The Combine is a good opportunity for teams to get a feel for the talent. Kayvon Thibodeaux, for example, has been grilled by the New York Giants.

Munich – The NFL can be a shark tank.

Therefore, if you don’t want to go under, you have to be as prepared as possible. Must be able to swim free. That’s why there’s the Combine, among other things, for the talents – there’s time enough there to be put through the wringer by the teams.

Kayvon Thibodeaux, for example, was grilled by the New York Giants, as he revealed.

“They gave me a hard time,” the defensive end said. And smiled, because he felt “it was like being with a big brother, where they give you a hard time because they’re interested in you and they like you. “

Minimise the risk

Teams want to minimise risk as much as possible, especially with potential top picks like Thibodeaux. From a sporting perspective, a lot is clear at this point, surprises are usually the exception with top players, even at the Combine.

That’s why the talks are mainly about character, motivation and attitude. In other words, whether the player, for all his talent, is possibly getting in his own way and causing the team more problems than being a help on the field.

The Giants have two picks in the top ten, at fifth and seventh. It’s essential for the projected shakeup that those two picks sit. Because at that point in the draft, hopes are high that players like Thibodeaux will hit right off the bat.

And Thibodeaux, who played for the Oregon Ducks in college, is then seen going fifth to the Giants in many mock drafts. That’s why GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll didn’t go easy on their potential new acquisition.

For example, they asked the 21-year-old what happens if he’s not the big star when he comes to the Giants. Besides, New York is special, also medially. Confident players like Thibodeaux, who already fancies himself an unstoppable pass rusher, are prone to being rudely cut down if they take a naïve approach to entering the NFL.

With top talent, the scale is often open to the top, but at the same time, the theoretical drop-off is also quite steep. This also applies to Thibodeaux, whose athletic and explosive abilities are undisputed. But he also has to bring them onto the pitch.

“The media will be all over me “

“If I don’t make a sack in five games, they’re going to talk about it, the media is going to come down on me, I’m going to be criticised,” Thibodeaux said. His response to the Giants: “I told them I’ve been in the media since I was in high school. So I’ve been trained to do that and I know that most of it is entertainment.”

Not all of it, though.

For rumours that his work ethic is not the best persist around the Combine. Many of his power plays create a wow effect, but others sow doubts about whether he plays with enough fire. They say he gave up too early on some plays. These may seem like small things at first glance, but they make all the difference at the highest level.

And: Between the Combine and the Draft, it’s not uncommon for former stars to burn out, for top talents to fall brutally because doubts about their character arise or missteps from their college days come to light.

Not enough bite?

“I don’t think I have to convince teams (that I love this game), but that’s the narrative of the media,” Thibodeaux defended himself. “There always has to be some narrative.”

He was a Los Angeles kid, he stressed, “and when you know the adversity I had to go through to get here, and all the sacrifices I had to make, and all the sacrifices my mother had to make so I could be here, you understand what I feel in my heart. All the sacrifices I had to make to get here, I wouldn’t have made if I didn’t love the game.”

The love of the game – that is still the best prerequisite for swimming free even in the shark tank that is the NFL.