The New York Giants are preparing for the 2020 NFL Draft like every other team during COVID-19, facetime interviews with prospects, and zoom meetings with team personnel. The world pandemic coronavirus has put a halt on the entirety of the sports world- except for the NFL Draft. The draft will look a lot different this year, but it is still set to take place on April 23rd.
Every NFL team and draft prospect has been put at a disadvantage this offseason due to the virus outbreak. Prospects have not been able to hold Pro Days for NFL teams to scout and meet them, and NFL teams have not been able to travel to meet prospects. This will make it especially challenging for teams to sort their draft boards out within the next couple of weeks.
Regardless, the show must go on. Teams need to familiarize themselves with these prospects somehow. Of course, they will watch hours upon hours of game film as they do every year. But since these teams cannot meet with these prospects in-person, they will have to settle for virtual meetings to get to know the character behind every prospect.
Andrew Thomas FaceTime Meeting
According to Jordan Reid of The Draft Network, first-round offensive tackle prospect Andrew Thomas has an upcoming meeting scheduled with the Giants this week. The offensive tackle out of Georgia has already met with over fifteen NFL teams. His impressive performance during his junior year in college has garnered plenty of interest from NFL teams ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Check out left tackle Andrew Thomas matched up against 1st-round edge prospect K’Lavon Chaisson here. Absolutely dominating in pass sets:#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/9GXpQlfR7C
— Anthony Rivardo (@Anthony_Rivardo) April 3, 2020
Is He The Pick At Number Four?
Taking Andrew Thomas with the fourth overall pick would likely be a bit of a reach. Some mock drafts project the Georgia offensive tackle to be drafted well outside of the top-ten selections. Thomas is a talented tackle with a promising future in the NFL, but the consensus amongst draft analysts and NFL executives seems to be that Andrew Thomas is not the top tackle prospect in the draft class.
Additionally, the names that have been linked to the Giants at fourth overall include Isaiah Simmons, Tristan Wirfs, and Mekhi Becton. They are reportedly interested in going offensive tackle with the fourth pick, but it does not seem like that offensive tackle would be Andrew Thomas.
So Why The FaceTime Meeting?
Andrew Thomas is the ideal trade-down draft selection. New York has been clear: they are open for business. If an offer satisfies Dave Gettleman, he is willing to trade back in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. But he will need to be able to land a quality player if he moves down.
Andrew Thomas might be a reach at fourth overall. But at ninth or twelfth overall, he would be a home-run selection. That is likely the reason the Giants are spending time meeting with Thomas over FaceTime. They are aware that he would be an excellent selection for them if they trade down, and they want to ensure that his quality of character is as high as his quality of football talent.