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Kayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants is quietly in the midst of a dominant year two of his NFL career, but he did speak out on a popular fan and media narrative ahead of Week 15.

“Thank you for all the attention,” Thibodeaux said to his fans on X, “but I’m not a victim, and ‘prove people wrong’ narratives are old.” I’m a good football player who is constantly improving. Let’s not cling to tired headlines.”

The viral PSA was posted around 1 p.m. EST on December 13 and has already received over 4K likes in about two and a half hours.

Thibodeaux had a lot of skeptics heading into his second NFL season, but he quickly silenced them with 11.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and 37 quarterback pressures in the first 13 games.

However, in accordance with the young man’s request, let us not focus on him “proving people wrong.” Thibodeaux was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft, and he’s playing like it despite being only 22 years old (23 on December 15).

While Thibodeaux’s output has increased significantly in 2023, there is still room for improvement. The pressure rate is where the first-round pick must still improve in the coming weeks and years.

For example, according to Pro Football Focus, the Giants prospect is currently ranked 39th in total QB pressures, and this isn’t due to a lack of opportunities. Thibodeaux, in fact, ranks 12th among all NFL edge rushers in total pass rushing snaps, so he’s out there more than most.

On the other hand, a rotational pass rusher is likely to be much fresher than Thibodeaux on every snap. However, his win-rate of 6.4% on PFF pales in comparison to other edges who play a comparable number of snaps across the league.

Thibodeaux excels at getting back home. When it comes to edge rushers in the 2022 draft class, the Giants’ rising star ranks first in total sacks (half-sacks count as one full sack) with 13. George Karlaftis of the Kansas City Chiefs is the next closest with 9.

The negative is Thibodeaux’s lack of consistency with pressures, which ranks seventh among draftmates. Thibodeaux has been out-pressured by a few second-year edge rushers (Nik Bonitto, Boye Mafe, and Jermaine Johnson) in 100-plus fewer pass rushing snaps.

Undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito has received a lot of attention — and rightly so — but the Giants defense has been the unsung hero of the team’s winning streak.

Wink Martindale’s defense has given up 19 points, 7 points, and 22 points in the last three games. This season, Big Blue has three of its top six defensive performances.

More impressive has been the staggering number of turnovers — 12 in total.

The New York Giants forced six turnovers against the Washington Commanders and another six against the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers combined. They’ll try to extend their winning streak on the road against a New Orleans Saints team that ranks in the middle of the pack in turnovers lost (17 on the season).

The New York Giants’ defense, ironically, is now tied for fifth in the NFL in turnovers forced with their next opponent, the New Orleans Saints. As a result, this will be another difficult test for DeVito and the offense.