Latest news with #EvanNeal
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Giants Recent First-Round 'Bust' Faces Make-Or-Break Situation
Giants Recent First-Round 'Bust' Faces Make-Or-Break Situation originally appeared on Athlon Sports. New York Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal was supposed to bring about positive change for the organization. Advertisement As the former No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and the second top-10 pick by the then-new regime, Neal and EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux were expected to usher in a new era of Giants football. But what the fan base has been given, on the field, has been much of the same. Thibodeaux now finds his name daily in the trade rumor mill. But Neal is worse off. Neal's tribulations have been well documented. He has struggled in his natural tackle position and has moved inside to guard. The Giants hope this position change will finally allow the Alabama Crimson Tide product to show he belongs as a starter — and a good one — in the NFL. Advertisement There are now financial reasons Giants fans want to see that happen this year. Neal is one of 26 players on the current Giants roster in the final year of his contract. That's why The Athletic called Neal the team's biggest contract worth watching. "Neal earned plenty of starting reps this spring as the Giants managed their starters' workloads," The Athletic said. "Now, Neal's most likely path to a starting spot would be beating out the 35-year-old Greg Van Roten for the right guard role. How the position switch goes will determine Neal's future in New York." Neal's struggles throughout his career are a clear example of the issues that general manager Joe Schoen has had throughout his run with the team. If Neal doesn't pan out at guard, then the Giants will have wasted a top-10 pick on an offensive lineman no longer on the team five years later. Advertisement Too many 2025 failures like that? There's a good chance Schoen won't be around much longer, either. It's quite simple for Neal. One, play well and salvage his career. Or two, struggle to beat out veteran role players and end up being the first of many changes while being stuck with the dreaded "bust'' label. Related: Kelce Raves About Giants' Late-Round Steal At Tight End Related: Giants Offensive Line Given Brutally Harsh Grade by PFF This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
20-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL analyst predicts New York Giants' Evan Neal 'won't bust' after slow career start
NFL analyst predicts New York Giants' Evan Neal 'won't bust' after slow career start New York Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal is running out of time to solidify is NFL career. The No. 7 overall pick from the 2022 NFL draft was the second selection of general manager Joe Schoen's tenure with the Giants, taken just two spots after edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. Between injuries and a lack of development at right tackle, it's been a rough start to his career for Neal, whose fifth-year option was declined by the team this offseason. With that said, Neal still has some believers. When looking at a handful of NFL players who are running out of time to prove themselves, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports predicted Neal will eventually shake the bust label. In many ways, Neal has been the face of the New York Giants' mostly porous offensive front since his arrival from Alabama, which initially brought plenty of promise. Injuries have torched his year-to-year availability, limiting him to 27 starts in his first three seasons, but he also made waves with frustrated fans in 2023 by suggesting he was above criticism. Neal apologized later, but his switch from tackle to guard ahead of 2025 indicates he's on his last opportunity to help Big Blue turn things around in the trenches. Why he will bust: He's not even guaranteed a starting gig while competing with veteran Greg Van Roten at he won't: He was a promising starting right tackle before; you don't just lose that degree of NFL traits up front. Our prediction: Won't bust Neal was finally moved off the right tackle position and is now competing at guard, taking reps on both sides of the line. Neal has yet to put it together as a pass protector during his short time in the NFL. During the 2024 season, he allowed two sacks and 17 total pressures on 314 pass-blocking snaps while committing six penalties, per Pro Football Focus. He did grade out with a pretty strong run-blocking grade (80.8), however. Time is certainly running out for the Alabama product, but if he can make the most of his opportunity at guard, there's still a path for him to have a solid career.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jermaine Eluemunor Previews Evan Neal's Position Change
Jermaine Eluemunor Previews Evan Neal's Position Change originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Giants signed Jermaine Eluemunor to replace right tackle Evan Neal in 2024. He did so successfully, but in the process, he became a leader in the Giants locker room. Further, he became a mentor to Neal. Advertisement Now, Neal is embarking on a new journey. Pushed out of a starting job, Neal is hoping to save his career by moving to guard. Finally healthy, New York has granted him that opportunity in the offseason. While he isn't necessarily challenging for a starting spot any time soon, his transition seems to be going well. On Wednesday, Eluemunor previewed Neal's position change. 