Mario Cristobal doubles down on his expectations for Kayvon Thibodeaux
Minicamp didn’t go as planned for NY Giants No. 5 overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, as he wasn’t able to be a full participant due to injury. Despite that, the former Oregon Ducks standout has his eyes on breaking Azeez Ojulari’s rookie sacks record of eight. Ojulari set that mark last season and people can’t wait to see him and Thibodeaux work together.
Leading up to the new campaign, countless folks are hyping up Thibodeaux and his potential for Year 1 in the Big Apple. This includes his former college head coach Mario Cristobal, who is now the head man of the Miami Hurricanes. Cristobal has no doubt in his mind that Thibodeaux will be electric from the moment he first takes the field for the Giants in September.
Expect Kayvon Thibodeaux to be a star in the Big Apple 🍎 pic.twitter.com/NaPmbY3k1N
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 13, 2022
Mario Cristobal is fired up to see what Kayvon Thibodeaux can do
"“He was outstanding as a competitor, as a worker and as a teammate,” Cristobal told Colin Cowherd. “Everyone knew he was a natural pass-rusher. You have to have explosiveness, a quick first step, learn how to play with leverage and natural power. He has that.”"
Cristobal indeed went on to say that Thibodeaux’s best football is on the way and that he’s going to be a superstar in this league. General manager Joe Schoen firmly believes that, as does head coach Brian Daboll. That’s why they were so fired up that Thibodeaux was still on the board at No. 5. At this point last year, and at times during the fall, plenty of experts had Thibodeaux No. 1 on their board.
Thibodeaux has what it takes to be an incredible talent for the Giants and one of the best players in the NFC East. Heck, a couple years down the road, Thibodeaux could be in the conversation as one of the best pass-rushers in the game. That’s how high his ceiling is. There will certainly be some mistakes during his rookie season, but the first-year playmaker will also make a ton of noise.
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Cristobal was able to see just how good Thibodeaux can be while he was coaching him up over in Eugene. Even though Cristobal is now with Miami on the other side of the country, that doesn’t mean he won’t be keeping close attention to his former Oregon standout. And if Thibodeaux does blow up during his rookie campaign and record countless big plays, Cristobal won’t be surprised at all.