AFC executive: New York Giants' Andrew Thomas was 'trending into the elite' before injury
Not only does his availability have a massive impact on the offensive line, but it also means a great deal to the entire roster. The Giants got a view of both sides of that coin during the 2024 season.
During the annual positional rankings from ESPN, which include a poll of executives around the league, Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas came in at No. 10 overall, down from his pre-2024 ranking of No. 8.
Despite the lower ranking, one AFC executive saw signs of Thomas becoming elite before a Lisfranc injury ended his season after just six games.
It's hard to call Thomas an upside play entering Year 6, but some evaluators see a premier tackle who could be one of the best if he puts together a complete performance in 2025. A knee issue limited Thomas to six games last season. He still stopped the run at a high level (79.9 run block win rate) when he was out there.
"He was trending into the elite before the injury," a veteran AFC personnel evaluator said. "They were almost writing him off (in New York) early on but he's blossomed."
Thomas' performance mirrored Darrisaw's, with an 89.0 pass block win rate on 234 opportunities.
Though ESPN stated above that it was a knee injury, the team announced last season at the time that Thomas underwent surgery for a Lisfranc injury.
Thomas has given the Giants flashes of being an elite left tackle in the NFL, but they haven't been able to enjoy his presence for an entire season. The former No. 4 overall pick appeared in 16 games during his rookie campaign in 2020 and last played a full season in 2022.
Over the last two seasons, Thomas has appeared in a total of 16 games. In 2024, Thomas allowed four sacks and 16 total pressures on 261 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
Both Thomas and the Giants need the Georgia product to put together a fully healthy season. If he succeeds in that, New York's offense should have a much more positive outlook.
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