Giants top pick Andrew Thomas doesn't miss a beat off the field, either
Georgia offensive lineman Andrew Thomas is shown on the sideline during the second half of an NCAA football game against Arkansas State on Sept. 14, 2019, in Athens, Ga. Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS/John Bazemore
Before he was pounding on defenders, Andrew Thomas was banging on drums.
For most of the time he was growing up in Lithonia, Georgia, Thomas’ focus was on music.
“I’m very musically inclined, growing up in the church, played the drums and things like that,” said Thomas, the Giants' selection at No. 4 overall in Thursday night's NFL Draft. “My freshman year in high school, I was still in the band, enjoying everything, and my head coach, Chris Slade, told me I had a chance to write my own ticket playing football . . . I still love music, but I put my focus on football and I’m here now.”
Being 6-5 and 320 pounds helped make that decision for him. But the offensive tackle still stuck with both, even if he began prioritizing football.
“At my high school, I’d be at the pep rally and I’d be playing in the band with my jersey on and then I’d go over to the football team and do the football things,” he said.
He even toyed with the idea of doing that at the University of Georgia. No dice.
“When I went to college, I couldn’t do that anymore, so I transitioned to playing piano,” he said.
Thomas said some of his teammates in high school gave him grief about his musical tendencies.
“But one of my best friends did the same thing, so we both played in the drum line and then came over and played for the football team,” he said. “It wasn’t too hard.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
