Oregon pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux visited the Texans on Tuesday.
Thibodeaux also has visits with the Detroit Lions, New York Jets, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, according to league sources. The Atlanta Falcons are also scheduled to visit with Thibodeaux on the West Coast this month.
The ultra-athletic Los Angeles native recorded 126 career tackles, 19 sacks, and 35.5 tackles for loss in three seasons for Oregon.
"The most ridiculous thing I've heard is that I'm not the best player in this draft," Thibodeaux told reporters at the Oregon Pro Day workout. "I really don't listen to anything else, but that to me, that's outrageous. With the film, with the numbers and what I can do, as far as my ability, I have confidence in what I can do."
Thibodeaux validated what the film shows -- rare athleticism and ability to contort his body and convert speed to power.
At 6-foot-5, 258 pounds, Thibodeaux has run the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds and bench pressed 225 pounds 27 times.
His pro day was attended by Lions general manager Brad Holmes, Giants general manager Joe Schoen, and Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider.
Thibodeaux is a disruptive pass rusher and run-stopper coming off the edge. He operates with heavy hands and is difficult to move at the point of attack. He's a natural pass rusher who has the skills to consistently harass quarterbacks.
He's explosive and has recorded a 9-11 broad jump. He had a 4.34 20-yard shuttle.
A former top-ranked recruit from Oaks Christian High School in Los Angeles, Thibodeaux had 54 sacks in high school. He enrolled early at Oregon. Additionally, he was a former Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. During his freshman season, he notched 9 sacks, 14 tackles for losses, and a blocked kick in 14 games.
He had 9.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 38 tackles as a sophomore, earning third-team AP All-American honors, the Pac-12 Morris Trophy as its top lineman, and the Pac-12 Championship Game MVP award.
In a conference title game against USC, he had a sack, 2 tackles for loss, and 12 quarterback hurries. He rose to the occasion and had an impactful game.
In his final season at Oregon, he was a consensus All-American and a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik, Ted Hendricks, and Bronko Nagurski Awards. He finished with seven sacks, 12 tackles for losses and 50 tackles before declaring early for the draft.
"I love it," Thibodeaux said. "As long as people are talking about me and I consistently stay (true) to who I am and I know that I'm doing everything in my power to do things the right way and talk to the coaches and I'm creating a relationship and doing the things with the coaches, I let the media run wild. You guys can make what you want, it just gets me more followers."
Aaron Wilson is a Pro Football Network reporter and analyst and a contributor to Sports Talk 790.
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