Things just keep getting better and better when it comes to No. 5 overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux. NY Giants fans were elated to find out that Thibodeaux will be fully healthy for the start of training camp, as the rookies are all set to report on July 19. Throughout camp, Thibodeaux will look to make up for lost time after his hip injury kept him out of minicamp.
Then, Thibodeaux will shift his focus to the regular season and he’s already got some big-time goals in mind. Forget the single-season NY rookie sacks record of eight set by pass-rusher Azeez Ojlulari last season. Nope, that’s not going to cut it for Thibodeaux. Instead, he told NFL.com’s Brooke Cersosimo that he wants to bring down an opposing signal-caller at least once a game in 2022.
NY Giants rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux has loads of sacks in mind for this season
"“I don’t want to think too big. You have to compartmentalize the season,” Thibodeaux told Cersosimo. “If I could average at least one sack a game or contribute five to 10 tackles a game, then I’ll be good. That’s the smartest way to do it. You never want to look at the end. You always want to take it day by day. If you reach for the top, you’ll miss those steps right in front of you. So I know if I take those small steps and get that one sack or five to 10 tackles a game, by the end of the season, I’ll be where I want to be.”"
This would be incredible to see from Thibodeaux. A sack a game would result in 17 for his first season in the NFL. If Thibodeaux were to pull that off, he’d break the rookie high set by former superstar Javon Kearse, who recorded 14.5 sacks with the Tennessee Titans way back in 1999.
Last fall, Dallas Cowboys standout Micah Parsons flirted with that record, but he fell just short at 13. Looking ahead to 2022, Thibodeaux wants to make a monster splash in the NFC East and the idea of him reaching double-digit sacks is something plenty of people think that he’ll be able to record.
If he does top Ojulari’s mark, Giants Nation would be ecstatic. If he takes down Kearse’s record, then a parade in New Jersey will surely be thrown in his honor. Thibodeaux will be ready to take things one game at a time, but the hype is real for the youngster. How great can he be for head coach Brian Daboll and new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale? We’ll find out soon enough.