Tag: Kayvon Thibodeaux

Houston Texans select DE Kayvon Thibodeaux in new 2022 NFL mock draft

The Houston Texans are being projected to have the No. 1 pick in the draft next year, where they would be smart to grab Kayvon Thibodeaux.

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What better recruiting tool is there for Mario Cristobal than saying that if you come to Oregon, you’ve got a pretty good chance to be a top-10 selection in the NFL draft?

We saw it last year with left tackle Penei Sewell getting selected with the No. 7 overall pick by the Detroit Lions, and the year before that, quarterback Justin Herbert went to the Los Angeles Chargers, who took the former Duck with the 6th pick.

Next year, it looks like the Ducks are going to strike again, with DE Kayvon Thibodeaux being pegged to get drafted with the No. 1 overall pick. In a new mock draft from Sports Illustrated, it is the Houston Texans who are being projected to have the first pick, and a generation defensive end is what they have their eyes on.

Most would want to mock a quarterback here but if the Texans do not identify one that is worth the first overall pick, they will go in another direction. Thibodeaux should be a quality pass rusher as a rookie, combining sacks with strong run defense.

As recruiting season heats up for the Ducks, it’s hard to think of a better argument to pitch to potential commits. Seeing the success of other top athletes who have come through Eugene has to be encouraging, with a top draft selection being the ultimate goal.

As the wheel turns, and more high-end recruits turn into star NFL players, the Oregon football program will continue to rise.

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Phil Steele honors 15 Oregon Ducks on his preseason all-Pac-12 list

A total of 15 Oregon Ducks made Phil Steele’s all-Pac-12 selections, with four Ducks making the first team.

It’s that time of year where pre-season lists are being published in the world of college football and there’s no more prestigious pre-season publisher than Phil Steele.

He has selected 15 Oregon Ducks as all-conference players with four of those Ducks on his First Team All-Pac-12 list.

It should come as no surprise that defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux would lead this particular list off. Thibodeaux has a chance to be a First-Team All-American and a very high draft choice when the NFL draft rolls around next April.

Joining Thibodeaux on the first team is offensive linemen TJ Bass and Alex Forsyth to go with cornerback Mykael Wright. Bass and Forsyth will be second-year starters for Oregon along that huge O-line and Wright was an all-Pac-12 player last season as a sophomore.

On Steele’s second-team all-conference is safety Verone McKinley III, linebacker Noah Sewell, receiver Devon Williams, offensive lineman Steven Jones, and tailback CJ Verdell.

McKinley was a freshman All-American in 2019 and Sewell was also one in 2020. Because of the pandemic, those players are still a sophomore and freshman, respectively, and look to be the core of the Oregon defense in 2021.

The 6-foot-5 Williams should be a go-to target for quarterback Anthony Brown this season as he has Jones, Bass and Forsyth to protect him. Brown is listed on Steele’s fourth-team all-conference list.

Verdell is looking to become of of the great Oregon tailbacks of all time with 68 more yards to crack the Oregon Top 10 list. He’s less than 1,000 yards away from 3,500 career yards.

Safety Jamal Hill leads Oregon on Steele’s third team along with offensive lineman Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, long snapper Karsten Battles and punter Tom Snee.

Hill played in all 14 games in 2019 and another six in 2020 where he managed to grab two interceptions. Aumavae-Laulu, at 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds will be yet another massive body on that line and Battles is a very reliable long snapper that is key to the Ducks’ special teams. Snee’s punting ability has improved each season as he averaged nearly 44 yards per punt in 2020.

Along with Brown, defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus made Steele’s fourth-team all-Pac-12 list.

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Can Kayvon Thibodeaux become the next DeMarcus Ware?

Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux is drawing comparisons to one of the NFL’s best pass rushers in recent memory

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.

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Houston Texans 2022 NFL draft target: Is Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux the next DeMarcus Ware?

If the Houston Texans pick high in the 2022 NFL draft, DE Kayvon Thibodeaux should be a target, especially if the comps to DeMarcus Ware are legit.

Nothing triggers Houston Texans fans more than telling them they could spend a top-5 overall draft pick on a defensive end.

The club drafted Mario Williams No. 1 overall in 2006 and then did the exact same thing with Jadeveon Clowney in 2014. Although both were Pro Bowlers, neither had careers that lived up to the billing of being the first pick in the draft.

Conversely, former Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware didn’t even go in the top-10 of the 2005 NFL draft. However, the 11th overall pick from Troy finished with 138.5 career sacks along with four All-Pro selections, nine Pro Bowls, and a Super bowl ring at the end of the 2015 season.

What if the Texans actually picked a player like Ware with their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft?

According to Daniel Jeremiah from the NFL Network, Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is similar to Ware.

He reminds me of: 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.

Co-assistant directors of player personnel Matt Bazirgan and James Liipfert will have to trust their scouts and give the best information to general manager Nick Caserio by April next year. If Thibodeaux is the best player on their board, regardless of scheme and the situation at quarterback, Houston should consider adding the next Ware to their edge defense.

Touchdown Wire mocks Texans taking Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux with 2022 No. 1 overall pick

The Touchdown Wire released its way too early mock for the 2022 NFL draft, and the Houston Texans select Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux.

What if the Houston Texans selected an edge defender with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft? It could either be the year 2006 or the year 2014, which means also that either Gary Kubiak or Bill O’Brien is about to take the reins on the sidelines.

