No. 78 and the New York Giants Player Who Wore It Best

Andrew Thomas has been a rock for the Giants offensive line when healthy.

New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (78) and his teammates run onto the field moments before kickoff, Sunday, October 13, 2024, in East Rutherford. | Kevin Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The countdown to the start of the New York Giants’ 2025 season is underway, as we’re now 78 days away from the opening kickoff against the Washington Commanders. To count down the days until then, we look at the best players to wear the corresponding number for the Giants.

Who Wore #78 in at Least One Regular Season Game*

DT Al DeRogatis (1949-52), T Everett Douglas (1953), DE Barney Poole (1954), DE Walt Yowarsky (1955-57), OL Bob Schmidt (1959), OT Don Boll (1960), OT/DT Lane Howell (1963-64), DT Roger LaLonde (1965), OT Francis Peay (1966-67), OT Steve Wright (1968-69), OT Wayne Walton (1971), DE Roy Hilton (1974), OT Gus Coppens (1979), DT George Small (1980), DT Carl Barisich (1981), DT Jerome Sally (1982-86), OT Kevin Meuth (1987), G Greg Bishop (1993-98), OT Mike Rosenthal (1999-2002), OT Jason Hilliard (2004), OT Stacy Andrews (2011), DT Markus Kuhn (2012-15), DE Romeo Okwara (2016-17), OT James Brown (2018), OT Andrew Thomas (2020-present)

*Jersey numbers per Pro Football Reference.

Which Giants Player Wore It Best?

Andrew Thomas is one player within the Giants organization that, when we do our annual "Most Indispensable Giants" series, finds himself sitting pretty atop the select order based on the incredible difference he has made to the success, or lack thereof, of the starting offensive line.

Since he was drafted No. 4 overall by New York in the 2020 NFL Draft, Thomas has undoubtedly been the team's stalwart pass protector on the left side of the offensive front, and his numbers speak for themselves. 

In five seasons in East Rutherford, Thomas has only graded less than a 71.8 score in pass blocking once, which was his rookie season in 2020, and has consistently finished as the best player among the entire offensive line.

In over 2,300 passing snaps with the Giants, Thomas has averaged a 96.6 blocking efficiency rate while allowing just 129 overall pressures, including 23 sacks and 19 quarterback hits.

Over the past four seasons, he hasn't given up more than 21 total pressures and four sacks, ensuring that whoever was out there under center didn't have to worry much about edge rushers wrecking the play from the left blindside.

Even last season, when former quarterback Daniel Jones was still in command of the offense, having his trusty security guard, Thomas, was a significant factor in him not getting pummeled in the pocket during the first few weeks of the schedule.

The Giants' arm was only taken down more than two times in one game of the first quarter of the slate, that being the season opener against the Vikings (5 sacks), and the front kept posting some of the best team pass block win rate percentages across the league.

As soon as Thomas goes down, everything seems to shift in the proficiency of the offensive line, and that is one of the sole concerns with the 26-year-old's time in New York. 

He has fallen victim to lower body ailments in each of the last two seasons, an ankle injury in 2023 and a season-ending Lisfranc injury in 2024, costing him a total of 18 games, the seven most recent helping the Giants slide to 26th in pass block win rate by the end of their miserable 3-14 campaign.

Thomas has fought hard to play through injuries when he can, and what makes him an even more impressive player to wear this jersey number is what he has accomplished in the face of adversity.

He might have the toughest job going up against elite edge rushers, and those one-on-matchups can be arduous when he's playing on a bum leg. However, Thomas still managed to earn a 71.8 pass-blocking grade while allowing only four sacks and 16 total pressures last fall, his best season in the latter category, which was enough for a top-50 placement in his position.

No other offensive lineman in recent memory has shown as much early and sustained prowess as Thomas has for what has largely been a mediocre Giants franchise during his time there.

He continues to improve with every season under his belt, but everyone has to hold their breath to see if he can overcome the injury bug that has derailed his last two campaigns and build quickly upon his resume.

Who's Wearing It Now?

NY Giants tackle Andrew Thomas talks to players during the Section 1 flag football clinic at Somers High School in Lincolndale, NY on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Kelly Marsh/Special to The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Andrew Thomas is entering his fifth season donning the No. 78 jersey while playing for the New York Giants, and, assuming he doesn't suffer any more serious career-threatening injuries, he figures to be the sole owner of that number for the long-term future.

The Giants need him to stay on the field this season if they want their revamped offensive huddle to reach its maximum potential. For some reason, it's clear that the rest of the offensive line performs better when Thomas is available in the left tackle spot and then without him.

When he and starting right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor hold down the bookends, it takes some of the pressure off the interior spots, which are still a work in progress. It also leads to a better pass protection unit, which in turn allows the rest of the offense to flow smoothly in both phases. 

It will be critical for that to show itself in 2025 so that Russell Wilson and his new arsenal of receiving weapons have the time to let the plays develop and create in explosive ways that were absent last time around.

Forget looking too far back in the history books to try to see which Giants player was the greatest to wear No. 78. That distinction still lives on with Thomas and will likely stand the test of time.