Oregon pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux doesn’t sound as if he’s enjoyed the pre-draft process. He has, though, had fun reading the mock drafts.
“Yes, I read mock drafts. All the time. It’s just entertainment,” Thibodeaux told Cameron Wolfe of NFL Media. “I don’t think any of the mock drafts mean anything. I’m just curious what the buzz is.”
PFT’s mock draft has Thibodeaux going 10th overall to the Jets. The Jets and Giants, both of whom have two first-round draft picks, are popular projected landing spots for Thibodeaux. Some mock drafts, though, have him falling out of the top 10.
Thibodeaux is tired of hearing the doubts about him from critics, some of whom question whether he loves the game. That’s why he can’t wait for draft day.
“It’s not what you think it is,” Thibodeaux said of the pre-draft process. “There’s a lot of curveballs. There’s a lot of stuff other than football that go into it. A lot of politics. Just the media aspect of it -- how things are portrayed and how narratives are written.
“I’ve been critiqued my whole life, so that’s not new. It’s just tough when people who aren’t in my situation don’t know how to handle it, particularly my family, my mom, when they see a story that is challenging my character. Critiquing is one thing. Misinformation is another. There’s been a lot of misinformation.”
Thibodeaux shouldn’t have a long wait to hear his name called Thursday. He had top-30 visits with the Lions, Texans, Jets, Giants and Eagles. The Falcons visited him in Los Angeles.
