Tag: new york giants football

Arrest warrant issued for former star Georgia Bulldog DB

Former Georgia Bulldog DB Deandre Baker has an arrested warrant for robbery and aggravated assault with a firearm.

An arrest warrant has been issued for former Georgia Bulldog defensive back Deandre Baker. Baker was a first round pick for the New York Giants in 2019.

Now, he and Seahawks’ corner Quinton Dunbar are being accused of Armed Robbery and Aggravated Assault with a Firearm:

Baker, according to the warrant, robbed the victims of money and watches while allegedly threatening them with a firearm. The arrest warrant alleges that the robbery was planned based on the position of the cars.

The event occurred late May 13th at a house party in Miramar, Florida. Baker’s hometown is Miami, Florida. Dunbar aided Baker in the robbery, but didn’t have a firearm.

The warrant alleges that Baker robbed the victims after a card game turned wrong. Baker and Dunbar reportedly lost $70,000 at a previous night.

More information will emerge as the case develops. We’ll keep you updated on the status of both NFL players and former UGA corner Deandre Baker.

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Former New York Giant Carl Banks defends Deandre Baker after rocky NFL start

Former New York Giants linebacker Carl Banks said former Georgia football corner Deandre Baker is capable after mediocre rookie year.

Former New York Giants linebacker Carl Banks, now a Giants radio commentator and analyst, defended former Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker recently.

Banks said on Twitter that the Giants 2019 first-round pick is capable, but he has to show willingness to learn coming off a rough rookie year.

The former Georgia corner was a dominant defensive presence for the Bulldogs in his time in Athens. In 2018 at Georgia, Baker was a All-American and Jim Thorpe Award winner. (given to the country’s top defensive back)

Baker’s performance at UGA hasn’t exactly translated to the NFL yet. In his first year, Baker had seven touchdowns scored against him where he was the closest defender on the field. A big contrast to his four years at Georgia where he only allowed one touchdown. However, after a rocky start to his rookie season, Baker picked it up and began playing like we knew he could.

Via the New York Post:

“To whom much is given much is expected,” Banks said. “If he wasn’t held accountable and he didn’t have a structure by which he should have been held accountable from play to play, series to series, then you can expect that.’’

With the Giants hire of new head coach Joe Judge from the Patriots, Baker should have plenty of opportunities to improve and prove himself as a first-round pick moving forward.

 

Georgia football’s 2020 NFL Draft class as recruits

Georgia football had seven players drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft, so we take a look back at the former Bulldogs as recruits.

Georgia had seven players drafted this past weekend in the 2020 NFL Draft. Let’s look back at the former Bulldogs from their time as recruits. 

Andrew Thomas OT – pick No. 4, New York Giants. 

Thomas was a 5-star OT for Pace Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. 247Sports had Thomas as the No. 9 OT and No. 45 overall recruit in the 2017 recruiting class. 

Isaiah Wilson OT – pick No. 29, Tennessee Titans 

Wilson was a 5-star OT for Poly Prep Country Day High School in Brooklyn, New York. 247Sports had Wilson ranked as the NO. 5 OT and No. 16 overall recruit in the 2017 recruiting class. 

D’Andre Swift RB – pick No. 35, Detroit Lions 

Swift was a 5-star RB from St. Joseph’s High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 247Sports had Swift ranked as the No. 4 RB and No. 33 overall recruit in the 2017 recruiting class. 

Solomon Kindley OG – pick No. 111, Miami Dolphins 

Kindley was a 3-star OT for Raines High School in Jacksonville, Florida. 247Sports had Kindley ranked as the No. 89 OT and No. 1,051 recruit in the 2016 recruiting class. 

Jake Fromm QB – pick No. 167, Buffalo Bills

Fromm was a 4-star QB for Houston County High School in Warner Robins, Georgia. 247Sports had Fromm ranked as the No. 3 pro-style QB and the No. 44 overall recruit in the 2017 recruiting class. Fromm was originally committed to Alabama before following Kirby Smart to Georgia.  

