Andrew Thomas...when is it time to worry?

field!

He wasn’t a reach and everyone here loved the pick.

Peart at the left, and let him adjust..

I would start to worry if there is no imlrovement by the end of the year

When the coaching staff shows signs of worry.

after the 1st pre-season game and he is still getting no one blocked.

In comment 15024469 nygiants16 said:

Quote:

Peart at the left, and let him adjust.. I would start to worry if there is no imlrovement by the end of the year

Yes. I think the original plan before Solder left was for him to play on the right side anyway

If they are not worried.

Concerned now. There are rookie struggles and then there is getting beat like a red headed step-child. The fact of the matter is Thomas is giving up pressure each way til Sunday. Power, speed, inside, outside. He’s a Burger King spokesman right now. Have it your way.

So after the next one.

Why has nobody else brought this up?

I’ve read in numerous places that he was the first OT drafted because he was the most pro ready of the tackles. From what I’ve seen and read, he seems like the least pro ready. Becton today looked far more polished against the Bills than Thomas has looked at any time and Becton, who was regarded as the least pro ready, dominated at times. Thomas has shown nothing to date to warrant being taken first OT much less the 4th pick in the draft.

It’s fundamentals he’s not getting. It would be the same on the right side. He keeps reverting back to things he’s gotten away with in college. Didn’t scouts see any of that? He’s not planting his right foot apparently and rushers are blowing through his inside shoulder as a result and not giving Jones anywhere to step up. I think they should make him practice with weights on his ankles. If he hasn’t corrected these flaws next year I think you could start worrying.

this guy absolutely sucks. worse than flowers. thomas was not billed as and was never considered a project. the giants blew the 4th pick in the draft, as becton and wirfs are significantly better

Why has he still been starting at left tackle aside from the Washington game?

In comment 15024482 robbieballs2003 said:

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Why has nobody else brought this up?

was thinking the same thing. So glad we have people who bring insightful discussions to the table.

and he's gotten worse. So anytime works.

In comment 15024473 section125 said:

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after the 1st pre-season game and he is still getting no one blocked.

This. He has struggled, but he has also struggled after zero offseason and playing some tough defensive fronts. Pitt, Chicago, 49ers, Dallas (Lawreence, Smith and Crawford are no slouches), Rams and Wash have pretty top notch DEs and rush backers.

Compare that to everybody's hero in Becton (widely regarded as the 3rd or 4th best OT going into the draft) who has played the 49ers, Colts and not much else in terms of DL talent.

The answer is probably cliser to early next season. You really cant evaluate him at this point

In comment 15024468 Saquads26 said:

Quote:

He wasn’t a reach and everyone here loved the pick.

I hated the pick. Not Thomas in particular but DG should have been able to trade down a few picks for anything and get any of the top 4 OTs. It wasn't anything close to a value pick and Thomas was regarded as the highest floor/lowest ceiling OT in the draft. Looks like the floor is dropping already? I still don't think DG has the intellect to negotiate a solid trade. When has he made a trade where the Giants have benefited more than the other franchise? I think that's why he's so scared to trade down.

However, every player is different, some guys struggle at first. I was also worried about Corey Webster but he turn out alright. All hope is not lost.

But yes, at this point in the season I was hoping to see better play from him.

In comment 15024468 Saquads26 said:

Quote:

He wasn’t a reach and everyone here loved the pick.

There were a lot of differences of opinion by draft gurus on this.

There is very ample room to criticize DG for this

next year, when he turns 22 years old, and has had time to address his issues. He needs to get stronger and be in balance in his sets.

My biggest worry with him (why I had him behind Wills, Becton, and Wirfs in that order), is his lack of balance. The reason the Flowers experiment didn't work.

I didn't know if that could be fixed. I really hope for our sake it can, but its up to the young man and a lot of work. He has all the tools, but he has to change the way he's doing things.

when the Giants had their choice of tackles and seems like they took the worst of those realistic for their draft spot.

Highest floor? NFL ready? Best technique? Those terms thrown around post-draft about Thomas don't indicate a player who needs a year to get acclimated to the NFL game. Thomas looks like the project tackle.

