New York Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas overcame a tough rookie campaign to establish himself as one of the league’s elite. A season ago, he was named Second-Team All-Pro but was snubbed for the Pro Bowl.
At 24 years old, Thomas is only just entering his prime. His best football remains ahead of him and given his current progression, he will likely become the top left tackle in the NFL.
For that reason, it comes as little surprise that Thomas has been named to the NFL’s All-Under-25 Team.
In the span of a few days in early 1999, two of the NFL’s top tackles under 25 years old were born. Thomas arrived first — he was born on Jan. 22, two days before Wirfs — but he didn’t earn All-Pro status until last season, as a second-team selection. Brian Daboll’s arrival certainly contributed to New York’s turnaround, but give Thomas credit for staying dedicated to improving. The results are indisputable. It turns out former Giants GM Dave Gettleman made a good pick when he drafted Thomas in 2020.
This offseason, Thomas avoided surgery for the first time in his professional career and spent the extra time in the weight room. His overall goal was to strengthen his upper body and become more consistent.
“I would say upper-body strength has been a big focus for me. And then a lot of like mobility prehab stuff for your hips, knees, ankles, just like body maintenance stuff. Then on the field, just trying to be more consistent with my punches, my hand placement and then consistency with my sets as well,” Thomas told the Giants Huddle Podcast.
The Giants hope second-year right tackle Evan Neal follows the same path blazed by Thomas.
