At this point in the NFL draft process, we have pretty much heard all of the criticism that we are going to hear about Oregon Ducks superstar Kayvon Thibodeaux. As a player who was initially believed to be one of the first picks off of the board in April, the past few months have seen Thibodeaux’s stock drop quite a bit, with many citing his “lack of work ethic” or “love for football” as reasons to ignore the undisputed talent or impressive tape.
Despite the generational talent qualities that Thibodeaux possesses, the narrative that he may not be 100% bought-in on football, or that he often takes plays off is certainly winning out at the moment. Recently, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman put out his first mock draft of the year where he listed Thibodeaux at No. 8, going to the Atlanta Falcons where he would join former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.
However, the twist on this mock draft was that Feldman got “coaching intel” from a host of college coaches, NFL scouts, and football analysts. What they had to say about Thibodeaux was incredibly revealing, and will likely be frustrating for Duck fans to read. Here’s some of what they had to say:
“When he wants to go…”
“When he wants to go, he can really go. He’s got good speed-to-power and he has excellent get-off, but he cannot play in space at an elite NFL level. I don’t think he’s a 3-4 outside linebacker. He’s more of a 4-3 DE that can, at times, drop. He doesn’t have a big counter game as a rusher. He’s gonna have to develop that.”
“His get-off is elite”
(Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
“He’s a high-waisted long guy, and his get-off is elite. Going into the game, you really worried about that, that he was gonna beat us off the ball.”
“I worry about his interests off the field…”
(AP Photo/Andy Nelson)
“There’s talent there, but what are you getting? He plays…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football | Ducks Wire…