The 2020 NFL Draft begins its first day on April 23rd as a number of former Georgia Bulldogs expect to hear their names called.
The Georgia players who declared for the draft include former Dawgs offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. Thomas, a three year starter while in Athens, had a standout junior year last season, helping the Dawgs have the top-rated O-line in the country.
In the latest edition of ESPN’s NFL Mock Draft, draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has Andrew Thomas going 14th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay already has one of the top receiving corps in the NFL with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and to top that off head coach Bruce Arians has been gifted six-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady for the next two seasons.
Kiper projects Tampa Bay to go with protection this draft to beef up their already beefy offensive line that ranked 7th in the league last season. The idea here is pass protection to give an aging Brady some more time in the pocket to hit his All-Pro receivers.
Thomas is the perfect fit for an air raid offense. He has an NFL-ready frame at 6’5″ 320 lbs, is a top-three prospect in the pass blocking category and has an even better run blocking grade. Hit footwork and edge blocking are strong points in his game, giving teams confidence his skill set will translate to the NFL well.