'I think that he's truly bought into it, and it's been cool for me to just watch the tape and just, he's a humongous dude,' Eluemunor told reporters. '… Obviously him going from tackle to guard is a big transition. And I've done it myself a couple times in my career, so to see him buying into it and to see how serious he's taking it is really cool to see. Advertisement 'And I think that he can be a really good player. I was telling him, I was like, if you lock in and you truly buy into this, you can be a really good guard just from seeing how he's done in the spring. I'm excited to see him in the summer and putting pads on.' The writing has been on the wall for the second first-round pick of the Giants' 2022 NFL Draft. But inside, there's reason to believe he could find more success. Rather than facing off against uber-athletic edge rushers and having to operate in space, Neal can rely more on his anchor to win between the tackles. Even so, the speed of the game is a bit different at guard. Perhaps that will allow Neal's aggressiveness to shine. That timing, Eluemunor says, will be paramount. 'I'd say the speed,' Eluemunor said. 'Everything at guard is bang, bang. At tackle, it's more patience and you have to be willing – you have to know when to strike at tackle essentially. At guard, those big guys like Dexter (Lawrence) they are on you within a millisecond and you got to be able to figure out what you need to do and how you can defeat them when you are blocking and ultimately win the block within a matter of seconds because if not, then they're going to be on the quarterback.' Advertisement Neal has been much better in the run game than pass protection as a pro, and kicking inside should emphasize that strength. If he can win with the same skills that made him a top-10 pick, there's room for him to make up ground on a rookie contract that's underwater. He already has Eluemunor's seal of approval. 'The sky is the limit for him, he's a talented kid and I think that he can be a really good player.' This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New York Giants' Joe Schoen happy with offensive line depth
The New York Giants' offensive line will hold a major key to the overall unit's success in 2025. While that's true for most teams, the Giants have an offense that likely won't survive without strong production from the offensive line. That typically means the group needs to stay in good health for the majority of the season. Advertisement During an appearance on the Bleav in Giants podcast with Bob Papa, general manager Joe Schoen went into some detail about how he feels about the offensive line depth. "Yeah, that's why we signed (James) Hudson in the offseason. We drafted (Marcus) Mbow, so we have some depth there. So you know, we're happy with our third and fourth tackle," Schoen said. "So again, like you hate to have to do that, you would really love [Andrew Thomas] to be out there, all 17 games, but you do have to protect yourself. And so, you know, that's another area where we added some depth." The biggest key for the Giants is left tackle Andrew Thomas, who has proven he can play at an elite level. However, injuries have kept him from consistently being in that conversation. Most recently, Thomas had to miss the majority of the 2024 season after suffering a Lisfranc injury in Week 6. The Giants added Hudson as a backup offensive tackle, and they are also moving former first-round pick Evan Neal to the left side of the line, working mostly at left guard. Getting a big jump from center John Michael Schmitz in Year 3 would be a massive development for the entire offensive line as well. Advertisement The Giants' offense is certainly an intriguing unit with so many new pieces, but it will only go as far as the offensive line will take it. This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Joe Schoen happy with offensive line depth
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Evan Neal named a player New York Giants should consider trading before Week 1
Three years ago, Evan Neal was a promising prospect the New York Giants hoped would man their offensive tackle position for the next decade. Today, he is a man without a position and is likely playing his last season for the Giants after three disappointing years filled with injury and incompetence. Advertisement The Giants have scrapped the idea that the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft is their answer at right tackle, shifting him to guard this spring in hopes he can win a roster spot. The notion of trading Neal is very real and, as he competes for a spot in their guard rotation, could heat up should he not acclimate to his new position. From Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report: There's no question who the most valuable trade asset for the New York Giants is. After drafting Penn State edge-rusher Abdul Carter third overall in April, the G-Men have three high-end edge-rushers in Carter, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Other teams have undoubtedly inquired about the availability of the latter. But unless Giants general manager Joe Schoen gets a 'Godfather' offer for Thibodeaux, there's no reason to make a deal. Not yet. It was Schoen who drafted Alabama tackle Evan Neal seventh overall in 2022. But after three mostly horrific years at tackle (including 22 missed games), New York head coach Brian Daboll told reporters that this year the team will try Neal out at left guard. 'He's a big man. He's got length. He's obviously a little bit taller than I'd say traditional guards, but he's played it,' Daboll said. 'He's played a number of positions since he's been at University of Alabama. He's been working hard this last month and a half and look forward to getting him out there.' Maybe Neal will pull a Mekhi Becton and blossom after kicking inside. But if he doesn't, Big Blue should look to flip the contract-year lineman to a team that believes it can salvage Neal's career. Neal won't be easy to trade and cutting him before or after June 1 will bring no cap relief to the Giants. If they can deal him, they will save $4 million on his $7.8 million cap hit. But that would be a long shot. Neal was once seen as a "can't-miss" prospect who has missed badly. It happens. For another team to think they can redeem him as a tackle in this league is unreasonable as he has been atrocious in pass protection against speed rushers. Advertisement And the last time we checked, that's the main function of an NFL offensive tackle. This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Evan Neal named a player Giants should consider trading before Week 1
