5 things to know about Andrew Thomas, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft
Andrew Thomas, the offensive tackle from Georgia, started all 15 games at right tackle during his freshman year in 2017.
During his sophomore year, he moved to left tackle and earned second-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-SEC honors in 13 starts.
Even though he was sidelined briefly in 2018 due to an ankle injury, he only missed the bowl game and went on to have an outstanding 2019 as a junior and was named first-team Associated Press All-American.
Here are five things to know about Thomas, who was selected with the No. 4 overall pick by the New York Giants on Thursday night:
1. Football isn’t his only true love. Music is also one of his huge passions and during practice in high school, he would be on the field, practicing both the drums and football the same time, according to The New York Times. Thomas could be seen pretending that his own pads were drums on the sidelines and would sometimes do it during “the huddle as the quarterback called the play,” the New York Times article described.
2. Pro Football Focus has him listed as its “top tackle for the draft.” PPF noted that his most powerful strength is his protection skill set. “Thomas started from day one as a true freshman in 2017 and was an above-average-pass-blocker, recording a 76.7 pass-block grade,” PPF said. “He flipped sides in 2018 and took his run-blocking to the next level, which helped raise his overall grade from 68.4 to 80.6. Then in 2019, Thomas had a near perfect year by posting an elite 92.5 overall grade that was the third-highest at his position and performed at a top-10 level in both pass-pro and as a run-blocker.”
3. When Thomas declared for the 2020 NFL Draft in December, he skipped Georgia’s Allstate Sugar Bowl game against Baylor, which the bulldogs won 26-14.
4. New Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman, who coached Georgia’s offensive line in 2019, sings Thomas’ praises off the football field. “He’s very intelligent, a really good person,” Pittman told the New York Daily News. “He’s not gonna get in trouble off the field. He’s gonna represent whatever organization he goes to in a top notch way.”
5. According to PPF, his biggest flaw is his “feet in pass sets,” but it’s not enough for NFL teams to shun him. “He has the size, strength and athleticism, but, as the PFF Draft Guide says, his feet are all over the place in pass sets. That said, this isn’t remotely close to being enough to take him off the OT1 spot — his pass sets are still great relative to other tackle prospects.”
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 5:53 PM with the headline "5 things to know about Andrew Thomas, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft."