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UGA football news: Andrew Thomas drafted fourth overall by the New York Giants

By Kyle Funderburk

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 01: Andrew Thomas #71 of the Georgia Bulldogs guards during the Allstate Sugar Bowl against the Texas Longhorns at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 01, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 01: Andrew Thomas #71 of the Georgia Bulldogs guards during the Allstate Sugar Bowl against the Texas Longhorns at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 01, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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All-American offensive tackle Andrew Thomas became the first UGA football player selected in the 2020 NFL Draft when the New York Giants picked him fourth overall.

2020 is a strong year for offensive linemen in the NFL Draft. Former UGA football star Andrew Thomas is at the top of that heap after the New York Giants used their first pick to draft him.

Thomas becomes Georgia’s 76th offensive lineman and the 42nd offensive tackle selected in the NFL Draft. He is also the sixth Bulldog offensive lineman drafted in the first round and the first since the New England Patriots drafted Isaiah Wynn 23rd overall in the 2018 draft.

Thomas joins a few former Georgia football teammates in New York. The Giants picked Deandre Baker 30th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft and Lorenzo Carter 66th overall in 2018.

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Thomas earned the first-round selection by being one of the most dominant offensive linemen in the nation. After capping his true freshman season with Freshman All-American honors, Thomas proceeded to earn more All-American nods in his sophomore and junior seasons. He also won the Jacob’s Blocking Trophy (best offensive lineman in the SEC) in 2019.

Throughout his three Georgia football seasons, Thomas has played at both right and left tackle. The Giants drafted Thomas to play right tackle because Nate Solder as left tackle locked down. The Giants already had a potential battle for the starting right tackle spot, but Thomas is probably better than the incumbents.

Thomas joins a New York Giants offense full of established and rising stars. Running behind Thomas is 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year Saquon Barkley and out wide are receivers Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate and Darius Slayton. Thomas is also tasked with protecting young quarterback Daniel Jones. Plus, former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett takes over as offensive coordinator.

A great offensive line might be all the G-Men need to form a dominant offense in 2020, and Thomas might be the piece the line needs to achieve greatness. Holes on the offensive line were an issue for the Giants last season. They allowed Jones to be sacked 38 times in 13 games, and many of those sacks led to lost fumbles. New York lost nine-straight games in the middle of the season and finished 4-12.

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Which team will choose a Georgia football player next? Fellow offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson is among the best remaining offensive linemen and will certainly leave the board by the end of the second round. D’Andre Swift might be the best running back in the draft this year, but the teams looking for running backs all seem to need help at other positions more.

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