Getty Giants 4th-overall pick Andrew Thomas
The New York Giants haven’t held any in-person draft visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing a near-complete shutdown of the league. However, that hasn’t stopped them from getting an up-close and personal look at some of the class’ top players, players who they believe could prove to be a fit with the organization.
Over the weekend word broke that New York would be holding a virtual meeting with top center prospect, Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz. Now a few days later, Jordan Reid of The Draft Network has informed us that Big Blue is planning yet another meeting this week with a prominent big man. The Giants are gearing up to meet with former University of Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, a potential fit for New York with their fourth overall draft pick.
Giants Have Been Linked to Thomas For a Long Time
At one time University of Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas and the New York Giants seemed destined for marriage in this month’s upcoming NFL Draft. Since the start of the 2019 College Football season, Thomas appeared locked-in as the class’ offensive lineman. His on-field performance throughout the year did little to deter that belief, as he earned unanimous All-American Honors as well as being awarded the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, which is given to the SEC’s best blocker.
However, since we’ve entered the bulk of “draft season” Thomas has seen his star fall quite a bit. While still a surefire first-round selection, the former Bulldog has seen more athletic and “sexy” offensive tackles jump him on many experts’ draft boards. Players such as Jedrick Wills Jr. and Mekhi Becton come to mind as tackles who have enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past few months, both of whom are also possibilities for the Giants with their first-round pick.
NY Can Likely Trade Back, Still Snag Thomas
While we can never be certain what is a smokescreen and what is not in the months leading up to the draft, Thomas does seem to have fallen just a smidge from a guaranteed top-five pick to more of a top-10 or even top-15 selection, all of which was out of his hands.
If New York was truly interested in drafting Thomas they would undoubtedly have to use a first-round pick on him. However, the fourth overall pick may be somewhat too rich at the juncture, which could play perfectly into the G-Men’s hands.
If the Giants set their sights on Thomas as their selection, they could move out of the fourth pick with a quarterback-needy team such as the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, or even the Las Vegas Raiders to a certain degree, pile up draft capital, and still come away with arguably the best offensive tackle in the class from a purely game film perspective.
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