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Packers Draft Prospect: Andrew Thomas Strengths and Weaknesses

By Brian Sampson

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 05: Andrew Thomas #71 of the Georgia Bulldogs warms up on the field before the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 05: Andrew Thomas #71 of the Georgia Bulldogs warms up on the field before the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /
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Andrew Thomas would be a home run pick for the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the NFL Draft. Here are his strengths and weaknesses.

Out with the old and in with the new seems to be the Green Bay Packers mantra at certain positions this offseason, including offensive tackle. They let Bryan Bulaga walk in free agency and brought in former Wisconsin Badger Ricky Wagner for a short-term solution. Could Andrew Thomas provide the long-term answer?

Thomas is one of the top-ranked offensive tackles in this year’s draft class and is projected to go in the back half of the first round. He’s likely too good to make it all the way to no. 30, but crazier things have happened.

Thomas was a First-Team Associated Press All-American last year given his strong work at Georgia. He’s also super dependable and would be a huge get for the Packers in this year’s draft. Here are his strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

Experience: Thomas was a five-star recruit and top-50 overall coming out of high school and was an immediate starter as a freshman at Georgia. He started on the right side and moved to the left tackle for his sophomore and junior campaigns. This experience is huge, as he’s ready to start on Day 1–something that’s attractive to a lot of teams, especially one that’s in a win-now mode like the Packers.

Strength: Thomas is a bulldog on the offensive line and will take the fight to the defense. He uses his strength (21 reps on the bench press) to do most of his work. Once he gets his hands on you, it’s over. His strength also bodes well alongside his competitive nature.

Great Recovery: As we’ll get to, Thomas doesn’t have great footwork which leads him to get out of place at times. The good news is he recovers beautifully and is never out of the play. This will be helpful right away, as he continues to refine his game.

Weaknesses

Footwork: Thomas is much more of a mauler than anything else and could use some improvement in his footwork–especially in pass protection. He seems to lack footspeed that allows him to consistently keep up with speed rushers coming off the edge.

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Flexibility: His hips are also a little tight that sometimes makes it difficult to move in open space and find his man on the go.

Full scouting report on NFL.com

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