In comment 15024509 pjcas18 said:

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when the Giants had their choice of tackles and seems like they took the worst of those realistic for their draft spot. Highest floor? NFL ready? Best technique? Those terms thrown around post-draft about Thomas don't indicate a player who needs a year to get acclimated to the NFL game. Thomas looks like the project tackle.

yes he was supposed to be the most pro ready according to DG. becton and wirfs were the freak athletes and they are already better technically by a wide margin. someone really dropped the ball on this

In comment 15024504 GiantsFan84 said:

Quote:

In comment 15024468 Saquads26 said: Quote: He wasn’t a reach and everyone here loved the pick. There were a lot of differences of opinion by draft gurus on this. There is very ample room to criticize DG for this

I think he's being facetious

Right fucking now!

He looks like the sort of draft bust that will set this hell-hole franchise back another three years.

Way too early to give up but scared. We needed to hit in that pick. If he can be an All Pro anywhere on the OL we can survive. He just can't be a bust.

Rookies are usually up and down. He has strictly been down since week 3.

In comment 15024516 Anakim said:

Quote:

In comment 15024504 GiantsFan84 said: Quote: In comment 15024468 Saquads26 said: Quote: He wasn’t a reach and everyone here loved the pick. There were a lot of differences of opinion by draft gurus on this. There is very ample room to criticize DG for this I think he's being facetious

I don't know if he was. PFF loved thomas coming out

over Thomas. He has played very few games and had limited practice time prior to the season. A young team with new coaches was never going to succeed the way this season was set up. Everyone is frustrated and hopefully the Maras don't panic and clean house again with the Coaches. Lets give Judge another year and just file this season away.

7 games into his career and take the sunk cost. ..... People need to relax. What Becton and the others are doing is irrelevant. If he hasn’t shown any proven in year 2, then we should worry.

In comment 15024493 chopperhatch said:

Quote:

In comment 15024473 section125 said: Quote: after the 1st pre-season game and he is still getting no one blocked. This. He has struggled, but he has also struggled after zero offseason and playing some tough defensive fronts. Pitt, Chicago, 49ers, Dallas (Lawreence, Smith and Crawford are no slouches), Rams and Wash have pretty top notch DEs and rush backers. Compare that to everybody's hero in Becton (widely regarded as the 3rd or 4th best OT going into the draft) who has played the 49ers, Colts and not much else in terms of DL talent. The answer is probably cliser to early next season. You really cant evaluate him at this point

Yeah, and when Becton went against the Niners, he only had to face Bosa, who he had no trouble with. But who's counting.

The minute Thomas was drafted
"He was my fourth Offensive Tackle...I did not see elite recoverability, quickness or athleticism...there were better options on the board." - ( New Window )

Baldinger nails it. It is called a kick slide for a reason. You kick back with your outside leg and SLIDE your inside foot. You also have to stay square to the LoS meaning your shoulders are parallel to the LoS until at the right moment. Thomas doesn't know what that moment is. He's too slow with his kick slide, which means that he is turning his shoulders too quick. Teams study that and are attacking him inside because they know he cannot recover because of that technique. Them we get to what Baldinger was talking about that his inside foot is way to high and cannot plant it in the ground. He's all over the place. Switching him to the right side isn't going to do anything but slow down his progression.

This isn't even taking in the mental aspect of the game where he is slow to read stunts. Too much is going in around him.

If I am a coach I am making it simple on him. I am having him focus on not getting beat inside. That has to come first. He's so worried about getting beat outside that he is struggling with everything. I am saying hey nobody gets inside of you. That's your focus then adjust to the outside stuff. Then I would have TEs and WRs help slow down the initial rush of defenders and have backs help chip. Put him in a position to gain some confidence with something and then slowly build off of that.

All I heard from Thomas since getting drafted was his hand placement and he needs to fix that. The problem is his footwork is horrendous. His hand placement doesn't mean shit if he's not in position to punch.

day

Everyone needs to take a Valium and relax

In comment 15024468 Saquads26 said:

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He wasn’t a reach and everyone here loved the pick.

People on a fan forum liked the guy so an NFL GM is exonerated if it proves to be a terrible decision. That checks out

In comment 15024468 Saquads26 said:

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He wasn’t a reach and everyone here loved the pick.

I agree he wasn't particularly a reach, but there were quite a few here who didn't love the pick.

Thomas isn't just struggling, he's one of the worst tackles in the league right now.

I'm concerned. The Giants have bungled line picks for years (and our Director of College Scouting has been with the franchise for 15 years). When you add in how good some other guys have looked, it's concerning.

Just to be clear, our director of college Scouting has only been in that position since 2018. He was a scout the other years.

