Breaking down the steady play of Andrew Thomas vs. Packers

By Geoff Schwartz
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

The New York Giants selected Georgia left tackle Andrew Thomas with the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. After nearly two and half seasons, the Giants should be thrilled with his development. He’s a prime example of allowing a player to develop with time and coaching. 

With a stable offense, plus a single offensive coach, Thomas continues to make his case to be included in the upper tier of left tackles. 

Before we get started on the full Thomas film breakdown from Sunday’s 27-22 win over the Packers in London it’s worth discussing the Giants’ offense first. This is not intended to take away any success from Thomas, but when evaluating the play of an offensive lineman it’s a must to figure out what they are being asked to do. 

New York’s offense is built around the limited play of quarterback Daniel Jones, the lack of offensive weapons outside of running back Saquon Barkley and a shaky interior offensive line. The Giants passing attack is designed for Jones to get the ball out quickly and avoid having to stand in the pocket for too long. The Giants move the pocket, run a ton of play action pass, call quick passes and use the screen game. 

Thomas is not tasked often with true drop-back pass protection, which is where an offensive lineman is most vulnerable. Again, this is not because he can’t do it, it’s just the design of the offense. Offensive tackles tend to pass protect “better” on the whole when in offenses like the Giants. 

Pass Protection Grade: B

My main concern with Thomas coming out of college was his hand usage and how he often did not mirror his hands with this footwork. He used his long arms and strength to make blocks rather than timing up quality punches with a good base. 

Thomas has fixed those issues in the NFL. He’s a grab and steer offensive tackle, rather than a punch and control lineman. He’s got smooth footwork, which he uses to put himself in good relative position between himself and the quarterback. Then he’s able to shoot his hands out to grab the defender and control them with his strength. 

He’s so big and strong that defenders cannot move him. 

Thomas excels in play-action protection. It’s a beautiful thing to watch. He overwhelms defenders with excellent initial quickness that allows him to make contact ASAP and control the rep. He’s rarely leaning, so when the defender makes a secondary move he can easily mirror that movement. 

The sole reason Thomas received a ‘B’ grade for his pass protection against the Packers is the sack he allowed. It’s not that he allowed the sack. It’s how he allowed it. 

The Giants were running a play-action pass and Thomas was man on the defensive end. He noticed pressure from the Packers coming from outside his alignment. We know this because we see him point to the defender outside the defensive end, who he correctly identifies is pressuring.

If that defender is coming off the edge, that means his defensive end will immediately make an inside move. The defender did just that and Thomas was beaten inside because he took a bad pass set. Thomas is good enough to not let this happen when he sees the pressure before the snap.

It was difficult to give Thomas a run blocking grade. As with pass protection, the highest stress blocks are those where you are one-on-one without help. 

On Sunday, the Giants’ rush scheme did not have Thomas on many individual run blocks. He deserves an ‘A’ because he did handle these situations well, including a beautiful backside cut-off block on the first play of the game. 

On the front side of zone runs, Thomas is able to get into a good fit and move the defender when he uncoils his hips. His double-team blocks with the left guard are solid. They generally get movement and do their job. 

I do like how Thomas works to finish all this run blocks, and he’s rarely on the ground or out of position to get the job done. 

Geoff Schwartz played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. He is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffSchwartz.