Giants Rookies Kayvon Thibodeaux, Evan Neal Forever Linked in Franchise Lore

If the New York Giants have it their way, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal will grow old together on the gridiron.

That’s understandable considering both are first-round draft picks, Thibodeaux selected fifth overall and Neal seventh. Both will also be practicing each other daily, Neal manning the right tackle spot and Thibodeaux roaming the edges trying to penetrate the backfield.

And that’s a good thing because these two rookie cornerstones of the Giants franchise are planning to feed off of each other in practice for a long time to help the other get better.

"Football is a game of trenches," Thibodeaux said when asked if the two would be forever linked. "And starting with the trenches is a great start from the man upstairs, and they did it, and I feel like as we continue to get older and mature, we're going to continue to grow and gel together and keep bringing both sides to the forefront."

Although they went to different colleges—Thibodeaux to Oregon and Neal to Alabama—they used to compete against each other at youth football camps.

They were both five-stars.

They were both elite in college.

Now they're both @Giants

Check out Evan Neal and Kayvon Thibodeaux going head-to-head as high school underclassmen. pic.twitter.com/DKqOyrhgxM
— Rivals (@Rivals) April 29, 2022

"It's crazy that through high school, and recruitment, and every major camp, that was the matchup that everybody wanted to see – me versus Kayvon," Neal said. "It's just so ironic that we ended up on the same NFL team. I'm excited to go against him every day, get each other better. I believe that iron sharpens iron."

While it’s still too early to say who has gotten the better of the other—the Giants have yet to practice in pads and engage in live contact—this friendly competition isn’t so much about each man’s ego as it is about a greater purpose.

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"We are getting each other better," Neal said. "He beats me some reps, and I get him some reps. That's what it's all about. That's the name of the game – getting better, getting each other better, and iron sharpening iron."

"It's been great," Thibodeaux added. "Not just him, but (third-year left tackle) Andrew Thomas. Them as a unit. Me being able to go back and forth. There are no plays off. Everyone asks me, 'What is the difference between college and the NFL?' It's like, you have to be 100 percent and have a move every play, there is no getting by. Just going against both of them, and Evan especially is good to continue to grow and share info now and again.”

Head coach Brian Daboll has liked what each first-round pick has shown thus far since joining the team in the spring.

"It's hard coming in as a rookie, regardless of what round you're taken, but they've been excellent in meetings,” Daboll said. “They've done what they're supposed to do. They've worked extremely hard in practice. There's good competitiveness in practice.

“But you take two guys that early in the first round, and you want to make sure you hit on them and not just as players, which is important, but as people and the right people for the organization. So yeah, counting on those guys."

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