Michael Strahan used to back in his glory days. With Strahan mentoring Thibodeaux as well, it only has people thinking that the first-rounder will be a monster in the trenches this fall for new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
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As much potential as Thibodeaux has, not everyone is thinking he’ll be a superstar right off the bat. The exec Duggan spoke with knows that the pass-rusher can make a big-time difference, but he wants folks to hold the phone a bit on thinking he’ll hit double-digit sacks with consistency. Thibodeaux will look to prove him wrong, and NY fans are sure hoping he’ll be able to do so in style.