The New York Giants stuck to their board and selected former Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas with the No. 4 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Thomas was almost a forgotten man as the debate of which tackle would be the first one selected waged on. Alabama’s Jedrick Wills Jr. and Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs were the popular names in the mock drafts, but in the end, a long-standing starter in Thomas was the right decision.
Thomas was the definition of consistency at Georgia while playing for legendary offensive line coach Sam Pittman. Thomas capped off a stellar collegiate career in 2019 by being named to the Walter Camp All-America 1st Team while becoming UGA’s first recipient of the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 21 years.
It’s easy to see why the Giants fell in love with Thomas. He has an ideal build for an NFL offensive tackle. He has vines for arms and his short area quickness is excellent. Thomas understands how to maximize the length he was gifted with. He showcases the type of footwork that should make him a brick wall in pass protection at the next level.
Thomas is well advanced in many technical aspects of the game. The timing and placement of his punch are often a huge plus to his game. He’s also a tremendously powerful blocker who’s rarely bothered by the bull rush. Georgia ran a pro-style offense, so Thomas is plenty familiar with NFL concepts and techniques. His transition to the big-time should be an easy one.
The Thomas pick made sense for so many reasons. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones had a stellar rookie season, but the team needed to upgrade the protection in front of him. Face of the franchise running back Saquon Barkley has also had a difficult time finding space to operate from behind a poor Giants O-line. The selection of Thomas should go a long way towards fixing both of those issues.
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