*Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon Football News: Draft Scout Player News

04/09/21 - DE *Kayvon Thibodeaux, rSo/2022, Oregon

It's amusing to hear the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Thibodeaux compare himself to Hill, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound nickel safety. Should Thibodeaux notch any interceptions in the fall, it won't be all that unusual for an edge player. Winning the Heisman Trophy would be, as only one defensive player has even done so and while others have gotten some early hype over the years, few outside of Ndamukong Suh, Manti Te'o and Tyrann Mathieu held on for consideration as the season continued. "I think it's very possible for a defensive player," Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said. "The thing about KT, he's a high achiever and he wants to be around guys that are into high achievement standards. He sees himself as limitless; we feel the same way. The sky is the limit for him. He played a year and really a half a season. His best football is still ahead of him.

"His body is continuing to grow larger, strong, more explosive, more flexible. His football IQ is continuing to increase. Coach DeRuyter has got a tremendous amount of experience, has coached some really high level edge players before. The combination of all those things with a guy that wants to win championships, it's exactly what you want for your football team. He's pushing himself, he's pushing others." Thibodeaux did drop into coverage at times last near, notably out of the dime package against UCLA, so it's not entirely a new concept for him. DeRuyter also made it clear that coverage isn't going to be Thibodeaux's primary assignment by any means, but more of an additional way to utilize his many skills. "Up front I really like our edges with Kayvon and Mase (Funa)," DeRuyter said. "I think they do a really nice job setting edges. They're guys that play in space. - The Oregonian

rSo/2022