Kayvon Thibodeaux fires back at Todd McShay report questioning his competitive fire

Following last week’s Senior Bowl, ESPN NFL Draft expert Todd McShay had some interesting commentary on Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. McShay reported that there were concerns about Thibodeaux’s competitive fire. Thibodeaux joined SportsCenter earlier in the week, where he addressed the reports about his lack of competitive fire. He clearly wasn’t having any of what McShay was saying.

“I feel like when you talk about fire, fire is kind of correlated to what someone has in the heart,” Thibodeaux said when asked about McShay’s report. “And I don’t feel like anyone else can dictate what a person has in the heart. So I don’t really look into it. I know it’s entertainment, I know everybody has a job to do. But I do feel like the combine is going to be a place where I can put all of the questions to rest. I’ll be able to answer them with my chin up and my chest down.

“So I’m excited for the journey and blessed for the opportunity. There’s not many people that get to play this game at the highest level. So I just thank God every day that I’m healthy and that he’s given me the wisdom and the clarity to come this far. We just gonna keep it going.”

When asked about his best intangible trait, Thibodeaux picked the one thing that McShay said was a question.

“My competitive spirit,” Thibodeaux responded. “That’s why it’s funny when people talk about fire. Because me, I hate losing. So I’m going to do everything in my power to win and I’m going to sacrifice anything I can to get to the greater good or the greater goal. Just showing that I’m going to do literally whatever it takes for me to get better or to help the man next to me get better.”

McShay’s initial report on Thibodeaux’s competitive fire

The comment being talked about from McShay also said that Thibodeaux’s draft stock might be falling a bit. Once the top overall prospect in this year’s class for many, Thibodeaux now isn’t a lock to go in the top five.

“I heard a lot about Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, including concerns that he just doesn’t play with the same fire as some other top prospects,” McShay said. “His ceiling is high, but the floor is lower than what you want for a top-five pick. And based on a handful of conversations, it wouldn’t shock me if Thibodeaux fell out of the top five. Speaking of which, it was very apparent this week that the top of the draft isn’t normally as set as it normally is at this point. Picks at the top of the first round might be a little more based on team flavor than recent years.”

Thibodeaux also responded to the quote on Twitter.

“Belive in yourself, even if you’re the only one,” he said.

In three seasons at Oregon, Thibodeaux racked up 126 total tackles with 35.5 tackles for loss, 19 sacks, seven passes defended, and three forced fumbles.