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It’s never too early to start looking ahead to next year’s draft. While we still have a while until the weekend comes, one player that all football fans should keep an eye on is Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux.
As a freshman in 2019, he recorded 14 tackles for loss and three sacks. As a sophomore in 2020, he tallied 9.5 tackles for a loss in just seven games. And with the ideal size and strength for the position, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was the first non-quarterback selected next year.
In fact, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Thibodeaux as the No. 1 player in the class heading into the summer. Here is what Kiper had to say about the elite defensive end prospect:
“There wasn’t a dominant edge rusher in the 2021 class, but that’s not the start of a trend. Thibodeaux, who was the No. 1-ranked high school recruit in 2019, is a stellar talent. He’s the clear best pass-rusher in the 2022 class. He had nine sacks as a true freshman two seasons ago, and he had three sacks and 9.5 total tackles for loss in seven games last season. Thibodeaux is an elite prospect.”
While it feels unlikely that the Raiders will draft high enough to select Thibodeaux, keep him on your radar this fall as he should be a lock top-five pick.
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