New York Giants: Andrew Thomas has huge impact on Daniel Jones

New York Giants rookie Andrew Thomas is going to have a huge impact on Daniel Jones.

The New York Giants have not exactly gone with popular opinion over the course of the past couple of draft classes.

They used their top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Duke quarterback Daniel Jones, a player some were not certain would even go in the first round.

They followed that up by using their top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Georgia left tackle Andrew Thomas, a player many thought might have been passed by other tackles in the draft, at least in the upside department.

The Giants did the right thing and trusted the film with Thomas because he has the best tape of any left tackle in the 2020 rookie class.

Thomas is now poised to have a massive impact on Jones heading into his second season.

Thomas can help raise all boats

Jones finished his rookie season with over 3,000 yards, almost a 62 percent completion percentage, and 24 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions. He wasn’t flawless, but he put together a really good rookie season especially when you consider all the injuries the Giants were dealing with throughout the season.

Star running back Saquon Barkley played in just 13 games. Evan Engram only played in eight.

Golden Tate was suspended at the start of the season.

Jones’ conditions were not ideal, and that doesn’t even include the reason they picked a tackle with their top choice in 2020 anyway — the offensive line wasn’t great.

Andrew Thomas is coming in with a pedigree as one of the best and most well-rounded tackle prospects in the 2020 rookie class. He doesn’t have the athletic testing numbers of the other guys who went in the first round, but that doesn’t really matter.

Thomas is a mauler in the running game and a technician in pass protection. He has great footwork, initial hand punch, length, and consistency.

While of course, everyone wants to point specifically to his pass protection as a way he will help make an impact on Daniel Jones’ second season, Thomas’s work in the running game is going to be crucial as well.

The run blocking will be better with him on the field, and with the running game operating more efficiently and effectively, teams won’t be able to commit to one tendency over another.

Although the Giants didn’t necessarily make the most popular selection among Draft Twitter here, Andrew Thomas is going to make everyone on this team better, but most notably Daniel Jones, who had a really good rookie season under non-ideal circumstances.