The 2022 NFL Draft is just weeks away, and that means the rumors are heating up.
A new report has identified a star player whose stock is apparently slipping precipitously ahead of the annual event -- Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.
According to Matt Miller of ESPN, Thibodeaux, who has long been widely considered to be in the mix to be taken first overall, is "falling in the eyes of NFL teams."
The longtime draft guru is hearing that all of Thibodeaux's college production, his apparently underwhelming pre-draft interviews, and his history of injuries are not endearing him to some teams, and that he may fall out of the top five picks -- and perhaps even the top 10.
The stunning development would mark a steep fall for a player who still appears within the top 1-3 players on many draft analysts' overall big board rankings.
But according to Miller, it wouldn't be surprising if Thibodeaux fell all the way to the mid-teens.
"A lot can change once the draft starts and panic sets in," Miller writes, "but one month out it's not unrealistic to think Thibodeaux could be on the board for the Eagles at No. 15."
Thibodeaux burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2019, logging his best season in Eugene with nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss, in 13 games. After that, though, he saw heavy double teams, per Miller, and was thought to have been hampered by injuries last season, when he finished with seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 10 games.
In 30 career games, the former five-star recruit recorded 19 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss.
However, Thibodeaux's numbers actually compare favorably to the other top edge rusher in this class, Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan, who finished his career with 17.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss in 36 career games. Hutchinson, however, had a monster season in 2021, racking up 14 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss.
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