Kayvon Thibodeaux gives odd reason for sitting out rest of NFL Combine

Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is done for the day at the NFL Combine, it was reported on the NFL Network broadcast. Thibodeaux will instead wait until the Ducks Pro Day, where he will participate in drills for both defensive lineman and linebackers.

“I just talked to Kayvon Thibodeaux,” NFL Network’s Stacey Dale reported. “He just put his sweats on and is done for the day because he told me the (defensive) line is working right now and he wants to do both (linebacker and defensive line drills). He’s going to wait for his Pro Day so he can do linebacker and defensive line drills. He wants to get it all wrapped up in one day.”

Both the defensive lineman and linebackers participated Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. However, Thibodeaux was scheduled to participate only in the defensive lineman drills. Opting to wait until Oregon’s Pro Day will offer him the opportunity to show off his versatility to teams considering taking him.

Kayvon Thibodeaux ran in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine earlier Saturday, where he posted an impressive 4.65. He also put up a 1.62 in the 10-yard split drill and did 27 reps on the bench press. But despite those numbers, the Oregon defensive end wasn’t happy with his day.

“He wasn’t totally pleased with it,” Dale said on air. “He thought it was OK on average for him. He had a good split, he said. Just didn’t finish as well as he wanted to on the back end. So he wasn’t necessarily pleased overall with the day, but again with the D-line working now, he wants to work both linebacker and D-line drills and do it all on his Pro Day.”

Thibodeaux came to Oregon as a five-star prospect and the No. 1 edge defender in the 2019 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. He immediately made an impact as a freshman, finishing with a team-high nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss. The defensive end again led Oregon this past season with seven sacks despite playing in just 10 games.

The 2022 NFL Draft is set to begin April 28, and Thibodeaux projects as a top-five pick with the potential to go first overall. The 6-foot-4, 254-pound defensive lineman is the top-ranked prospect according to CBS Sports’ big board.