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The New York Giants have several foundational building blocks on their current roster including quarterback Daniel Jones, nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, and recently drafted center John Michael Schmitz.
But who is the most prominent building block on the team? That’s a question Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report recently set out to answer.
There were a few rules for Ballentine during this exercise — ones that eliminated Jones and Lawrence from the conversation.
First and foremost, the player must be on their rookie contract/without an extension. Players from this year’s rookie class were also ineligible, eliminating JMS. And finally, the player must have zero Pro Bowls to their name.
When it came to the Giants, that left an obvious answer: left tackle Andrew Thomas.
Andrew Thomas’ inexplicable Pro Bowl snub lands him on this list because he technically qualifies.
Much like Darrisaw with the Vikings, Thomas’ Pro Bowl snub was likely caused by the fact that line play often goes unnoticed so improvement can often lead to delayed recognition.
PFF certainly didn’t delay their recognition. Thomas went from giving up 10 sacks and getting a 61.9 grade as a rookie to conceding just three sacks and earning an 89.1 grade from the outlet in his third season.
Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley and Brian Daboll are often credited with the Giants success on offense last season, but Thomas’ improvement should draw more praise. His quarterback certainly thinks so at least.
“There’s no one playing at a higher level right now at that position in the league,” Jones said, per Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports. “He’s an unbelievable player. If you saw how he works and how approaches every day you wouldn’t be surprised.”
With Thomas playing on his fifth-year option this season he will look to earn a massive payday and cement his spot as a building block for the Giants.
Thomas may have been overlooked in the eyes of the Pro Bowl voters, but he received his well-deserved praise from Giants fans. They recognize how important he is to the team and how dominant he has become.
Expectations are that Thomas will continue to improve in 2023 and beyond, establishing himself as the best left tackle in all of football.
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