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Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon

• 6-4, 255
• 40 Time: 4.60
• South Central Los Angeles, Calif. (Oaks Christian HS)
• School Profile
• Twitter: @kayvont

OVERVIEW

One of the highest-rated recruits to ever arrive in Eugene to play college football, Thibodeaux lived up to the billing during his time with the Ducks.

He made first team all-conference as a true freshman and made second team All-American honors by his sophomore season. He entered his junior year as the favorite to be the top non-quarterback in the draft and didn’t do anything to dispel that hype with his 2021 performance.

Thibodeaux is seventh in Ducks history with 19.0 sacks in only 31 career games and was the first Oregon defensive lineman since DeForest Buckner in 2015 to earn All-America honors.

Another opportunity to prove it to yourself 💯 Get up and Go get it !!! pic.twitter.com/bBKlw3wFg9

— Kayvon Thibodeaux (@kayvont) March 24, 2022

ANALYSIS

Strengths

• Once-a-class type of athlete at the position.
• Absurdly fast and crisp out of his stance. Shocking amount of power in his punch.
• Can uproot tackles and drive them back into the quarterback’s lap with his bull rush.
• Athletic enough to drop into coverage and run with backs.
• Gets his hands up and disrupts passing lanes.
• Elite balance and body control. Creates nightmarish angles for blockers to deal with.
• Top end play strength. Twitchy hands will catch opponents off guard.
• Legs keep churning and help him maintain momentum.
• Takes good angles in pursuit and won’t undercut the runner.

Weaknesses

• Frame is a bit narrow for a traditional defensive end and may spook teams who want him to set the edge.
• Still building his pass-rush plan and learning how to tie his moves together efficiently.
• Lateral agility is adequate but not impressive.
• Ball tracking could still use some work.

PRO COMPARISON

Chase Young, Washington – Young’s processing and technique weren’t elite coming out of college, but he possessed rare physical traits that ultimately led to being picked #2 overall. Thibodeaux is in the same boat athletically, and he should be able to turn into a quality long term starter just based on natural talent.

If he continues to improve, he could be a legitimate game changer in the NFL.

Unofficial time for @oregonfootball Kayvon Thibodeaux 4.34 shuttle. pic.twitter.com/ww4DgWf7dN

— Michael Yam (@Mike_Yam) April 1, 2022

CAREER NOTES

• Tied for seventh in program history with 19.0 career sacks in 31 games.
• 34.5 career tackles for loss, fifth-most among active Power 5 players since the start of 2019.
• Has a combined 21 quarterback pressures, 13 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in three career Pac-12 Championship Games.
• First Oregon defensive lineman to earn All-America honors since DeForest Buckner in 2015.
• First player to lead Oregon in sacks and TFLs in back-to-back seasons since Kenny Rowe (2009-10).
• Led the nation with seven sacks in the fourth quarter in 2019.
• First Oregon player in the last decade with two games of two or more sacks in a season (2019) at Autzen Stadium.

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)