How a Special Friendship Helped Shape Andrew Thomas' NFL Destiny
Behind every great man, there is often a great mentor.
For Giants' first-round draft pick Andrew Thomas, he found his mentor in his former Pace Academy high school offensive coordinator and line coach, Kevin Johnson.
Johnson was among the small group of family members there when Thomas got the call from the Giants Thursday night, chuckled when he recalled the scene.
“The Giants called, but it got disconnected," he said via a phone interview. "They called back, and Andrew looked up while the camera was rolling and told the news people to be ready.
“When he got the call, emotions were high," Johnson added. "It was just an exciting time for the young man. Anyone who knows him knows how hard he works, which he doesn’t get enough credit for. For this to happen, it was a beautiful thing.”
Thomas, who had had a pre-draft call with Judge, knew that there was a strong possibility he’d end up in Giants Blue on draft night.
“The last thing coach Joe Judge said to Andrew on that (pre-draft) call was that he was going to call him on Thursday to see if he’s ready to be a Giant,” Johnson said.
“When he said that, immediately we knew.”
Early Beginnings
Johnson himself is no stranger to the college game or the SEC, having once played for the South Carolina Gamecocks in 1998-99.
Although his career path turned to coaching, he's seen some promising prospects but none who have quite accomplished what Thomas has so far.
“We got to know each other more on a personal level. We spent a lot of time together and spent a lot of camps together. He even slept over my house.
"It was just a unique process as a coach when you see something special in a player athletically and as a person. You want to make sure you put all the right pieces around him. He was looking for a person to help guide him to where he wanted to go.”
As that bond between Johnson and Thomas developed, so too did a winning mentality. One of the many things that impressed Johnson was Thomas' intelligence.
“He’s a very smart young man. Played on both sides of the ball. He was an all-state lineman, both ways.”
Johnson says the most important thing he taught Thomas, who is the first player he coached to be drafted by the NFL, was to be grounded, humble, and to work hard.
Those qualities, along with Thomas' natural talents, should give the young man a good basis for success.
“He’s smart and understands the game," Johnson said. "He watches football constantly and is always studying. He has a lot of pride and wants to be the best."
He better want all that because Johnson will be keeping a close eye on his friend and pupil.
"He knows I’m watching his technique. If I see him leaning or lunging or bending his shoulders, I’m sending him texts telling him to tighten up.
“It’s going to be exciting once he gets into camp because I know what he brings to the table. He will focus on staying healthy and God will protect him. You will see a young man who’s going to bring it every day and never take a play off.”
Apr 23, 2020; Andrew Thomas, center, smiles during the 2020 NFL Draft as he is surrounded by family and friends.
NFL/Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports
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Johnson has coached a lot of young men in his career, so he had no reservations about telling anyone who asked that the Giants were getting the best tackle in the draft.
Still, his opinions didn't necessarily align with those of the talking heads, and draft analysts paid to give opinions about the top prospects.
Johnson was not surprised when Thomas's name was the first one called from the “big four” of Thomas, Iowa's Tristan Wirfs, Louisville's Mekhi Becton, and Alabama's Jedrick Wills.
“The last three or four weeks, I’ve been texting with his agent nonstop. I was confident he would be the first one off the board," Johnson said.
"I told someone earlier in the week, you can’t deny his body of work (41 games in the SEC). I always say there are three leagues that matter: The AFC, the NFC, and the SEC. Those are the three most important leagues, and you can’t deny that.”
So why did Thomas, who played 41 games in the SEC and who only allowed five sacks in three seasons in route to First-Team All-SEC the last two seasons, not get more respect from the draft analysts?
“I think people got too intoxicated with guys 40-yard dash times," Johnson said.
"For Andrew, he didn’t do as well as he wanted in the 40, but he killed the other field drills. At the end of the day, linemen aren’t running 40-yard dashes."
A Bright Future in the Big City
Even as Thomas, who grew up in Lithonia, Georgia, prepares to make the jump to the Big Apple, his friend and mentor will be right there to lend a guiding hand.
Johnson, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, where he was Big Apple Coach of the Year in 2006, 2008, and 2009, is just one of a small team of trusted friends, family, and advisors whom Thomas can turn to if something unexpected arises.
“We have the right team behind him. It’s our job to make sure he adjusts to the bright lights of the city and keeps his head down and works,” Johnson said.
“I think he’ll be fine. It’s like going to France or a new country. You look around and absorb the beauty at first, but you know you’re there for one reason. Roc Nation (Thomas’ agency) will have him on point, and he will be ready to go.”
But at what position will Thomas play? Giants' head coach offered no clues during his call with reporters Thursday night, other than to say that he wants his tackles to be able to play on both sides of the line.
If that’s the case, then Thomas, Johnson believes, will be ready to do that.
“He’s a left tackle, but he can play all four guard and tackle positions,” he said. “He’s going to do whatever the Giants ask of him because he wants to be the (rock) for the organization.”