Is the weakest shit up here when it comes to Thomas. Everyone in the division can rush the passer. He has to be able to hold his own vs good competition if he’s ever going to justify the pick.

in run blocking. His pass blocking is the biggest concern. I think he’ll get better. He’s still very young and athletic. Maybe he should have stayed for his senior year?! So it appears he wasn’t the most NFL ready after all and that’s OK. I think he’ll still be a good LT. Can’t be concerned yet. He’s played all of 7 games in the NFL without any preseason and is playing one of the hardest positions, except CB and QB to start in this league as a rookie. He was no slouch in college and had many awards and accolades.

In comment 15024568 santacruzom said:

Quote:

In comment 15024468 Saquads26 said: Quote: He wasn’t a reach and everyone here loved the pick. I agree he wasn't particularly a reach, but there were quite a few here who didn't love the pick.

I didnt love it, but not so much because of the player. I had a hard time differentiating between the 4 OT's, and because of that, I really was hoping for a minor trade down a few spots (assuming there was someone who wanted to move up to 4 for someone) and then take whichever OT was left standing, and also pick up an extra pick or two so we could fill a couple of holes, mainly WR because of the deep class. But when they made the pick, I figured that someone in their scouting department or DG saw something in Thomas that made him stand out among the group. Whatever that is.....obviously havent seen it yet.

In comment 15024536 robbieballs2003 said:

Quote:

Baldinger nails it. It is called a kick slide for a reason. You kick back with your outside leg and SLIDE your inside foot. You also have to stay square to the LoS meaning your shoulders are parallel to the LoS until at the right moment. Thomas doesn't know what that moment is. He's too slow with his kick slide, which means that he is turning his shoulders too quick. Teams study that and are attacking him inside because they know he cannot recover because of that technique. Them we get to what Baldinger was talking about that his inside foot is way to high and cannot plant it in the ground. He's all over the place. Switching him to the right side isn't going to do anything but slow down his progression. This isn't even taking in the mental aspect of the game where he is slow to read stunts. Too much is going in around him. If I am a coach I am making it simple on him. I am having him focus on not getting beat inside. That has to come first. He's so worried about getting beat outside that he is struggling with everything. I am saying hey nobody gets inside of you. That's your focus then adjust to the outside stuff. Then I would have TEs and WRs help slow down the initial rush of defenders and have backs help chip. Put him in a position to gain some confidence with something and then slowly build off of that.

I actually think the one area that he's good at, is picking up stunts with Hernandez. For some reason, that seems more natural, but we are getting to a point where we ask, is he a better interior player? This really can't go on all year.

He was the best LT prospect coming out of the best conference. It was the right choice for the LT. Unfortunately he is struggling

Don’t recall any NFL team, scout, etc thinking Wirfs was an NFL left tackle most thought he would be a G

Wills never played LT in college

Beckton was not considered as good as Thomas

It sucks right now he is struggling, but it is only 7 games

People say “move him to the right tackle”. We didn’t spend the overall 4 on an RT did we? And why would AT be good at RT when isn’t good at LT?

Anyway, the time to worry is now. It’s not like he can’t get better. But, why wouldn’t anyone be worried now? He’s getting beat every week in every way imaginable. Seriously, what’s not to worry about?

spots for years and make All-Pro teams, I couldn't care who plays RT or LT. I'll consider it a big success.

In comment 15024613 stretch234 said:

Quote:

He was the best LT prospect coming out of the best conference. It was the right choice for the LT. Unfortunately he is struggling Don’t recall any NFL team, scout, etc thinking Wirfs was an NFL left tackle most thought he would be a G Wills never played LT in college Beckton was not considered as good as Thomas It sucks right now he is struggling, but it is only 7 games

Some people had Becton ahead of Thomas. DJ I believe had Becton as his #1 OT.

In comment 15024629 PatersonPlank said:

Quote:

spots for years and make All-Pro teams, I couldn't care who plays RT or LT. I'll consider it a big success.

Speaking of Peart, why is he not getting snaps after his performance against Washington? He rated much better than Thomas. Joe Judge has said over and over that you earn playing time, and he doesn't care where you were drafted. Yet as Thomas keeps getting beat, Peart remains on the bench.

And I suppose Gallman after looking good against Philly will not play. And even worse, Engram not only gets snaps, but is counted on in clutch times. What a joke next week it will be watching Gronkowski, possibly the best tight end ever, and comparing his play to Engram, the most overrated player in the entire league.

