Report: Former Oregon star Kayvon Thibodeaux dealing with injury setback

The New York Giants had quite the haul in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, selecting Oregon defensive lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux with the No. 5 overall pick and Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal with the No. 7 overall pick.

Now, though, Thibodeaux will have to overcome an injury setback as he begins his NFL career with the Giants.

Thibodeaux has been dealing with his injury throughout the spring, but The Athletic’s Dan Duggan doesn’t believe it will impact the rookie by the time the season gets underway.

“Quick injury update: Kayvon Thibodeaux’s mystery injury this spring was a ‘tweaked hip,’ per source,” Duggan tweeted. “It’s considered minor, so I’d expect him to be ready for the start of training camp.”

At Oregon, Thibodeaux emerged as one of the most explosive edge rushers in college football. As a freshman in 2019, he burst onto the scene with 35 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and nine sacks. In 2020, he had 42 tackles with 9.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. This past season, Thibodeaux had 49 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks, also forcing two fumbles.

Thibodeaux looking forward to finding his role on the Giants defense

As he begins his professional career, there are undoubtedly high expectations on Thibodeaux. While he will have to overcome this injury before Giants training camp gets underway, Thibodeaux knows that the next couple of months will be a key part of his development as he transitions to the league.

“The only thing I can think of now is the playbook, and trying to really get into it and dive into it,” said Thibodeaux. Make sure that I know everything that I can going into training camp.”

When asked about his potential role with the Giants, Thibodeaux acknowledged that he can play anywhere. He was pressed about possibly playing all over the defensive line, and that is something that he is open to and a challenge that he would welcome.

“I would love it,” Thibodeaux said. “I feel like that’s a testament to the versatility that I’m going to have. You know, I’ll be able to continue to work on, and I’ll always be sharpening my tools. So, you know, I’ll never go dull, because coach will be moving me around. You know, I’ll know a lot of the defense.”