Getty LT Andrew Thomas and QB Daniel Jones celebrate after a play
The New York Giants have just one player on CBS’ 2022 All Under 25 Offensive Team, even while having one of the youngest rosters in football.
The list, which was created by CBS Sports analyst Jordan Dajani, takes a look at the top two players at each offensive position who are under the age of 25.
Left tackle Andrew Thomas was the only Giants player to make the list. Out of the 22 eligible offensive spots, the Giants had no other representatives.
Thomas, who was given second-team honors, was beaten out by Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater. Slater was one of two Chargers players to make the list, next to quarterback Justin Herbert.
Thomas is set to enter year three as the left tackle of the future for the Giants. Expectations will be sky-high for the 23-year-old tackle.
Thomas is coming off of the best season of his short career. He experienced a true breakout in his sophomore season. He finished the year with a PFF grade of 78.9, and a pass blocking grade of 82.1. His pass blocking grade was the 12th best in the NFL among offensive tackles.
He also played in a total of 800 snaps. For an offensive line that was full of inconsistencies, he was rare reliability for this Giants team.
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Thomas Prepared to Be Even Better in Year 3
Since being drafted with the fourth overall pick in 2020, Thomas has dealt with a fair share of injuries. While he played in all 16 games during his rookie season, he was still injured at points.
In his second year, he appeared in 13 out of the Giants’ 17 games. An ankle injury kept him from being at 100% for nearly all of the season. But that is all behind Thomas now.
Thomas went on the Giants Huddle podcast and spoke about his overall health and expectations heading into next season.
“It’s definitely frustrating, but it’s part of the business, learning how to navigate being injured because you’re never going to feel 100%. But I felt like last year I started to make some strides. It’s a little frustrating sometimes when you can’t be on the field with your teammates.”
If Thomas can continue to stay healthy and perform as he has, he could become the foundational piece of this unit that he is supposed to be. The consistency and overall availability that Thomas brings are something that can’t be ignored. As the Giants send out a rebuilt offensive line in 2022, his contributions will be necessary.
The New Offensive Line
The new Giants regime felt that the offensive line needed fixing. The pairing of head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen made it a point of emphasis.
In 2022, the offensive line will look vastly different. Nearly the entire unit will be new as Andrew Thomas is the only player who will have started in both seasons. Offensive guard Shane Lemieux was set to be a starter but was lost in week one of the season.
Jon Feliciano, Mark Glowinski, and Evan Neal are all fresh faces for this offense. A pair of University of North Carolina teammates, Joshua Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan could also end up playing solid time for this unit as rotational pieces. Each new piece will be expected to be better than the group that was present last season. Much of the success of the offense will rely on how this unit can perform.