The New York Giants bolstered their pass rush on Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft, selecting former Oregon Ducks defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Throughout his final season at Oregon, Thibodeaux was projected to be a top-three pick in this year’s draft, so for the Giants to select him with the No. 5 overall pick can be considered as quite a gift to them.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll is looking forward to seeing what Thibodeaux will bring to the team’s front seven in the upcoming season. More so, as he touched on during a recent press conference, he is also eyeing on just how the former Oregon standout will mesh in new Giants defensive coordinator Don Martindale's scheme.
“Kayvon is quick off the ball,” Daboll said. “I think he has a wide variety of pass rush moves, but he can also set an edge for us on our defense, and it's no secret we play multiple schemes with Wink as our defensive coordinator, and we envision Kayvon being able to do a lot of different things for us.
“He's going to have to come in here and earn it, but a productive player the time he's been at Oregon.”
The Giants sure entered the draft with a notable need for a game-changing pass rusher in the caliber of Thibodeaux. They finished the 2021 campaign with 34 total sacks, which tied them with the Seattle Seahawks for the fourth-fewest among NFC teams.
The Giants capped off the draft by selecting six defensive players, including former LSU cornerback Cordale Flott in the third round.