Kayvon Thibodeaux

Context

Plays mostly outside as a stand up 9 or 7 technique but can also reduce down inside.

Pass Rush

He has an outrageously good take-off in all situations and gets upfield in a hurry. He is a very explosive athlete both in his movement and in his strength. His first-step quickness is elite and he processes at a high level to keep it consistent. His second and third step are also good and he can quickly soften angles. He puts Offensive Linemen under immediate duress with his speed off the ball. He has a solid but not spectacular rush plan right now. He shows flashes of being able to set Offensive Linemen up for an impressive array of moves but he hasn’t yet learned how to put them all together in a consistently effective plan. He mostly doesn’t play enough to his strengths. He has a devastating speed to power move because of his bend and therefore leverage that he plays with, but he doesn’t work it in effective tandem with other moves to prevent savvier OL from sitting on that speed to power and getting themselves prepared to anchor against it. He has plenty of outside moves and can threaten the edge before using his excellent lateral quickness to dead leg and come back inside the blocker. He has a knack and a feel for turning the blocker when rushing the passer and can use the explosion in his hands to win. He does get challenged by Offensive Tackles with better length and a well placed outside strike but even then he will compete due to his savvy use of hands and ability to get under the blocker through his bend.

Speaking of bend, as a pass-rusher, his best trait next to his upfield burst is his bend, cornering and finish on the Quarterback. When he gets the edge he is able to use his ankle and hip flexion as well as his excellent hand usage to maintain his play strength through the rep and corners with a vicious efficiency. He is able to then accelerate into the Quarterback, often engulfing the passers that he’s able to sack. He finishes with speed and power. As a bonus, he can also drop in space and can be used as a stand-up OLB who occasionally drops in coverage. For me, he shows good physical toughness, competitiveness and a good motor, even when garnering a lot of attention from the offense.

Vs Run

He’s equally quick off the ball and up the field against the run. As a front-side defender he reads the running game well and uses his upfield burst and explosion to his advantage. He has very good hand usage, able to time and place his hands expertly. The hand usage is buttressed by the explosive strength he has, he is able to snap Offensive Linemen backwards at the point of attack and almost break them in half. He always locks out to gain leverage and brings his bend into play as a run defender too. When on the backside of runs, he can be targeted with misdirection, play fakes and trap blocks. You can get him moving one way before coming back the other with some smoke and mirrors. It does start to make him struggle as a back-side defender as he becomes hesitant and isn’t able to use his explosion and speed to chase down plays from behind.

SUMMARY
Explosive in everything that he does. The shock in his hands is devastating in the run game and when putting speed to power moves on OL. His speed and bend mean he corners and gets to the QB with frightening consistency. Must work on reading more complex runs as the backside defender and setting up his primary rush moves in his rush plan.

PRODUCTION
JR: 9 Sacks, 11 QB Hits, 45 Total Tackles, 2 FFs, 1 PBU
SO: 3 Sacks, 4 QB Hits, 27 Total Tackles, 3 Batted Balls
INJURY: Ankle Sprain, Missed 2 Games (JR)

RAVENS FIT
Athleticism 5
Intelligence 4
Versatility 4
Grit 4
Scheme 5