New York Giants: Could Andrew Thomas start off his career at right tackle?

New York Giants, Andrew Thomas
New York Giants, Andrew Thomas

Could the New York Giants swap Andrew Thomas to right tackle? Would it make sense?

When the New York Giants drafted Andrew Thomas with the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the expectation was that he would fill the starting left tackle position immediately. Replacing Nate Solder as Daniel Jones’s blindside protector, Thomas has the highest floor of any of the prospects coming out of the draft at the tackle position. He has a phenomenal anchor in pass protection and can mirror defensive ends well, he also has the mobility to move to the second level in the run game and the strength to overpower defenders of the line of scrimmage.

However, he is a bit undersized for the left tackle spot and lacks a bit of athleticism compared to third-round pick Matt Peart out of UConn. Peart entered the NFL as a far superior athlete over Thomas, and that spurs the question, could he eventually be the Giants’ starting left tackle?

While Thomas has played predominately left tackle at the collegiate level, his size better fits the right tackle position. Peart stands at 6-foot-7 and 318 pounds. He posted a 5.06 40-yard dash and 26 reps on the bench press at the combine. He “wowed” scouts with his size, strength, speed, and athleticism. While he is a bit more of a developmental piece, his long arms and frame suit left tackle position in the future.

Nonetheless, I do believe the Giants will utilize Peart at right tackle considering Thomas’ draft spot. You don’t normally select a right tackle as high as number four in the draft, but things could shake out differently in the future.

“I would think they’d probably play Andrew Thomas at left,” said Senior Bowl executive, Jim Nagy. “But if you were starting from scratch and where they got drafted from wasn’t an issue, you’d probably put Peart and left and Thomas on the right.”

“Usually you can’t get a guy with starting left tackle ability in the third round, and he’s got that type of upside,” Nagy said. “His feet, his length, he’s done some really good stuff in pass pro. He’s a better athlete than Andrew Thomas.

Joe Judge opened the door for flexibility going into year one under his control:

“Everyone is going to come in on Day 1 and compete and as they shake out,” Judge said. “Whether that demonstrates being a starter at whatever position, that’s where they’ll fall. We went into this with several players we all thought had the ability to go on both sides, right or left. We made a decision that we’re going to let training camp figure that out.

The Giants are in a position to move pieces around if they see fit. While Peart needs at least one year to develop, they will have the adaptability from their players to interchange positions if need be. With that being said, allowing Thomas to gain essential experience with Jones should be a priority, and that’s how I see the offensive line playing out in 2020.