In comment 15024631 Anakim said:

Quote:

In comment 15024613 stretch234 said: Quote: He was the best LT prospect coming out of the best conference. It was the right choice for the LT. Unfortunately he is struggling Don’t recall any NFL team, scout, etc thinking Wirfs was an NFL left tackle most thought he would be a G Wills never played LT in college Beckton was not considered as good as Thomas It sucks right now he is struggling, but it is only 7 games Some people had Becton ahead of Thomas. DJ I believe had Becton as his #1 OT.

Becton may very well have been seen as having the highest ceiling and the lowest floor. After Flowers that lowest floor part must have scared them away.

In comment 15024509 pjcas18 said:

Quote:

when the Giants had their choice of tackles and seems like they took the worst of those realistic for their draft spot. Highest floor? NFL ready? Best technique? Those terms thrown around post-draft about Thomas don't indicate a player who needs a year to get acclimated to the NFL game. Thomas looks like the project tackle.

That's what I've been saying too. They said he was NFL ready because he played in the SEC, but then you hear Georgia taught this whacky technique where he was back-pedaling without using a punch. To coach that out of a player is tough, and cancels out the whole NFL ready narrative.

Now - perhaps they thought he carried the most long-term upside, but this was absolutely a project at #4.

And Thomas getting time at RT. That would be a little early to end the experiment but they need to see if they have 2 starting tackles before next year.

If you're not worried yet, we need to check your dosage.

Not all players get up to NFL speed at the same rate, and with little offseason prep, and no preseason, it shouldn't be a shock when a rookie struggles.

If he is still having the same issues this time next year, then I will be very concerned.

.

we don't see improvement by the end of the year then we should be worried at that time. I expected him to struggle, but not this much. He has been awful.

and they never say he's pro ready. They say they like his skill set and that he went against good comp in the SEC, but that he has to come in and compete. So to be fair to them the pro ready piece seems to be media/fan driven, not from DG and Judge.

Doesn't mean that I'm excusing how much the kid is struggling, just that no one from the Giants said he is pro ready.

I also watched the first half of the Jets game and imo Becton struggled. Two sacks his guy was there a nano second behind the initial guy. He was getting beaten by speed. I know he has some highlight reel blocks, but that kid is struggling too. Haven't really watched Wirfs and Wills.

In comment 15024906 Jim in Forest Hills said:

Quote:

and they never say he's pro ready. They say they like his skill set and that he went against good comp in the SEC, but that he has to come in and compete. So to be fair to them the pro ready piece seems to be media/fan driven, not from DG and Judge. Doesn't mean that I'm excusing how much the kid is struggling, just that no one from the Giants said he is pro ready. I also watched the first half of the Jets game and imo Becton struggled. Two sacks his guy was there a nano second behind the initial guy. He was getting beaten by speed. I know he has some highlight reel blocks, but that kid is struggling too. Haven't really watched Wirfs and Wills.

I think they're all struggling, which is not surprising given the lack of an offseason, and the fact that they're rookies going up against established NFL edge rushers who are likely five to 10 years older. Thomas seems to be struggling more than the others, but as I said, I just want to see some improvement by the end of the year.

because that entire offense is so dreadful, there is no one else to watch.

In comment 15024469 nygiants16 said:

Quote:

Peart at the left, and let him adjust.. I would start to worry if there is no imlrovement by the end of the year

I wouldn't mind this. But, in my opinion, that means move him to RT NOW and Peart to LT. Let them both at these respective positions for several weeks this year, so we can properly evaluate our OL status. Along those lines, Lemieux needs to be playing LG immediately as well.

I think Thomas' play really puts the Giants in a very tough spot. He is regressing and playing at an embarrassingly bad level right now. It is obviously too early to give up on that high a pick. However, they are also coming off being burned by Flowers and have a dreadful OL. They really can't afford to waste another 2 or 3 years.

In comment 15024906 Jim in Forest Hills said:

Quote:

and they never say he's pro ready. They say they like his skill set and that he went against good comp in the SEC, but that he has to come in and compete. So to be fair to them the pro ready piece seems to be media/fan driven, not from DG and Judge. Doesn't mean that I'm excusing how much the kid is struggling, just that no one from the Giants said he is pro ready. I also watched the first half of the Jets game and imo Becton struggled. Two sacks his guy was there a nano second behind the initial guy. He was getting beaten by speed. I know he has some highlight reel blocks, but that kid is struggling too. Haven't really watched Wirfs and Wills.

