There is a huge debate surrounding what the Houston Texans should do with the third overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. The center of the debate can largely be focused down into one question: How should a team rebuild? Depending on how someone feels a rebuilding team should operate, it largely dictates preference at the top of the draft.
Historically, dominant football teams are built around two founding principles: Acquire an elite quarterback and then build a defense that can collapse the pocket and make the other quarterback uncomfortable. Quarterback and edge rusher. Look no further than Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and Von Miller or Tom Brady, Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett the year before.
A dominant quarterback and a dominant pass rush goes a long way. Without an elite quarterback available in the 2022 draft, all eyes turn to the pass rushers. The most controversial and debatably the most talented of all the top prospects this year is Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux.
A consensus All-American in 2021, former Pac-12 Freshman of the year, and two-time All-Pac-12 player, Thibodeaux is a stud. The former No. 1 defensive end and No. 6 overall layer in the class of 2019, the star pass-rusher never disappointed at Oregon and was considered a relative lock to go first overall prior to this year. Since then, things have gotten a little foggier despite a fantastic 2021 campaign
The Ducks Wire Zachary Neel sat down to discuss the latest maligned Oregon prospect during the NFL draft process.
“Coming out of high school the buzz about KT in Eugene was huge. He was the best recruit that the Ducks had ever signed, and the No. 1 overall player in his class. He proved instantly in his freshman season that he could make an impact, and his growth over the next couple of seasons was really fun to watch as more attention came his way… This is a narrative that we are very familiar with at Oregon. Look at Justin Herbert or Penei Sewell, both had great college careers but then were looked over in the draft because these narratives popped up about their leadership or work ethic. It feels like every year there are a couple of players in the first round who the national media decides they don’t like, and they just so happen to tend to be Oregon players. KT is obviously that guy early on this year.”
Seemingly out of nowhere, concerns over Thibodeaux’s work ethic have cropped up that have scouts questioning if he may even fall out of the Top 5. This feels, however, like yet another example of the NFL grossly overthinking an Oregon prospect. The 6-5, 260-pound edge rusher shows elite explosiveness and strength off the line of scrimmage and his the type of player defensive coaches salivate over.
For new head coach Lovie Smith, drafting Thibodeaux at third overall represents an elite pairing with emerging third year edge rusher, and potential star in his own right, Jonathan Greenard. With Greenard and Thibodeaux as the bookends of the 4-3 defense, opposing quarterbacks would have significantly less time to pass and pick apart the secondary than they did in 2021.
Neel spoke on the potential in Houston, and why the 4-3 would be ideal for Smith:
“Thibodeaux will be served best by going somewhere where he can contribute early off the edge, ideally in a 4-3 scheme. For the start of his career at Oregon, they had a nice 4-3 scheme that allowed Kayvon to put his head down and try to get to the QB, but in his final year with the Ducks, defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter came in and implemented a 3-4 scheme that drew some criticism from fans. No longer was Kayvon pinning his ears back on pass-rushing downs but playing more of a hybrid role where they sometimes dropped him back in coverage on 3rd downs. Why you would do that with one of the best pass-rushers in the game is beyond me, but hey, I’m not a defensive coordinator. In the end, it showed that KT is able to be flexible in his position and play either from a 2-point stance or with his hand in the dirt, but if I’m an NFL team, I most want to see him as a 4-3 DE.”
The Tampa 2 that Smith is so infamous for seemingly provides the perfect fit for Thibodeaux to do what the Texans’ need the most and what he does the best: Attack the quarterback. From a sheer talent standpoint, there’s a strong argument to be made that Thibodeaux would immediately serve as the most talented player on the defense.
As for those pesky, seemingly unfounded character concerns that some are pointing to, Neel had this to say:
“I don’t have the connections that Todd McShay does, obviously, but I can tell you what I’ve seen. At Oregon, KT always seemed loved by his teammates, and from my vantage point, he put in the work on the field. I think a lot is being made about the fact that he is extending a lot of energy into marketing himself off the field since the NIL rules came to college sports, and his “hard worker” reputation has taken a hit because of it, wrongfully so in my opinion. Kayvon is a good looking and extremely intelligent person, and he is highly marketable, so he’s doing what he can to get paid on his journey to the NFL. That doesn’t mean he isn’t putting in the work off of the field. In fact, his performance ON the field shows that he must be an elite trainer.”
We are entering an era of football where it should be both expected and accepted that players will have other interests other than football. Businesses, philanthropy, and family dedication are a part of the modern athlete. Thibodeaux shouldn’t be penalized.
Houston fans may fear another Jadeveon Clowney situation, an extremely gifted high school athlete that dominated college but never could quite put it together in the NFL. Thibodeaux is a different athlete and his skillset and position demand that Houston considers him with their third overall selection.
No. 5 had 19.0 career sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss during his three-year college career. He was a trendsetter for showing that defensive stars can shine in Oregon and the Pac-12. A fantastic player, a phenomenal talent, an incredible fit for Smith’s defense. Thibodeaux has all the potential and a great argument for why he would thrive in Houston.