Kayvon Thibodeaux

OLB

#5

Experience: 4 years

Height: 6-5

Age: 24

Weight: 258 lbs

College: Oregon

Biography

Has started all 43 regular-season games and two postseason games in which he's played for the Giants...Totals include 127 tackles, 21.0 sacks, 46 quarterback hits, 26 tackles for loss, 11 passes defensed, 6 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries, including 1 for a touchdown

HONORS

NFC Defensive Player of the Week: 2022 Week 15

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Has started all 43 regular-season games and two postseason games in which he's played for the Giants...Totals include 127 tackles, 21.0 sacks, 46 quarterback hits, 26 tackles for loss, 11 passes defensed, 6 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries, including 1 for a touchdown.
In 2024, started all 12 games in which he played…Missed Weeks 6-10 with a wrist injury…Totals included 28 tackles (14 solo), 5.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, 8 tackles for loss, 2 passes defensed, and 1 forced fumble.
In 2023, started all 17 regular-season games…Led the Giants and tied for 12th in the NFL with 11.5 sacks…Became the first Giant to record double-digit sacks since Leonard Williams (11.5 in 2020)…Added 50 tackles, 16 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss, 4 passes defensed, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery…His 12 tackles for loss tied Micah McFadden for the team lead and his 16 quarterback hits were 2nd to Dexter Lawrence's 21… Joined Dallas' Micah Parsons and Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt as the only players to have 10+ sacks over the first 11 weeks of a season within their first 2 NFL seasons.
As a rookie in 2022, started all 14 regular-season games in which he played, as well as both of the Giants' postseason games…Missed the first two games of the season with a knee injury suffered in the preseason…Finished 3rd on the team with 4.0 sacks while collecting with 49 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, 5 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 touchdown…In the playoffs, he had 11 tackles and 1 quarterback hit.
In Week 15 of 2022, named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after posting a career and team-high 12 tackles, including 3 tackles for loss, and strip-sack of Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke, whose fumble he recovered and returned one yard for his first NFL touchdown, at Washington (12/18/22)...It was the Giants' first defensive touchdown since Nov. 7, 2021, when Xavier McKinney intercepted a pass vs. Las Vegas and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown...Thibodeaux scored his first touchdown since he played tight end in high school and his first ever defensive touchdown.

NOTES TO KNOW

Thibodeaux is the first Giants defender with 21+ sacks in his first 3 career seasons since Jason Pierre-Paul had 27.5 sacks from 2010-12.
In his first 25 games as a Giant, recorded 14.5 sacks, which is the most by any Giant in his first 25 career games…Jason Pierre-Paul recorded 14.0 sacks in 25 games.

COLLEGE

Played in 32 games with 21 starts in three seasons at Oregon…Collected 123 tackles (82 solo), 35.5 tackles for loss, 19.0 sacks, 7 passes defensed and 3 forced fumble…In 3 Pac-12 Championship Games, combined for 13 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and 21 quarterback pressures…His 19.0 sacks are tied for 7th in program history…Was the first Oregon defensive lineman to earn All-America honors since DeForest Buckner in 2015.
In 2021, played in 11 games with nine starts…Tallied a career-high 50 tackles (35 solo), 12 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks and 2 forced fumbles…Became the 4th player in program history – and first defensive player – to be a unanimous All-America…Finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award, each presented to the best defensive player in the nation...Voted a first-team All-Pac-12 selection by the league's coaches for the second straight season…His 7.0 sacks led Oregon and tied for 3rd in the Pac-12.
In 2020, started all seven games of a Ducks' season that was abbreviated by the pandemic…Led all Pac-12 defensive linemen with 38 tackles and had team-high totals of 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks…Selected first-team All-Pac-12 and 3rd-team All-America…Earned Pac-12 Championship Game MVP honors after posting 12 quarterback hurries, 2.0 tackles for loss, a 3rd-down sack in the 3rd quarter and a TFL on a 4th down play in the first quarter at USC (12/18/20).
As a freshman in 2019, played in 14 games with five starts…Selected by the league's coaches as the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and all-conference honorable mention…Set the program freshman record with a team-high 9.0 sacks and also topped the team with 14.0 tackles for loss…Ranked 2nd among FBS freshman in sacks and 3rd in tackles for loss…Set the Pac-12 Championship Game record with 2.5 sacks, all in the 4th quarter, had 5 tackles and was the first player to block a punt in the championship game, vs. Utah (12/6/19).

