The New York Giants were one of the biggest surprises in the NFL last season, winning six of their first seven games, making the playoffs and defeating the Minnesota Vikings 13-4 in the wild card round there.
They haven’t made any major additions this offseason, so they’ll have to rely on internal improvements to get to the next step.
One young player they have high hopes for is defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, who was the No. 5 pick in last year’s draft and picked up a few votes in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Michael Strahan, the Giants’ Hall of Fame pass rusher, has high expectations for Thibodeaux in his second season, according to Jordan Raanan.
Michael Strahan on the Big Daddy Classic says he thinks it’s “very realistic” for Kayvon Thibodeaux to make the sophomore jump into double-digit sacks. He says that Thibodeaux was much better than him when he was a rookie.
Strahan: “I know he will be a great player for the Giants.”@CoastalAdvisors pic.twitter.com/GuTnn4NEs3
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) June 26, 2023
Back in the day, Strahan was one of the best in the business from 1993 to 2007, as he was selected to seven Pro Bowls and four All-Pro First-Teams.
He led the NFL in sacks twice and ended his career by winning a Super Bowl championship in the 2007 season when the Giants defeated the undefeated New England Patriots.
It’s too early to say that Thibodeaux can match or even come close to what Strahan was for many years, but he’s a promising prospect for New York.
The Giants were successful last season not because they had a very powerful offense, but because they messed things up and were greater than the sum of their parts.
If Thibodeaux makes the leap that Strahan thinks he can, maybe the Giants will make it back to the playoffs this winter, and maybe even pull off another upset there.
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