Taking a look at Andrew Thomas and if he was the right pick for the New York Giants:
Leading up to the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, the Giants were tossing out smoke screens left and right to keep the media guessing. Ultimately, reports indicated that they could be drafting Tristan Wirfs out of Iowa, but they landed Georgia left tackle, Andrew Thomas, instead.
What makes Andrew Thomas so great? The fact that he started 41 games at left tackle in college and was probably the most steady and reliable option in the draft. He instantly makes an impact for the Giants and is a plug and play prospect.
With Nate Solder manning the left tackle position currently, I imagine he will swap over to the right side.
General manager Dave Gettleman stated that he is not afraid to draft over any position. While Solder’s cap-hit is astronomically high, Thomas represents the future at the position for the Giants. Gaining the chemistry necessary to play at a high-level with Daniel Jones will now set the team up very well for the future.
Thomas is one of the cleanest tackle prospects coming out of this draft class. His positives include ferocity in the trenches, extremely powerful, recovers well, and can mirror opposing pass rushers.
He doesn’t represent the prototypical build for a tackle and can be a little slow to get to the second level in the run game, but he is extremely talented and strong. Former Dallas offensive line coach Marc Colombo will have a field day with his talents, hopefully making him a building block at left tackle for the Giants moving forward.
This was a fantastic pick for a team needing to solidify the position and keep the cap-hit down. It is all about positional value at this point, with the giants in the midst of a rebuild. Opening up cap-space down the line for a big-name free agent when they believe they can compete for a Super Bowl should be the priority, and they certainly are trending in the right direction by picking Thomas fourth overall.