Kayvon Thibodeaux

View photos of Giants' first-round picks Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal at the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas.

And that's the job of a coach, too, to learn your players, what makes them tick, how to push them when they need pushed, how to hug them when they need a hug. When you're coaching in the National Football League for 22 years, you come across a lot of different characters, and as long as they love football and they are a pro on and off the field. And if I have five bad games, we're going to focus on that next week and how we're going to dominate the team that is next." He finished tied for seventh in Oregon history with 19.0 career sacks in 31 games, and his 34.5 career tackles for loss are the fifth-most among active Power 5 players since the start of 2019. "He literally is one of my mentors, and he's been talking to me throughout this process," said Thibodeaux shortly after the Giants drafted him fifth overall on Thursday night. It could be the beginning of a beautiful mentorship.

The second kept the streak of defensive players going with an edge rusher. With the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft, the Giants have ...

While New York was perhaps thought of as targeting an offensive tackle at No. 5, the club still has a chance to get one of the top linemen on their draft board. The Giants will be back on the clock shortly, as the club also holds the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft. Thibodeaux had 19.0 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss in his time at Oregon, where he was a two-time, first-team All-Pac-12 selection.

The New York Giants have selected Kayvon Thibodeaux, a defensive end out of Oregon, with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal was taken by the Giants at No. 5, and with the pick New York got one of the biggest players in the draft. Thibodeaux calls New York his "second home" and ahead of the draft talked about how great is would be to be selected by a New York team. He had 40 career starts while playing in college. "That's the biggest stage, that's prime time," he said, speaking of New York before the draft kicked off. "I'm ready. The New York Giants have selected Kayvon Thibodeaux, a defensive end out of Oregon, with the fifth overall pick and offensive tackle Evan Neal out Alabama with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

A look at Kavyon Thibodeaux: Thibodeaux proved himself as a first-rounder during his time with the Ducks, excelling on Oregon's front seven.

Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal was taken by the Giants at No. 5, and with the pick New York got one of the biggest players in the draft. Thibodeaux calls New York his "second home" and ahead of the draft talked about how great is would be to be selected by a New York team. He had 40 career starts while playing in college. "That's the biggest stage, that's prime time," he said, speaking of New York before the draft kicked off. "I'm ready. The New York Giants have selected Kayvon Thibodeaux, a defensive end out of Oregon, with the fifth overall pick and offensive tackle Evan Neal out Alabama with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The New York Giants selected EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux in the 2022 NFL draft and here is how Twitter reacted.

With the fifth pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the New York Giants select Oregon EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux. GRADE: A. Let's start with the effort debit regarding ...

Instead, I’d like to see Thibodeaux’s NFL team try him a role like Julian Peterson’s. Peterson was ahead of his time with his positional versatility — selected with the 16th pick in the 2000 draft by the 49ers, Peterson could line up everywhere from end to box to slot to safety at 6-foot-3 at 245 pounds. Thibodeaux led the Ducks in sacks and tackles for loss in each of his three seasons. For me, I’m an L.A. kid, and if you know the adversity I went through to get here, and the things that I had to sacrifice, and the things my mother had to sacrifice for me to be here, you’d really understand how I feel in my heart. As to the facts: Thibodeaux grew up in South Central Los Angeles with his mother, and attended three different high schools. That’s what Kayvon Thibodeaux said at the scouting combine when asked how he was going to convince NFL teams that he actually loves the game of football. You will also hear evaluators tell you that Thibodeaux is limited with his relative lack of bend around the arc, but there are many ways to get to the quarterback.

Kayvon Thibodeaux is the first choice of the Giants' new era under Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll. Learn more about the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Executives and coaches around the league wanted to see how the 21-year-old would react to some tough love with pointed questions about his desire and love for the game. Evan Neal: 3 things to know about NY Giants' No. 7 pick in 2022 NFL Draft Kayvon Thibodeaux: 3 things to know about NY Giants' No. 5 pick in 2022 NFL Draft

Thibodeaux is the highest-drafted Oregon defensive player since Dion Jordan in 2013.

Thibodeaux shined once again in the Pac-12 title game, this time abusing USC for a whopping 12 quarterback pressures, two tackles for loss and a sack. He ran a 4.58 40-yard dash and put up 27 reps on the bench press. The 6-foot-4, 254-pound edge rusher heads to the Big Apple after three seasons as an Oregon Duck, where he has been projected to be a high draft pick before he even donned the green and yellow. As if a first-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft wasn't set in stone already, Thibodeaux continued to impress teams at the scouting combine, while participating in limited drills. Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux has been selected fifth overall by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Oregon Ducks Defensive End Kayvon Thibodeaux Selected 5th Overall by New York Giants in 2022 NFL Draft