Scouting Report: Andrew Thomas, OT Georgia
Andrew Thomas has started for the Georgia Bulldogs since the moment he walked on campus in Athens. As a true freshman, he earned freshman All-American honors, starting the entire season at right tackle. For his sophomore and junior seasons, he was moved over to left tackle where he was one of the best players in the country, earning First Team All-American honors from Sports Illustrated in 2018 and then Walter Camp All-American First Team in 2019 among others. Thomas was also awarded the SEC's Jacobs Blocking Award and was a co-MVP of the Bulldogs this past season.
Athletic Profile
Age: 21 (Born January 22nd, 1999)
Height: 6'5 1/8"
Weight: 315 lbs
40-Yard Dash: 5.22
Broad Jump: 9'1"
Vertical Jump: 30.5"
3-Cone Drill: 7.58
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.66
Bench Press: 21 Reps
Thomas tested like an elite athlete. His straight line speed is good, not great. His explosion metrics are fantastic. And his agility among the best of those that tested. His height is prototypical. From his size to his ballast to his movement skills, Thomas has everything necessary to perform at the highest level. His age also bodes well for his future.
Run Blocking
Thomas is a good positional blocker. He is quick, able to get in position efficiently and his big body makes it difficult for opponents to get around him. He also has a base that makes it virtually impossible for collegiate level players to go through him.
He has issues when it comes to drive blocking. When Thomas wants to explode out of his stance, he can end up whiffing on blocks or being unable to sustain them. Some of this can be due to ending up too high, but he just doesn't do a consistent enough job when it comes to blocking while driving his feet, maintaining the right position.
That said, Thomas can block down with the best of them. For the poor opponents who doesn't realize what's coming, Thomas will crumple them and drive them out of the play. Occasionally, he'll end up too high, but he's going to take someone with him.
When it comes to moving targets, Thomas seems to understand that going for a kill shot doesn't help him. He can break down better, but he typically lands the block and prevents the opponent from making the tackle. His movement skills are excellent and he can get out and execute all kinds of plays that ask him to get out and lead the way.
Thomas has the ability to be a power house run blocker on the left side of the line, but he's not consistent at this point. There are still issues he needs to iron out and details he needs to work on including his pad level and doing better at staying on blocks. If that gets better in the NFL, he can become a truly full service, franchise left tackle.
Pass Protection
Andrew Thomas was the best pass protector in the country this past season and it's not difficult to see why. His patience on when to engage the opponent as well as turn his hips is impressive. He is easily able to get to his pass sets quickly, doesn't guess what the opponent is trying to do and can adjust on the fly because he has little wasted motion.
Despite being one of the smaller of the top tackles, smaller being a relative term, at a hair over 6'5" 315 pounds, he offers as much ballast as any of them save for Mekhi Becton. Beyond his agility and length, he's just difficult to get around, which is a big advantage in pass protection. The few times Thomas has been at a disadvantage, he's often able to recover and still win the rep. His weight distribution is excellent, he's easily able to anchor and generate power. And he can run a guy out of a play when needed.
His only real issue is when his stance gets lazy and he appears to be tired. At that point, he can get beat before the rep even starts because he's not getting any drive off of his front foot into his pass set. If that area of his game improves and he puts in the effort to get a great stance, he's going to be incredibly difficult to beat in the NFL.
Fit, Usage and Projection for the Browns
Thomas is a plug and play left tackle in the Browns wide zone scheme. No, Georgia didn't run a heavy zone scheme and Thomas will have to learn the nuances, but he has all of the tools to learn and execute it. He already pass protects at a remarkably high level. While he has to adjust to the speed of the NFL as well as life in general, there's little to suggest he can't come in and be at least effective immediately. He has the potential to be a franchise left tackle and form an impressive tandem next to Joel Bitonio at left guard. There may be players the Browns prefer over Thomas, but if he's on the board when they pick, he warrants the selection,
