NFL Draft Notebook: Peyton Manning scouting report coming out of college
By John Blair
Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux has been a standout ever since he was suiting up for Oaks Christian in high school. As a prep, he had a very impressive 54 sacks including 18 sacks as a senior. His strong high school career allowed him to be named the top recruit in the 2019 class by ESPN. While he gave serious thought to Florida State, Alabama and Florida coming out of high school he decided to stay closer to home and attend the University of Oregon.
Thibodeaux made an impact from day one at Oregon. As a freshman, he recorded 35 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and nine sacks and was named the Pac-12’s Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. He followed that up with a strong season last year posting 38 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in just seven games.
As a prospect, Thibodeaux is a complete defensive end who should be an every-down defender in the NFL. When rushing the passer Thibodeaux has the speed to beat defenders off the ball and also the strength to bullrush much larger offensive tackles. He has the power to play the run as well despite being only 250 pounds. In this area, he shows great pad level and a fierce first punch which allows him to shock the man blocking him.
The biggest concern with Thibodeaux is his lack of ideal size. Despite more than holding his own strength-wise in the Pac-12 the fact he comes in at only 250 pounds will be a concern for NFL teams. It also doesn’t help that Oregon will be lining him up in a two-point stance this year so his opportunities to prove himself in this area could be limited. Another concern with him is that he lacks a variety of pass-rushing moves and tends to rely too much on his power at times.
When it comes to where Thibodeaux will go in the draft a lot will depend on where NFL teams project him to play. If they are concerned about his lack of size and see him as more of a 3-4 outside linebacker or situational pass rusher he could slide out of the top-ten, but if they see him as a dominant every-down defensive end he will likely be a top-five pick.