Kayvon Thibodeaux shares jaw-dropping story on why he predicted he would land with Giants

The New York Giants held a press conference to introduce their two first-round picks from the 2022 NFL Draft, offensive lineman Evan Neal and defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux. During the press conference, the duo took on reporters in the bright lights of the New York press. Both rookies appear to be right at home, answering the questions from the room full of reporters. In the course of answering questions, Thibodeaux shared this jaw-dropping story on why he predicted he would land with the Giants.

“You guys won’t believe this, alright, but I’m a big believer in God, and this is a testament to it,’ said Thibodeaux. “So, I got a tattoo, and the tattoo is five stripes; its tally marks. One, two, three, four, five — one (tally) across. And I got it because I have five friends that I knew that I was going to become successful, but when I really thought about it, it was more than five of us; so it really didn’t have a purpose. This was three years ago. And now I’ve been picked selected the fifth pick in the NFL draft by the New York Giants. So, to me, it’s just a testament of God and everything. The legacy that he bestowed in me just fell in line.”

The New York Giants selected Thibodeaux, Oregon’s former All-American edge rusher and the top recruit in program history, with the fifth overall pick Thursday night in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

After months of speculation surrounding Thibodeaux’s motivation and perceived concerns surrounding his off-field interests, Thibodeaux has ultimately landed with a franchise that values his immense physical gifts and production at the college level. He becomes the sixth-highest drafted player in program history.

Thibodeaux, Neal share memories of going against each other at high school camps

Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal have seen their paths continually cross, dating back to their high school games. Both were members of the 2019 recruiting class and were seen as five-star prospects. Three years later, they were selected by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, making everything come full circle.

During the introductory press conference, Thibodeaux and Neal reminisced on going against each other during high school camps. According to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting services, they were the No. 1 edge and No. 1 offensive tackle, respectively.

Camps would put let the two top players battle multiple times. Thibodeaux thinks now that they’re teammates, it shows how competitive they both are and how hard they worked to be the best.

“I think it speaks value to the competitiveness,” Thibodeaux said. “I think it speaks to wanting to be better. I mean, me and him, every time we came to a camp, we knew. You knew how they were going to set us up. It was that “okay, he’s the best, I’m the best. Now, let’s get better. Let’s prove to ourselves why we got this far.’ It’s not ironic, it’s God.”

Thibodeaux was the No. 2 overall player in his class and ended up with the Oregon Ducks. After some questions on where he would fall, New York pulled the trigger with the fifth overall pick. Considered one of the top edge rushers in the draft, the Giants will be hoping he can be a franchise staple for years to come.