Charlie Woerner TE – pick No. 190, San Francisco 49ers

Woerner was a 4-star TE for Rabun County in Tiger, Georgia. 247Sports had Woerner ranked as the No. 25 WR and the No. 138 overall recruit in the 2016 recruiting class. Tae Crowder LB – pick No. 255, New York Giants

Crowder was a 3-star RB for Harris County High School in Hamilton, Georgia. 247Sports had Crowder ranked as the No, 1,868 overall player and the No. 175 ranked recruit in Georgia for the class of 2015. Crowder moved to linebacker after the 2016 season and blossomed into a starter in 2018 and 2019.

 

Sam Pittman thrilled to see Georgia OTs taken in NFL Draft

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman was excited for the selections of Georgia Bulldog linemen Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson.

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman was genuinely excited for his former players when they were selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Prior to becoming the latest head coach at Arkansas, Pittman coached offensive line for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Pittman excelled in recruiting during his time in Athens. He landed loads of talent along the offensive front. He coached 4th overall pick Andrew Thomas (New York Giants) and 29th overall pick Isaiah Wilson (Tennessee Titans).

Watch Pittman’s excitement for his former players:

Pittman’s connection with his former linemen is father-like. His joy for Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson is incredible. Pittman helped develop both prospects and shared his love for both of them.

Pittman is an excellent hire for Arkansas. He’ll rebuild their offensive front, which was once intimidating. His personality is another reason the Razorbacks will attract top talent again.

Pittman’s not done celebrating the selections of his former Georgia Bulldog players. Offensive guard Solomon Kindley is projected to be selected in the next couple of rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.

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Checking in on Andrew Thomas’ Twitter after being drafted by the Giants

A look at former Georgia football OT Andrew Thomas’ Twitter account after being picked by the New York Giants at #4 in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Former Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas became the highest picked offensive lineman in UGA history when he was selected by the New York Giants at #4 overall on Thursday night.

In the hours following the selection, Thomas started to show some love to his new team and fans, making a series of posts on Twitter and Instagram.

Let’s check in on his social media:

Checking in on Andrew Thomas’ Twitter after being drafted by the Giants

A look at former Georgia football OT Andrew Thomas’ Twitter account after being picked by the New York Giants at #4 in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Former Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas became the highest picked offensive lineman in UGA history when he was selected by the New York Giants at No. 4 overall on Thursday night.

In the hours following the selection, Thomas started to show some love to his new team and fans, making a series of posts on Twitter and Instagram.

Let’s check in on his social media:

How former UGA OT Andrew Thomas fits with New York Giants

Here is how we see Georgia football OT Andrew Thomas fitting in with his new team, the New York Giants.

The New York Giants decided not to trade away the No. 4 overall pick and instead took Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas to protect quarterback Daniel Jones and create holes for running back Saquon Barkley.

The Giants needed help on both sides of the offensive line, so the selection  of the 6-foot-5 315 pound Thomas will provide immediate help.

Where he’ll be in ten years from now is unknown, but Georgia coach Kirby Smart referred to him as a 12-14 year starter earlier today on the NFL Network.

Joe Judge is in his first season as head coach of the Giants, and being able to add a consistent, no-nonsense player like Thomas to the locker room is a huge relief.

Thomas was a three year starter at Georgia and served as team captain in 2019. He is a leader that the franchise needed both on the field in the locker room.

The Giants will look to get the ball into Barkley’s hands as much as possible, and Thomas is about as good as it gets in run blocking, haven blocked for Sony Michel, Nick Chubb and D’Andre Swift in his three years at Georgia.

From Giants Wire:

Thomas brings a lot of power to the run game. His power, length and tenacity with a mauler’s attitude should help the Giants on the right side of the line. It is likely that with Nate Solder still under contract that Thomas starts out on the right side with the projection to move to left tackle in the future.

Andrew Thomas becomes UGA football’s highest picked OL ever

Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Andrew Thomas was selected fourth overall by the New York Giants.

Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Andrew Thomas was selected fourth overall by the New York Giants. Thomas declared for the NFL Draft as a junior and is now the highest picked offensive lineman in Georgia history.

