Tag: Kayvon Thibodeaux

First half reaction: Thibodeaux, Duck defense means business

The Ducks lead 21-13 at the half. Tim DeRuyter’s aggressive defense was on full display, but the offense left fans wanting more.

The Oregon Ducks enter the half leading Fresno State by a score of 21-13. Here are our instant reactions from the first half:

Aggressive Duck defense on full display: When Tim DeRuyter was hired away from California to be the Oregon defensive coordinator, one of the first things he said was that he wanted the Ducks to force a lot of turnovers. If the first quarter against Fresno State was any indication, it’s going to be a very fun season.

Kayvon Thibodeaux got things rolling on the Bulldogs’ second possession when he came from the blindside and nailed quarterback Jake Haener, causing a fumble and giving the Ducks the ball at the 3-yard line where they quickly turned into their first touchdown on the season.

Not to be outdone, Noah Sewell managed to strip tailback Ronnie Rivers of the ball on Fresno State’s next possession. Oregon again quickly scored to make it 14-0 midway through the first quarter.

Brown and the offense could have been better: If you take out the two possessions where the defense gave the offense a short field to work with, the offense wasn’t that impressive. There wasn’t much of a down-the-field passing game until towards the end of the second quarter when Brown found Johnny Johnson III for a 31-yard touchdown. But before that, Fresno State’s front four dominated the Duck offensive line, which is not a good sign heading into the Ohio State game next week.

Mycah Pittman showing he can be a factor: There weren’t many opportunities for the receivers to make plays, but when Brown did find time to throw the ball, Pittman seemed to be his go-to guy. Pittman ended the first half catching three of Brown’s five completions for 40 yards. Considering his career has been plagued by injuries, it’s nice to see Pittman be a factor in Joe Moorhead’s offense.

Oregon holds a slim 21-13 halftime lead over the Bulldogs.

Mock draft watch: Draft Wire goes defense first for Lions in latest 3-rounder

A look at what could play out if the Lions go defense with their first pick instead of QB or WR

Most 2022 NFL draft projections feature the Detroit Lions selecting a quarterback with their own pick, universally projected to be in the top five overall. So it’s noteworthy when someone breaks the mold and offers a different path for Detroit.

That’s what Luke Easterling and Draft Wire did in the latest 3-round 2022 mock draft. Instead of spinning the QB roulette wheel between Spencer Rattler, Malik Willis and Sam Howell, this one instead addresses the other side of the ball.

With the No. 2 overall pick, still based on current Super Bowl odds, Draft Wire opts to roll with Oregon pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux in Detroit. Thibodeaux draws comparisons to Von Miller and Jadeveon Clowney as a prospect, and that’s surely something the Lions can use on the retooling defense.

Quarterback comes with the next pick. Using the Los Angeles Rams’ first-rounder at No. 29 overall, the projection turns to Nevada QB Carson Strong. He (hypothetically) gets a legit big-play receiver in Clemson’s Justyn Ross with the No. 34 overall pick.

The final projection sees the Lions use their third-round pick on Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker. It’s a very different type of projection model, one that subscribes more to the notion that Jared Goff could be a longer-term solution at QB for Detroit than just two seasons.

2022 NFL mock draft: Early 3-round projections

Kayvon Thibodeaux agrees to marketing deal with United Airlines

Kayvon Thibodeaux is further utilizing his NIL, now agreeing to a partnership with United Airlines that will bring select direct flights to Eugene.

According to a new report from ESPN, Oregon’s defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux has agreed to sign a marketing deal with United Airlines.

With the deal, United Airlines will reportedly provide special direct flights from Eugene to select Oregon Ducks away games this coming season.

“Partnering with United Airlines was a no-brainer for me, as they are a premium brand with the same core values as I have,” Thibodeaux said via ESPN. “I look forward to a long-standing relationship with United.”

As college athletes start to explore the space allowed to them by the new NIL rules put into place by the NCAA, this is something that we will likely see more of. Earlier in the summer, Thibodeaux already teamed up with Nike’s Phil Knight and Tinker Hatfield to release an NFT that can be sold for profit.

According to ESPN, the program with UA will begin with multiple direct flights from Eugene to Columbus, Ohio, starting on Sept. 9, for Oregon’s game at Ohio State on Sept. 11. Return flights from Columbus to Eugene will be available after the game and on the following two days.

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2022 NFL mock draft: How many teams will pass on Kayvon Thibodeaux?

If Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux doesn’t go No. 1 overall, just how far could the star pass rusher fall?

The 2022 NFL draft already has a clear-cut top overall prospect, but as has been the case many times before, it’s highly likely that player won’t be the No. 1 overall pick.

Teams picking at the top of the draft usually need a franchise quarterback before they can worry about any other position, which means Oregon edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux isn’t the best bet to be next year’s top selection.

Just how far could he fall?

In the latest 2022 NFL mock draft from Pro Football Network, Thibodeaux lands at No. 3 overall with the Jacksonville Jaguars, after North Carolina’s Sam Howell (No. 1 overall, Houston Texans) and Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler (No. 2 overall, Detroit Lions) put quarterbacks in each of the first two spots.

The Jags have bigger needs elsewhere, but after landing their own franchise passer in Trevor Lawrence in this year’s draft, getting another elite prospect like Thibodeaux for the defensive side of the ball would be a huge win, regardless of need.

Another intriguing pick in this mock happens at No. 4 overall, where the New York Jets pass up LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. for a different SEC corner, opting for Florida’s Kaiir Elam instead.

It’s a decent wait for the next quarterback off the board in this mock after Howell and Rattler, as Liberty’s Malik Willis lands with the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 18 overall. He’s the only other quarterback that makes the cut, as other top passers like USC’s Kedon Slovis, Nevada’s Carson Strong and Georgia’s JT Daniels fail to appear in this first-round projection.

To check out the full mock draft at Pro Football Network, click here.

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Draft Wire has Texans taking edge defender, receiver in latest 2-round mock

The Houston Texans address defensive end and receiver in the latest two-round mock from the Draft Wire.

The Houston Texans go with an edge defender and a receiver in the latest two-round mock from the Draft Wire.

According to Luke Easterling, who used the latest Super Bowl odds as a basis to generate the draft order, the Texans take Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux with the No. 1 overall pick and then Clemson receiver Justyn Ross at No. 33 overall, the first selection in Round 2.

If reality were to play out as the mock draft, it would indicate the organization believes they have solved quarterback. Otherwise, they would have used a pick at the position. In the mock, Liberty quarterback Malik Willis goes No. 2 overall, North Carolina signal caller Sam Howell No. 7 overall, and Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler No. 9 overall.

Houston drafted Stanford quarterback Davis Mills with their first selection in the 2021 NFL draft at No. 67 overall in Round 3. Mills is working behind former Pro Bowler Tyrod Taylor and former San Francisco 49ers 2016 sixth-round pick Jeff Driskel. It would take tremendous growth throughout the season and a supplanting of Taylor as the starter for Houston to feel comfortable enough to go with an edge defender as the first pick in the draft.

Kayvon Thibodeaux
University of Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Taking Ross that early in the second round would also be the result of the organization parting ways with either Brandin Cooks, who is a post-June 1 cut dead money hit of $2.5 million, or Randall Cobb, who is a $2 million dead money hit. Receiver Keke Coutee is also entering the final year of his contract in 2021.

Ross at 6-4, 205 pounds would provide the Texans with another big target for the future opposite of Nico Collins, who the club took in the 2021 NFL draft from Michigan.

The fall will ultimately reveal where the Texans pick in April 2022 and whether the players they are projected to take now are worth such draft slots.

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.