Maybe they don't use the words "pro ready" even though others do, they clearly indicate they feel he's pro-ready and the PFF guy flat out says it:

Quote:

John Fennelly June 26, 2020 3:00 pm Why did the New York Giants choose Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas with the fourth overall selection in this year’s NFL Draft over the rest of the talented players at that position? The decision was easy. Thomas was simply the most complete and pro-ready tackle in the draft. .... “Andrew certainly has a hell of a pedigree, a three-year starter in the Southeast Conference,” said Giants general manager Dave Gettleman after he selected Thomas. “He’s played against some real quality defensive ends during his college career. He has played big time ball in front of a lot of people. We spent a lot of time with him off the field as well, numerous conversations. We spoke to him in Indianapolis and we just feel he is ready to make this jump…We feel very strongly that he is ready and capable. He’s going to come in and compete, nothing is being handed to him.” New Giants head coach Joe Judge agreed. Thomas was a no-brainer for them. “His skillset favors his opportunity to come in and contribute,” Judge said on the same conference call. “He’s long, he’s a good athlete, he has good short area redirect. One thing that sticks out about him is when you watch the top pass rushers, with the exception of maybe a couple in this draft, they have to go against him. You watch his college tape and he is going against all the guys that you are going to see get drafted in the next couple of days.”

In comment 15024964 pjcas18 said:

Quote:

In comment 15024906 Jim in Forest Hills said: Quote: and they never say he's pro ready. They say they like his skill set and that he went against good comp in the SEC, but that he has to come in and compete. So to be fair to them the pro ready piece seems to be media/fan driven, not from DG and Judge. Doesn't mean that I'm excusing how much the kid is struggling, just that no one from the Giants said he is pro ready. I also watched the first half of the Jets game and imo Becton struggled. Two sacks his guy was there a nano second behind the initial guy. He was getting beaten by speed. I know he has some highlight reel blocks, but that kid is struggling too. Haven't really watched Wirfs and Wills. Maybe they don't use the words "pro ready" even though others do, they clearly indicate they feel he's pro-ready and the PFF guy flat out says it: Quote: John Fennelly June 26, 2020 3:00 pm Why did the New York Giants choose Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas with the fourth overall selection in this year’s NFL Draft over the rest of the talented players at that position? The decision was easy. Thomas was simply the most complete and pro-ready tackle in the draft. .... “Andrew certainly has a hell of a pedigree, a three-year starter in the Southeast Conference,” said Giants general manager Dave Gettleman after he selected Thomas. “He’s played against some real quality defensive ends during his college career. He has played big time ball in front of a lot of people. We spent a lot of time with him off the field as well, numerous conversations. We spoke to him in Indianapolis and we just feel he is ready to make this jump…We feel very strongly that he is ready and capable. He’s going to come in and compete, nothing is being handed to him.” New Giants head coach Joe Judge agreed. Thomas was a no-brainer for them. “His skillset favors his opportunity to come in and contribute,” Judge said on the same conference call. “He’s long, he’s a good athlete, he has good short area redirect. One thing that sticks out about him is when you watch the top pass rushers, with the exception of maybe a couple in this draft, they have to go against him. You watch his college tape and he is going against all the guys that you are going to see get drafted in the next couple of days.”

Well done. First, there were multiple analysts and scouts calling him the most pro-ready or similar words. Second, while the Giants may not have explicitly siad it, their comments backed up this notion. Let's face it, the Giants drafted him specifically because they felt he was the one most ready to step in day one and play OT. It's unclear if they initially intended RT or LT for this year when they took him. You can live with him not performing as well as the other 3 top OTs this year if he was performing decently himself. But, he is performing terribly; he's performing like he doesn't belong on the field. That is what makes him potentially a bad pick already.

In comment 15024531 barens said:

Quote:

In comment 15024493 chopperhatch said: Quote: In comment 15024473 section125 said: Quote: after the 1st pre-season game and he is still getting no one blocked. This. He has struggled, but he has also struggled after zero offseason and playing some tough defensive fronts. Pitt, Chicago, 49ers, Dallas (Lawreence, Smith and Crawford are no slouches), Rams and Wash have pretty top notch DEs and rush backers. Compare that to everybody's hero in Becton (widely regarded as the 3rd or 4th best OT going into the draft) who has played the 49ers, Colts and not much else in terms of DL talent. The answer is probably cliser to early next season. You really cant evaluate him at this point Yeah, and when Becton went against the Niners, he only had to face Bosa, who he had no trouble with. But who's counting.

Bosa who got hurt with 7 mins left in the 1st quarter, so he only had "no trouble with him" for a few snaps.

