2022, Pick No. 5 — LB Kayvon Thibodeaux: B-
After finishing fourth in the 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, Giants fans were looking forward to seeing what Kayvon Thibodeaux would do in Year 2. Although the former Oregon defender wasn't perfect in his second taste of professional action, he exceeded expectations for the most part.
In the 2023 season, Thibodeaux set new career highs in total tackles (50), tackles for lost yardage (12) sacks (11.5), and forced fumbles (3) while appearing in each of New York's 17 games. At the same time, there were holes in the 23-year-old's game.
For starters,PFFreveals that Thibodeaux only generated 44 pressures in 2023 while winning on just 6.4% of those attempts. For comparison, Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson — who were both taken ahead of the ex-Duck — tallied pressure win percentages of 9.7% and 21.3%, respectively.
2023 Travon Walker vs. Kayvon Thibodeaux vs. Aidan Hutchinson
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy)January 8, 2024
Sacks
Walker: 10
Thibodeaux: 11.5
Hutchinson: 11.5
PFF pressures
Walker: 59
Thibodeaux: 44
Hutchinson: 101
PFF win rate
Walker: 9.7 percent
Thibodeaux: 6.4 percent
Hutchinson: 21.3 percent
Nevertheless, Thibodeaux's production could have been impact by the nature of Wink Martindale's defenses. Edge players tend to have to drop back a lot in Martindale's system, so it'll be interesting to see how the South Los Angeles native fares in Bowen's lineup.
For now, Thibodeaux gets a 'B-' grade. While he hasn't been awful, he hasn't been panning out as you'd expect from a top-five selection. If he can put things together in Year 3, his grade will only improve.
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