Even back in high school, Kayvon Thibodeaux was the kind of prospect who seemed destined for the top of the NFL draft as soon as he was eligible.
That will happen next offseason, when Oregon’s star pass rusher is likely to be one of the first names called in the 2022 class.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah recently broke down Thibodeaux with an early scouting report ahead of the 2021 college football season, and he sees similarities between him and one of the best pass rushers in recent memory, DeMarcus Ware:
There isn’t a perfect comparison for Thibodeaux, but I see a lot of similarities to Ware when I evaluated him coming out of Troy in 2005. They have the same long, wiry build and they both have an explosive first step. I would give Ware the edge as a pure bender at the top of his rush, while I see a little more power from Thibodeaux at the same point in their development.
Ware had a Hall of Fame-caliber NFL career and Thibodeaux has the potential to become a similar player. Ware became a pass-rush student and constantly added to his game, improving along the way. That will be the challenge for Thibodeaux. If he puts in the work, the sky is the limit.
He may not end up being the No. 1 overall pick thanks to the annual need for quarterbacks at the top of the draft, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be the best overall prospect in next year’s class. If he can become what Ware was throughout his long and productive NFL career, he’ll be well worth that high of a draft slot.
[vertical-gallery id=628483]