Panthers 2022 draft scouting report: Kayvon Thibodeaux’s high ceiling

Kayvon Thibodeaux scouting report

• Height: 6-foot-4
• Weight: 254 pounds
• Arm length: 33 1/8th inches 
• 40-yard dash: 4.58 seconds
• PFF grade: 77.9

There are no two ways about it, Kayvon Thibodeaux is a stud. While questions have been leveled about his motor and overall effort, one look at his tape you see a dominant force who plays at 100 percent.

The stellar play of Aidan Hutchinson, who had a monster 15 sacks for the Wolverines in 2021, has taken a lot of the spotlight from a man many had predicted to go No. 1 overall heading into the previous campaign.

Thibodeaux is known as being a dominant run stuffer, which is reflected in his 35.5 tackles for loss during his three years with Oregon. Considering the Carolina Panthers’ well-publicized struggles against the run last season, drafting the edge defender is a tantalizing prospect.

Despite some weaknesses in his pass rush, Thibodeaux still graded out at 91.5 according to Pro Football Focus. Impressive for a guy without really any pass-rushing moves and for someone perceived to struggle to create consistent pressure, he still tallied 19 sacks over his college career.

The former five-star recruit relays on pure explosiveness out of his stance to blast past tackles. California offensive lineman Will Craig is one who was on the end of said explosiveness as seen in the clip below.

Craig is barely out of his stance before Thibodeaux blasts past him to hit the QB.

As mentioned above, if there are improvements needed it’s in the pass rush. But pairing the former No. 2 player in the nation out of high school with veteran defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni, who has been involved in coaching since 1972, would be highly beneficial.

Criticisms have been leveled at Thibodeaux by the media for his effort levels, but these should be taken with a pinch of salt. One would imagine Scott Fitterer and his team would do their due diligence before selecting the player so highly.

The reason Thibodeaux has slipped on many draft boards is really no fault of his own. Despite this being a comparatively weak quarterback class compared to previous years, there’s a gaggle of desperate teams heading into 2022.

This means the likes of Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett may be drafted higher than they should be, and potentially be off the board by the time the Panthers pick at No. 6. This might lead them to Thibodeaux providing other needs are filled beforehand.