There are questions that are being asked about Kayvon Thibodeaux’s engine and his passion for football as the NFL 2022 draft approaches. with him this week at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2022.
Thibodeau did not flinch. He seemed to be really enjoying himself.
“We had a great interview. They were somehow on me. It was difficult for me, but I have a feeling that this is the time of the big brother, when they are making it difficult because they are interested in you and they like you, “said Thibodeau. “I grew up in a big city, so the big city is nothing new to me.”
What did he mean by “difficult times”?
“Like when you mention what will happen if I’m not the star. In five games, if I don’t get fired, that’s one thing we talked about. The media will turn to me, I will be in the kennel, how will this endure? I let them know that I’ve been in the media since I was a sophomore in high school. I’ve been trained for this my whole life, and I know most of it is fun, right? I’m not very worried, because between the four walls of the team and the organization is what will dictate the future. If I have five bad games, we will focus next week on how we will dominate the next team. “
Thibodeaux, the talented Oregon defender, could undoubtedly be selected for the Giants at number 5. When he stepped on the podium at Combine on Friday morning, he did, and yours really believed it was almost pointless for the Giants to choose number 5 if he is available and the Evan Neal and Ickey Ekwonu offensive fights are off the board.
He did nothing to dissuade me from this faith.
He was confident, passionate about showing his passion for football, intelligent and well-spoken. This should come as no surprise to someone who had an average grade point average of 3.8, wants to be a TV journalist when his gaming days are over, plays chess, already has a deal with Nike for works on irreplaceable tokens (NFT) ) and launched its own cryptocurrency.
“I think the biggest thing I want to say to the teams is that I’m really a student of the game. I really love this game. This (football) is something that did a lot for me. “Football has taught me a lot, helped me grow a lot in my life and will be there until the day I die,” said Thibodeau. “So for me, I just let the teams know that this is the main thing and I will always keep the main thing. No matter what else I do off the field, football is my main focus and to win the Super Bowl, get a yellow jacket, be a rookie of the year in defense, all these are my goals. “
At one time, Thibodeaux was considered the number one in the world. Questions have been raised about whether football is his priority following comments he made about wanting to be associated with a brand like Nike more than he wants to be “known as the winner of the national championship” in Alabama, and noted “The stigma of an Alabama education,” adding: “This is not the West Coast. This is not Harvard. “
Thibodeaux was asked if he should convince the teams that he loves football.
“I don’t think I need to convince the teams, but this is the media story,” Thibodeau said. “There must always be a story that is drawn. To me, I’m a child from Los Angeles, and if you know what misfortunes I went through to get here, and the things I had to sacrifice, and the things my mother had to sacrifice to be here, you’ll really understand how I feel in my heart.
“When you talk about fire, when you talk about passion, I don’t think you can explain it. I get emotional thinking about it, because all the sacrifices I needed to get here, I wouldn’t have made those sacrifices if I didn’t love the game. I am blessed to be here and I am just glad that these teams want to talk to me and want to get to know me. ”
Thibodeaux tried to dismiss the criticism.
“I feel like everyone has a job. For me, I have the feeling that when you have a smart child like me, you have a lot of positives, someone has to find the negatives. I really don’t look at it much, “he said. “I know what I can do for a team. And when we break the film, I can talk about the intricacies of the game. I’m not very worried about what people have to say, as long as the teams and I can understand who I am and how difficult [I play] and the love I feel for the game. ”
Thibodeaux had 19.0 sacks in three seasons with Oregon. Despite this production, he understands that there are people who believe that he is taking matches or that there should be even better statistics.
“Well, you know, I’d tell the coach that he can’t tell me anything I don’t already know, and that’s because I’m honest with myself and I’m watching the tape,” Thibodeau said. “If you’re a student of the game, you know what you can do better and I have the feeling that sometimes I get stuck, sometimes I can’t make a second or third move, I can’t go on, go fast and really finish. I have a feeling there were a few bags left there because I was stuck on blocks, so I just got off the blocks and made that extra move to finish.
Von Miller is the player in the NFL flaws that Thibodeau admires the most.
When you realize that you are not… I am not the greatest man, I am not the strongest man and I am not the fastest man, so when you realize this, just like von Miller, you have to understand what will give you this advantage and for me my mind is what gives me this advantage, “said Thibodeau. “I’m a chess player, so I’m considering moving forward – how I can adjust the game and dictate what the attack does so I can get what I want out of the situation.”
Thibodeau explained that chess and football have strategic similarities.
“Chess is life and chess is football. You talk about your first move and your first move will set your second move, and then you have to think about your third move forward, “he said. I will always hit you with speed. And this will adjust my power moves, and then my power moves will set my counter. This is a heavyweight match, as a boxer. You hit it with a punch, punch, you want to come with a hook, change it. Just have that longevity and realize that when the fourth trimester comes, you have to put it all together. ”
Will he try to do that for the Giants in the fall?