With the 2022 NFL combine getting going, and the draft now less than two months away, we are getting into the thick of it when it comes to scouting former college players and projecting where they will land at the end of April.
For Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, it used to not be a question where he would go in the draft, because many had him penciled in as the No. 1 overall pick for the majority of the 2021 football season. However, narratives have popped up about his work ethic, unfair or not, and with such a wide-open draft class, there is no telling when he might be taken off of the board.
Instead of putting out a mock draft and saying who is going to go where Pro Football Focus recently changed gears and tried to find the best landing spot for the top players. It may not be where they eventually end up, but based on their skill sets, it could be where they most belong.
For Thibodeaux, that “perfect place” is with the Detroit Lions, where he would join former Duck teammate Penei Sewell.
As a prospect, Thibodeaux is generally scheme-proof since there aren’t many NFL defenses that struggle to incorporate an incredibly athletic and bendy edge defender. As described earlier, the only “hole” in Thibodeaux’s game is that he is not a high-level run defender, but he still shows clear room for growth in that department. Thus, Thibodeaux would likely find more early success in a situation where he were able to be on the field primarily during passing downs.
The Lions have a promising interior defensive line with Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike, and Michael Brockers as well as a serviceable edge defender rotation with the Okwara brothers. This would allow Thibodeaux to come onto the field to rush the passer but give the Lions the flexibility to take him off the field if he struggles tremendously against the run early on.
Thibodeaux will be working out at the combine this week and meeting with teams who are taking a look at drafting him. As it stands now, the Lions should be able to grab Kayvon if they want him, since they have the No. 2 overall pick.
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