Joe Schoen had the luxury of having two of the top-seven picks in the NFL draft in his first year as the New York Giants’ general manager. One of those picks were used on highly-touted edge rusher, Kayvon Thibodeaux.
With Thibodeaux’s rookie year in the rearview mirror, he shared his displeasure about his film from 2022 after practice Sunday.
“Definitely,” he said when asked if he felt he left some sacks on the field. “I think every time you look back at a play, you feel like you could have ate a little bit more. Last year’s film kind of disgusts me a little bit when I look at myself. I get a little cringe feeling. But it definitely is, like I said, a platform to continue to grow.”
Thibodeaux has been working diligently this offseason to improve on his craft and hopes to be a more consistent disruptor, like defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, for example.
Along with Thibodeaux, the Giants will also be looking for more out of fellow edge rusher, Azeez Ojulari, who missed 10 games in his second season but still managed an impressive 5.5 sacks in seven games.
Thibodeaux looks forward to playing with Ojulari, who he heaped praise on for what he showed in limited action.
“It’s going to be exciting. For him on paper, you know how many sacks he had to how many plays he had, so just knowing that, I mean, if you can get him 17 games, who knows how many sacks you’ll get,” he said. “Yeah, he’s definitely one of the most talented pass-rushers I’ve ever played with. So yeah, I’m excited to really get it going.”
Despite his overall thoughts on his film, the Oregon product was still able to show flashes of brilliance in Year 1, with his most notable showing of dominance coming in Week 15 against the Washington Commanders, when Thibs earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance.
Head coach Brian Daboll was asked about Thibodeaux stepping up in Year 2, and after referring to him as a “tireless worker,” Daboll kept his answer simple:
“Just be him,” Daboll said. “Take it day-by-day, get better each day and just focus on one step at a time.”
If Thibodeaux can stay healthy in 2023, he can certainly reach the level of consistency he is chasing. The Giants have high hopes for building off their 2022 success and a step up from Thibodeaux would go a long way.
