Pro Football Focus seemingly possesses a high level of confidence in New York Giants 2020 first-round selection Andrew Thomas.
For both the 2020 season and beyond, the New York Giants looked to fix their offensive line issues once and for all during April’s draft. With that notion in mind, they selected Andrew Thomas, arguably the most NFL-ready offensive tackle in a draft class that was rich in regards to that position group.
Additional tackle options for Big Blue were Jedrick Wills (Cleveland Browns), Tristan Wirfs (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and Mekhi Becton (New York Jets). Some believe the Giants should’ve actually gone with one of the three aforementioned names instead of Thomas, but don’t include Pro Football Focus in that specific group.
On Thursday, PFF released its career pass-block grades for each of the offensive tackles that were off the board by this year’s first round, as Thomas topped the list with a mark of 85.4.
Career pass-block grade among 1st RD offensive tackles:
1. Andrew Thomas – 85.4
2. Isaiah Wilson – 82.7
3. Jedrick Wills Jr. – 82.4
4. Austin Jackson – 79.3
5. Tristan Wirfs – 78.5
6. Mekhi Becton – 73.0 pic.twitter.com/YfUsFyu3Sp— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) July 16, 2020
Isaiah Wilson of the Tennessee Titans (who played with Thomas at Georgia) came in at No. 2. The Titans selected Wilson with their late first-round selection (No. 29 overall).
The big question for Thomas will be whether or not he’ll see any time at left tackle during his inaugural pro campaign. New York did indeed draft him to become their left tackle for the future and grow with this young offensive unit, but a rookie taking in that significant responsibility may be a bit of a stretch. This is especially the case when you consider how Thomas didn’t experience an in-person rookie camp, minicamp, or OTAs.
If anything, Thomas will start out at right tackle and could eventually transition over to the left side if Nate Solder simply struggles or is part of a deal near the trade deadline. But initially, the Giants will be better off showing patience with their new “hog mollie.”
