If the New York Giants are to take a big step forward in the 2023 NFL season, they are going to need star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux to raise his game, and that starts with his performance and level of energy during practices. The team's defensive coordinator, Wink Martindale, believes he's made that clear to the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

“I expect him to be at the top of everything, and so do we,” said Martindale on Tuesday when asked about his thoughts on Thibodeaux during last week's preseason game and joint practices against and with the Detroit Lions, per New York's official website.

“I expect him to be at the top of everything, and so do we. I've talked to him about his practice. I think that he heard me clearly. I talked to him in front of the entire defense. So, Kayvon is going to be fine, first of all. Like I said, he caused two fumbles, and he recovered two fumbles. In the two days, we had, like, eight takeaways against, what were they, a top five offense last year, which gave us confidence in ourselves and the way we competed there.”

In 2022, his first year in the league, Kayvon Thibodeaux posted 4.0 sacks, 49 combined tackles, and 13 QB hits through 14 games played. The 22-year-old Thibodeaux has yet to reach his ceiling in the NFL. But with more experience this time around, he's expected by the Giants to be a more productive member of their defense that was just 21st in the league in 2022 with a 6.23 percent sack rate.