Andrew Thomas (American football)
A rock-solid offensive tackle who became the foundational piece of the New York Giants' offensive line rebuild after being a top-five draft pick.
Born 1999 (age 27)·American football player·Birthday: January 22·Generation Z
Biography
Andrew Thomas arrived in the NFL with the weight of a franchise on his broad shoulders. Drafted fourth overall by the New York Giants in 2020, he was immediately anointed as the cornerstone left tackle tasked with protecting the team's investment in quarterback Daniel Jones. His transition from a dominant college career at Georgia, where he was a key part of a punishing rushing attack, wasn't perfectly smooth, facing the typical rookie challenges against elite pass rushers. But Thomas displayed a technician's mindset, refining his footwork and hand placement with each season. By his second year, he had silenced critics, playing at a Pro Bowl level and establishing himself as one of the league's most reliable blindside guardians. His quiet, workmanlike demeanor belies a fierce competitiveness that has made him the steadying force for a team in flux.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Andrew was born in 1999, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andrew Was Born
The biggest hits of 1999
#1 Movie
Star Wars: Episode I
Best Picture
American Beauty
#1 TV Show
ER
Andrew's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1999Born
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2004Started school
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2012Became a teenager
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2015Could drive
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2017Could vote
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2020Turned 21
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 27 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Named a Second-Team All-Pro in 2022, recognizing him as one of the two best offensive tackles in the entire NFL that season.
- Started every game at left tackle for the Giants in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, demonstrating rare durability for the position.
- Was a key member of the University of Georgia offensive line that won the 2018 SEC Championship and reached the National Championship game.
- Received the Joe Moore Award in 2019 as part of the nation's top collegiate offensive line unit at Georgia.
Did You Know?
He majored in Sport Management at the University of Georgia.
Thomas was a highly recruited basketball player in high school in Lithonia, Georgia.
He wears jersey number 78 for the New York Giants.
He started his college career playing right tackle before moving to the left side, where he excelled.
“My job is simple: protect the quarterback, dominate the man in front of me.”