Andrew Thomas passes Royce Smith (sixth overall pick) as the earliest selected UGA offensive lineman ever:

Thomas is an extremely talented prospect. He joins Isaiah Wynn as the second Georgia offensive lineman to be drafted in the first round in the past three seasons. Both Thomas and Wynn played on the same offensive line that helped Georgia make the 2018 College Football Playoff.

The New York Giants get their left tackle in Andrew Thomas. Thomas will be GM Dave Gettleman’s latest hog molly.

In college, Thomas went up against elite competition in the SEC. Thomas has blocked numerous players who will or are in the NFL including Alabama’s Quinnen Williams, Kentucky’s Josh Allen, LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson, and many more.

Thomas has NFL size and durability. He started three seasons at UGA and will look to bring that consistency to the Giants. He only missed one game due to injury. Thomas excels in both the pass and run game.

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The New York Giants select Georgia Bulldogs OT Andrew Thomas

The New York Giants selected Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, one of the top prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The New York Giants have selected Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Andrew Thomas with the fourth overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. Thomas is a veteran left tackle, who started all three seasons in Athens.

Thomas was named first team All-SEC by the coaches in both 2018 and 2019. He was a first team Walter Camp All-American last season as a junior and a semi-finalist for the 2019 Outland Trophy.

Andrew Thomas started 13 games at left tackle in both 2018 and 2019, only missing one game due to injury (Middle Tennessee State). His efforts as a freshman helped Georgia make the 2018 National Championship. He started all fifteen games at right tackle in UGA’s 13-2 season.

At 6-5, 315 pounds, Thomas has the size that NFL teams covet in an offensive lineman. Perhaps even more impressive is his college production. Thomas won three straight SEC East divisions and made three consecutive New Year’s Six Bowl games. Although Thomas elected not to play in the 2020 Sugar Bowl against Baylor.

Entering into the 2020 NFL Draft, Thomas was unanimously considered one of the top four offensive linemen, but where he stands in the top four has been up for debate.. Giants fans can expect an NFL-ready tackle in Andrew Thomas, who is ready to play from day one.

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Georgia Bulldogs QB Jake Fromm attempts a pass as Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Andrew Thomas blocks Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Quinnen Williams in the SEC championship game.  Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Why are UGA standouts, NFL vets still free agents?

The start of NFL Free Agency is over and NFL veterans remain unsigned. UGA studs like Alec Ogletree, Reshad Jones, and more are free agents.

The initial phase of NFL Free Agency is over. The market remains at a standstill before the 2020 NFL Draft. When free agency began NFL teams were quite confident that there would be a 2020 season. Now, there’s a little bit more doubt.

Is doubt over the viability of the 2020 season preventing teams from signing proven veteran talent? Jadeveon Clowney, Cam Newton, Everson Griffen, Logan Ryan, Alec Ogletree, Reshad Jones, and more remain on the market.

Are teams with available cap space waiting to sign these player until after the draft? They could be waiting until the date when players no longer count against the compensatory pick formula.

Either way there will be a market for NFL veterans in the coming months.

Plenty of UGA products have signed new deals. Here are the Georgia Bulldogs who remain NFL Free Agents:

Former New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree. At 28 years old, Ogletree is still productive and has the speed necessary to play linebacker in the modern NFL.

The Miami Dolphins released veteran safety Reshad Jones. Jones is a Pro Bowl level talent when healthy. At 32 years old, Jones will sign look for a short-term deal. He has never won a playoff game and may want to join a contender.

The  Bengals released offensive tackle Cordy Glenn. Glenn, a second round pick out of the University of Georgia, is a free agent. At 30, Glenn will have a market among teams looking to upgrade their pass-blocking.

John Jenkins, who played in every game last season for the Miami Dolphins as a defensive tackle, is a free agent. The 30 year old Jenkins was quite productive in Miami, where he recorded 34 tackles.

Former Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell, who missed the 2019 season with an Achilles injury, is now a free agent. Crowell has been Tweeting videos of his best plays (sorry Falcons fans):

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