OFF-THE-FIELD ACTIVITY

Founded the JREAM Foundation which provides programming, resources and opportunities to youth in underserved areas…Attended The Giants Foundation Golf Classic which raised more than $400,000 for The Giants Foundation… Hosted a youth football camp through his Jream Foundation for over 200th youngsters in Los Angeles… Joined the New Jersey Department of State and college students at William Paterson University for the New Jersey Ballot Bowl to celebrate National Voter Registration Day and encourage students to vote… Attended the Children of the City Charity Dinner with David Tyree to help provide additional support and resources to children across New York City… Hosted the second annual Jream Foundation fundraising dinner at MetLife Stadium to support underserved youth with programming and resources… Hosted an event at the Food Bank of New York City to hand out Thanksgiving turkeys and non-perishable food items during the holidays… Participated in the NFL's national NFL Votes campaign commercial to encourage voter registration and civic engagement… Hosted an event thanks to Campbell's Soup and Stop & Shop where families in attendance were given shelf-stable items, hams, turkeys, and a selection of toys for the kids… Surprised Vanessa Tepper from Minisink Valley High School (N.Y.) with the news that she was named the first-ever female and flag football player to win the Heart of a Giant Award in the New York Giants locker room surrounded by her teammates and family at MetLife Stadium… Represented The Jream Foundation during Week 13 of the NFL season for My Cause My Cleats… After the team practice in Germany prior to the Sunday game, met with the 120 students that participated in the NFL Flag clinic… Met with members from the Wounded Warriors Project during their visit to the Quest Diagnostics Training Center to watch practice and enjoy a day with the Giants.

PERSONAL

Enrolled at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, CA as a freshman…Transferred to Susan Miller Dorsey High School in Los Angeles…As a sophomore, led Dorsey to an 11-3 record with 27.0 tackles for loss and 17.0 sacks and was named his section's Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Near the end of his sophomore year, Thibodeaux and his mother, Shawnta Smith, moved to Woodland Hills in the San Fernando Valley, and he transferred again, to Oaks Christian, a private school in Westlake Village…Recorded 54.0 career sacks in four years, including at least 1.0 sack in 16 of 27 games as a junior and senior at Oaks Christian.
Top-ranked player in the ESPN300…Named the USA Today High School Defensive Player of the Year, as well as first-team All-USA Defense…Played in the 2019 Under Armour All-American Game and was named a co-captain for Team Sanders…Named the Defensive Player of the Year in California by USA Today, while also being named first-team All-California by the paper.
As a senior, selected Marmonte League Co-Player of the Year, All-CIF Southern Section Division 1, first-team Daily News all-area and a member of the Los Angeles Times All-Star Team…Recorded 54 tackles, 18.0 sacks and 5 forced fumbles…Had 6 multi-sack performances, including 3 games with 3.0 sacks.
As a junior, named the Los Angeles Daily News' Player of the Year, the Ventura County Star's Defensive Player of the Year…Selected the CIF Southern Section Division 2 co-Defensive Player of the Year and the Marmonte League co-MVP…Finished with 20.0 sacks, 28 tackles for loss, and 99 tackles…Had at least 4 tackles in every game and at least 3.0 sacks 6 times…Helped lead Oaks Christian to a CIF Southern Section Division 2 title, finishing with 4.0 sacks and 6 tackles in the title game vs. Valencia…Had 9 catches for 134 yards and 3 touchdowns as a tight end.
As a sophomore, named the CIF Los Angeles City Section Division I Defensive Lineman of the Year at Dorsey High…Recorded 17.0 sacks and 27 tackles for loss…Had 4 multi-sack games.

MAIN TRANSACTIONS

Originally a 1st-round (5th pick overall) draft choice by the Giants in 2022.

Solo

8
SCK

5.5
FF

1
INT

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Recent Games

WK	OPP	RESULT	TKL	AST	COMBINED	SOLO	SCK	PDEF	FF
13	@Cowboys	L 20 - 27	0	1	1	0	0	1	0
14	Saints	L 11 - 14	2	1	3	1	1	0	0
15	Ravens	L 14 - 35	0	1	1	0	0	0	0
16	@Falcons	L 7 - 34	1	2	3	1	0	0	0
17	Colts	W 45 - 33	1	1	2	1	1	1	1
18	@Eagles	L 13 - 20	1	3	4	1	1.5	0	0
1	Vikings	L 6 - 28	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	@Commanders	L 18 - 21	3	1	4	1	0	0	0
3	@Browns	W 21 - 15	2	1	3	0	0.5	0	0
4	Cowboys	L 15 - 20	2	1	3	2	1	0	0
5	@Seahawks	W 29 - 20	1	1	2	1	0.5	0	0
12	Buccaneers	L 7 - 30	1	1	2	0	0	0	0

Career Stats

Defense Career

SEASON	TEAM	G	GS	TKL	AST	COMBINED	SOLO	SCK	PDEF	INT	YDS	AVG	LNG	TDS	FF	OPP FR
2022	New York Giants	14	14	33	16	49	27	4	5						2	2
2023	New York Giants	17	17	26	24	50	24	11.5	4						3	1
2024	New York Giants	12	12	14	14	28	8	5.5	2						1
TOTAL		43	43	73	54	127	59	21	11	0	0	0	0	0	6	3