The New York Giants are going to be different than they have been all season when they face the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night football. For the first time this season, they will take the field with their first draft pick. Kayvon Thibodeaux was cleared to act.
He hasn’t been able to play since the Giants’ second preseason game when he sprained an MCL after being held up by a cut. His first injury as a professional appears to be behind him, and now on national television he can prove why he should have been the first pick in the 2022 draft.
Thibodeaux is the ideal modern pass rusher. The consensus 2021 All-American pass rusher checks every box in what any team would want in a player tasked with getting past men over 300 pounds to try and disrupt a football team’s central nervous system – the quarterback.
At the scouting combine, Thibodeaux was 6-foot-4, weighed 254 pounds and ran 4.58 for 40 yards. He was ranked the No. 2 overall prospect in America upon leaving high school in 2019 and started for Oregon as a true freshman. He explodes at the snap of the soccer ball and is a natural for attacking the outside shoulder of an attacking tackle.
He fell to the Giants and their fifth overall pick for several reasons. He grabbed the “I don’t know if he’s serious about football” label because he was diligent in setting up his professional life off the pitch. That’s part of why he went to Oregon. He recently spoke to Maverick Carter on Uninterruptedand said his first NIL contract was with Phil Knight and legendary basketball shoe designer Tinker Hatfield.
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There’s no way Thibodeaux slipped to the fifth pick, but it’s understandable why the Jacksonville Jaguars went for No. 1 overall Travon Walker. He may not be a better football player than Thibodeaux right now, but he’s the most impressive athlete at 6-foot-5, 272 pounds, with longer arms and bigger hands. Thibodeaux also ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash.
Dallas Cowboys the offensive line held up pretty well in Week 2 without Tyron Smith, and they were able to squeeze through with a 20-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. This week, not only do the Cowboys have to deal with Thibodeaux, but the Giants also get their sack leader back from last season, Azeez Ojulari. Cooper could be out of pocket frequently with these two chasing him all night.
There hasn’t been much for Giants fans in recent years. Saquon Barkley is frequently injured and Dave Gettleman hampered the offense with his quarterback pick. He selected Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, exactly one spot before the Buffalo Bills left with Josh Allen. If you’re going to recruit a quarterback with rotational issues, it’s probably wise to go with the best athlete.
Currently, the giants are 2-0 and didn’t give up more than 20 points in either game. They can determine their quarterback situation later – and their offense should be better anyway once Kadarius Toney is back in the lineup. For now, they will have to make do with a defense that is already playing well, receiving a major boost. Thibodeaux and Ojulari will make their prime-time debuts of the 2022 season in front of what is sure to be a boisterous home crowd, with the Giants having a chance to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2009 – they won a Super Bowl ever since – and they can achieve that feat by beating one of their hated rivals.
The Giants faithful are ready for their most anticipated game in a few years, and Thibodeaux is certainly ready to prove he was overlooked in the 2022 NFL Draft by far too many teams.