According to Mark Schofield from the Touchdown Wire, that is precisely what the Texans do with the No. 1 overall pick the 2022 NFL draft. Instead of taking a look at Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler or North Carolina’s Sam Howell, the Texans take Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Certainly if the Houston Texans indeed select first-overall in the 2022 NFL draft, there is a chance that the quarterback situation — or more specifically the Deshaun Watson legal situation — necessitates that Nick Caserio address the quarterback position.

Assuming that is not the case, and the involved parties are all entitled to their day in court, then Caserio likely goes in a different direction. Things can certainly change, but Oregon pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux looks like the real deal with his technical skills and explosiveness off the edge.

For Houston to even pass up on upgrading the quarterback position would have to mean that either someone emerged out of the three-man group of Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Finley, or Davis Mills as a viable starter for the near future, or that the situation with Deshaun Watson amicably resolved. Either of those outcomes is unlikely in 2021.

Part of why the Texans went with Mario Williams in 2006 and Jadeveon Clowney in 2014 was due to the anemic quarterback class. While Vince Young and Jay Cutler were Pro Bowlers in their careers, they weren’t exactly can’t-miss prospects the way Watson was in 2017. The 2014 quarterback class had decent late-first prospects in Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr, but they weren’t worthy of the No. 1 overall pick.

If the 2022 quarterback class is similarly anemic, that would be the only plausible reason to take an edge defender — again — at No. 1 overall. Otherwise, Houston needs to use their premium resources to complete the great reset at quarterback.

Nation’s top defensive end recruit thinking about Oregon

Enai White, the nation’s top defensive end recruit, is seriously considering Oregon as he lists the Ducks in his Top 8 schools.

The Oregon Ducks are already looking for Kayvon Thibodeaux’s replacement.

Ever since Mario Cristobal arrived on the scene in Eugene, the recruiting efforts have gone through the roof and that’s not going to end any time soon.

Enai White, the nation’s top defensive end and the nation’s No. 6 overall defensive prospect, has the Ducks listed in his top 8 schools he is considering.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, the Philadelphia, Penn. native cut his list to the usual heavyweights in college football. Oregon is on White’s list with Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Ohio State, and Texas A&M.

Cristobal is getting into more and more of these top recruits’ homes. Seeing offensive tackle Penei Sewell go No. 7 overall in the NFL draft, Justin Herbert winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Thibodeaux likely being a top 5 pick or higher in the 2022 draft won’t hurt the Ducks’ profile.

Oregon’s 2022 recruiting class is currently ranked as No. 19 in the country and No. 1 in the Pac-12 with just eight pledges so far.

Just a few years ago, a top recruit from Pennsylvania probably wouldn’t consider Eugene to play college football, but Cristobal has proven that distance doesn’t play a factor in his recruiting methods.

The obscenely early 2022 NFL draft watch list: Defense

The 2021 NFL draft is in the books, but it is never to soon to think about the 2022 NFL draft. Here are some players to watch on defense.

Generally speaking football fans fall into one of two camps.

The first group gets done watching the NFL draft and moves on to other sports, such as basketball and baseball. They will start tuning back into their favorite football teams come training camp.

The second group gets done watching the NFL draft and immediately…thinks about the next one.

If you find yourself in that second camp, then this is your starting spot. The 2021 NFL draft just ended but here is a watch list for the next draft, just a year away. Here is the obscenely early 2022 NFL draft watch list on defense.

Five Oregon players who Badger fans need to know

Here are five Oregon Ducks who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout the 106th Rose Bowl game on New Years Day.

Here are five players on Oregon’s roster who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout Wednesday’s Rose Bowl Game.

Justin Herbert – Quarterback

2019 stats: 66.7% passing, 3,333 yds, 32 TD, 5 INT

Herbert almost certainly would have been a first-round selection in last year’s NFL draft after an excellent junior season, but the Eugene, Ore. native opted to return for his senior year for one last opportunity to lead his hometown Ducks to a Pac-12 title and College Football Playoff berth.

While he wasn’t able to accomplish the latter, Herbert is still a lock for the first round of this spring’s draft after enjoying the best statistical season of his career in 2019. The 6-6, 237-pound signal-caller has put up career-highs in both passing yards (No. 3 in the Pac-12) and touchdowns (No. 2), and his 158.7 passing efficiency rating (PER) is the third-best in the conference.

Herbert will end his college career near the top of several all-time (at least since 1956) Pac-12 lists, including career passing yards (currently No. 16), passing touchdowns (No. 6) and PER (No. 9).

CJ Verdell – Running Back

2019 stats: 6.5 YPC, 1,171 yds, 8 TD/14 rec, 125 yds (8.9 avg)

Oct 26, 2019; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks running back CJ Verdell (7) picks up a first down during the second half against the Washington State Cougars at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Verdell won’t be the best running back to take the field in Wednesday’s Rose Bowl Game (that distinction goes to No. 23 in the Cardinal and White), but make no mistake, that is very rarely the case.

The sophomore from Chula Vista, Calif. had a huge redshirt freshman season in 2018 as the only Power 5 player nationally with at least 1,000 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving, and he has not fallen off a bit this year. A Second-Team All-Pac-12 performer this season, Verdell ranks at the top of the conference in yards per carry and is second in rushing yards.

Aside from J.K. Dobbins of Ohio State, this is the most talented back the Wisconsin defense has faced all season.

NEXT: Penei Sewell/Troy Dye/Kayvon Thibodeaux

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