Giants' Kayvon Thibodeaux ready to make second-year leap
When asked ahead of the second week of Giants OTAs how he would assess the rookie season of last year's first-round draft pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, head coach Brian Daboll had a quick quip at the ready: "I'm worried about this year."
The follow-up question from the reporter at the news conference about how high of a ceiling the head coach sees for the young pass rusher was brushed aside with an equally quick barb.
"Just like all the other players we're trying to get better day-by-day," Daboll added.
But after a rookie year in which Thibodeaux had 4.0 sacks, forced and recovered two fumbles and scored one touchdown in 14 games, there is an added expectation that the former fifth-overall draft pick will take the next step in his second NFL season.
Daboll said that there is an expectation for second-year players to take a leap after being more familiar with playing pro football.
"Usually, from year one to year two, for the players that are just getting drafted, they really didn't have an offseason, they're learning a brand new system, don't have a lot of experience to draw from in the NFL," the head coach said. "And then year two... you like to see a jump from everyone in your rookie class... it happens at different times, you just get better each day."
The second-year pass rusher echoed his head coach after Wednesday's practice.
"I think it's a different mentality. When you haven't played against NFL-caliber guys you don't really know how strong you need to be, how fast you need to be," Thibodeaux said. "But once you start to get that down and you start to learn the ins and outs of the game – which is kinda what I started to do at the end of the season last year.
"Going into this year I think it becomes a lot easier. Now I can really focus on the offense and not so much focus on myself, but figure out the different tips and tricks I can get going into training camp."
Even after having a successful first year, the young Giants "still got a lot to learn," Daboll said.
And while they are practicing this week in shorts and t-shirts and not really playing the game, the head coach added they can understand what is going on better because "as a rookie, you have no idea what's going on right now."
"Still young players, but again they can draw from some of the experiences they've had the previous year," he said. "Most players from year one to year two there's a little more comfort level."
Thibodeaux recorded 49 total tackles (33 solo) with six going for a loss in his rookie campaign. He was credited with 25 hurries, 40 total pressures, and 11 quarterback hits, including five in Week 12 at Dallas, per Pro Football Focus.
For the 2022 season, PFF had Thibodeaux as the 45th-highest (out of 204) defensive grade among NFL edge rushers, and was the site's 56th-highest-graded pass rusher.
And the numbers don't matter for the 22-year-old entering the season.
"If I can make impactful plays like I was able to do and to win, no one will ever remember [individual stats]," Thibodeaux said. "As long as we're winning and as long as I continue to play well and play for my teammates, I'll be good."
