The Giants Stupidity index
New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman chose Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas fourth overall in the 2020 NFL draft. As a team far away from contending, it wasn’t inspiring, but it was necessary.
Drafting offensive linemen in the first round is a lot like drinking Bud Light.
It’s not the most fun, it doesn’t move the needle, and it doesn’t get other people’s attention. However, over the course of the afternoon/evening/season, offensive linemen and Bud Light get the job done.
Before the night can pick up and Bud Light can be swapped out, the oven needs to get warmed up. The Giants drafting Thomas will allow both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley to be better — like drinking a couple Bud Lights at the pregame will make the night better.
Prior to selecting Thomas with the 4th overall pick, the Giants had drafted just four offensive linemen in the last five years. Two of them, Bobby Hart and Ereck Flowers, are no longer with the team. The third, Adam Bisnowaty is no longer in the league. The fourth, of course, is Will Hernandez, who was fine but not great in year two.
By virtue of general manager Dave Gettleman being on the hot seat, he needed to find the quickest result possible. Drafting a ready to go day one starter at offensive tackle makes the Giants better come week one. No matter what, Thomas is better than any other tackle New York could start from the get-go.
Thomas started as a freshman at the University of Georgia, a zone run based offense. For the Bulldogs to be competitive, it needed their running backs to keep the offense ahead of the chains to not force quarterback Jake Fromm into obvious passing situations.
It makes sense that both Thomas and his opposite tackle, Isaiah Wilson, went in the first round. These are both strong run blockers that can create gaps for running plays. However, the glaring hole in Thomas’ game is his technique as a blocker.
If New York can get even slightly above replacement level play from Thomas, it’d be an improvement. If the Georgia product can be good, the Giants offense might have a chance to create plays at the point of attack.
Assuming Jason Garrett, the team’s new offensive coordinator, doesn’t have an epiphany, New York will be a run first team. This means amplifying Barkley’s skill-set will be the primary focus of the offense. With Thomas in the fold, the Penn State product won’t be running for his life every single play.
It feels weird saying it, but Gettleman selecting Thomas was easily the best first round pick of his tenure. In terms of value, an offensive lineman at a fixed price for four years and then a fifth year option is important in terms of roster building.
On top of not trying to overthink the fourth pick, Gettleman was a social distancing king. Putting on a mask when the G.M. knew he was on national TV was a great example for the rest of the country.
For the first time in Gettleman’s tenure, he didn’t do something stupid. I’d have preferred a trade back, but it wasn’t there. A starting offensive lineman with a high floor that was a slight reach is tolerable from this regime.