Obviously you weren't counting.

.

In comment 15024554 Earl the goat said:

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Everyone needs to take a Valium and relax

So was Flowers. Who btw looked better his rookie year than Thomas has looked.

In comment 15024958 Matt M. said:

Quote:

In comment 15024469 nygiants16 said: Quote: Peart at the left, and let him adjust.. I would start to worry if there is no imlrovement by the end of the year I wouldn't mind this. But, in my opinion, that means move him to RT NOW and Peart to LT. Let them both at these respective positions for several weeks this year, so we can properly evaluate our OL status. Along those lines, Lemieux needs to be playing LG immediately as well. I think Thomas' play really puts the Giants in a very tough spot. He is regressing and playing at an embarrassingly bad level right now. It is obviously too early to give up on that high a pick. However, they are also coming off being burned by Flowers and have a dreadful OL. They really can't afford to waste another 2 or 3 years.

So if we end up picking #2 overall and Thomas has shown no improvement, you consider it a sunk cost and draft Sewell.

In comment 15025007 chopperhatch said:

Quote:

In comment 15024531 barens said: Quote: In comment 15024493 chopperhatch said: Quote: In comment 15024473 section125 said: Quote: after the 1st pre-season game and he is still getting no one blocked. This. He has struggled, but he has also struggled after zero offseason and playing some tough defensive fronts. Pitt, Chicago, 49ers, Dallas (Lawreence, Smith and Crawford are no slouches), Rams and Wash have pretty top notch DEs and rush backers. Compare that to everybody's hero in Becton (widely regarded as the 3rd or 4th best OT going into the draft) who has played the 49ers, Colts and not much else in terms of DL talent. The answer is probably cliser to early next season. You really cant evaluate him at this point Yeah, and when Becton went against the Niners, he only had to face Bosa, who he had no trouble with. But who's counting. Bosa who got hurt with 7 mins left in the 1st quarter, so he only had "no trouble with him" for a few snaps. Obviously you weren't counting.

You do know that Andrew Thomas struggled mightily against that same San Fran team, who were playing there backups.

what PFF score crack are you guys smoking? guy was a walking penalty

maybe that line was just better? he played next to pugh i believe.

In comment 15025140 barens said:

Quote:

In comment 15025007 chopperhatch said: Quote: In comment 15024531 barens said: Quote: In comment 15024493 chopperhatch said: Quote: In comment 15024473 section125 said: Quote: after the 1st pre-season game and he is still getting no one blocked. This. He has struggled, but he has also struggled after zero offseason and playing some tough defensive fronts. Pitt, Chicago, 49ers, Dallas (Lawreence, Smith and Crawford are no slouches), Rams and Wash have pretty top notch DEs and rush backers. Compare that to everybody's hero in Becton (widely regarded as the 3rd or 4th best OT going into the draft) who has played the 49ers, Colts and not much else in terms of DL talent. The answer is probably cliser to early next season. You really cant evaluate him at this point Yeah, and when Becton went against the Niners, he only had to face Bosa, who he had no trouble with. But who's counting. Bosa who got hurt with 7 mins left in the 1st quarter, so he only had "no trouble with him" for a few snaps. Obviously you weren't counting. You do know that Andrew Thomas struggled mightily against that same San Fran team, who were playing there backups.

I am not arguing that. My point is people are clamoring Becton as this norse god upfront and he hasnt been that. Yes he is very powerful in the run game. But he also hasnt played the level of comp as Thomas has. You could make the argument that Thomas has played against the very best D lines in football...maybe except for the Bucs. Becton has not. Andrew Thomas has also looked solid at times when the rest of the line fell apart.

that Thomas does not have.

Let's assume that Thomas is, in fact, more "pro ready" than Becton: better footwork, better at setting up defenders, all that jazz.

Becton is such an elite athlete that he's able to overcome his deficiencies in technique, skill, etc., and it's allowed him to perform decently through Week 7. As a rookie.

Through Week 7, Thomas has shown he doesn't have the elite athleticism to compensate for when his technique, skill, etc. fail him. As a rookie.

Becton could make some significant improvements to his technique in the next few years (he also might not make much improvement at all!), but Thomas certainly won't gain elite athleticism in the next few years.

The ceiling on Thomas is lower than Becton's ceiling because of the athleticism, but many expected Thomas to have a higher floor because Thomas knows the position and Becton's still learning (to be reductionist). That's not been the case: Thomas's floor is lower.

All of this is alarming.