Kayvon Thibodeaux: New York Giants gave me a hard time at the NFL Combine

This upcoming NFL draft is littered with pass rushers from the top to bottom. One of the best in no doubt Oregon Ducks defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, with the former On3 Consensus five-star prospect expected to be a high draft pick in the first round come late draft night.

When meeting with the media at the NFL Combine, Thibodeaux was asked if he had met with the New York Giants, who currently hold the fifth overall pick. He joked around, saying the franchise had given him “a hard time” during their one on one interview.

“Yeah, I mean, I have talked to the Giants,” Thibodeaux said. “We had a great interview. They were kind of on me, they were giving me a hard time but I feel like it was that big brother moment where they give you a hard time because they’re really interested in you and they like you. For me, showing them I am a good guy. I grew up in a big city so a big city is nothing new to me.”

When asked to clarify what he meant by the statement, Thibodeaux continued to grin from ear to ear talking about the Giants. He said they challenged him on a few things that come with playing in the New York area and the defensive end responded with how he would handle and adapt to the situation.

“Well, you know, just giving me a hard time,” said Thibodeaux. “Like when you bring up ‘what’s going to happen if I’m not the star’ or coming in, five games in if I don’t have a sack. This is one thing we talked about. And you know, the media is going to be doubting me, I’m going to be in the dog house. How am I going to hold that? And I let them know that I have been in the media since I was a sophomore in high school. I’ve been trained by this my whole life and I know most of it is entertainment. I’m not really worried because whatever happens between the four walls of the team and the organization, is what’s going to dictate the future. If I have five bad games, we’re going to focus on that next week on how we’re going to dominate the team that’s next.”

Whether or not Thibodeaux falls all the way down to No. 5 is yet to be seen. However, if the Oregon star does make it to the Giants, they will have a prospect many consider one of the top pass rushers in the 2022 NFL draft.