Kayvon Thibodeaux continues to show why the Giants drafted him fifth
Kayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants takes the field for a game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
“I know how fast I am,” Kayvon Thibodeaux said, and it turned out he knew precisely how fast that is.
When a reporter asked the Giants rookie on Friday if he was aware of the speed at which he was clocked in chasing down the Jaguars’ Travis Etienne last Sunday, he said it was 20.5 mph.
Then someone corrected him — slightly. It actually was 20.58 mph, an impressive feat for an edge rusher/outside linebacker who is 6-5 and 258 pounds. Etienne is 5-10, 215.
Whatever the data, watching Thibodeaux run down a good back after a 49-yard gain was an illustration of why the Giants drafted him fifth overall.
He has the sort of varied skill set that teams covet, and week by week, he is learning to harness that at the NFL level.
“I’m getting more of a feel for the game, getting more chemistry with the guys, just putting all of that back together,” he said.
Thibodeaux missed the first two games this season with an injury and has seen his workload and production ramp up from there.
His strip sack of the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson clinched a victory in Week 5. Then came that play against the Jaguars.
“We always preach 11 hats to the ball, and sometimes you can be far away from him but you can still make a play,” Thibodeaux said. “It’s trusting my other guys but not really leaving the job to them and knowing it’s going to take all of us.”
Outside linebacker coach Drew Wilkins said on Friday, “It’s something with the Giants here that’s been around a long time. You think back to Lawrence Taylor saying, ‘Go out like a bunch of crazed dogs.’
“That’s playing like a crazed dog right there, and you appreciate that kind of effort from play to play, the persistent pursuit of the football. It’s outstanding.”
By the time reporters approached Thibodeaux after practice, he already knew about Wilkins’ comment. Some might think Wilkins was comparing him to Taylor, and he good-naturedly said, “He didn’t mean to say that!”
He added, “Definitely, I think there’s been a mentality set here a long time ago by the greats, and it’s up to us to keep that going.”
Some questioned Thibodeaux’s effort level coming out of the University of Oregon. Apparently the Giants did not see it that way.
“What it makes you appreciate is the guys in this building, like [general manager] Joe Schoen and his crew,” Wilkins said. “We’ve got unbelievable scouts that filter through all of that and find out who the true player is, who the true person is . . . You find out what’s real. And he’s the real deal.”
Notes & quotes: Coach Brian Daboll declined to comment further on the trade of WR Kadarius Toney to Kansas City . . . Daboll said the starting offensive line likely will look the same as it did at the end of last Sunday’s game. C/G Nick Gates probably will be active as a backup . . . The Giants have been practicing with piped-in crowd noise to prepare for Seattle. Said Daboll, “As loud as we can get it.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
