Giants RT Evan Neal Looks to Take Big Step in Second Season
For those panicking about New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal’s bumpy rookie season, take a deep breath, step back, and relax, because there is a lot of optimism that the young man will be much improved in Year 2 of his NFL career.
That is the opinion of former NFL offensive tackle Willie Anderson, a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro who, throughout his 12-year career as an offensive tackle, allowed less than 20 sacks.
Anderson, who has since founded his own offensive line academy where he works with aspiring offensive linemen from college to the pros, including Neal this off-season, likes the direction last year’s seventh overall pick in the draft is headed.
“I just think people underestimate going from left tackle, right tackle, or going from right to left,” Anderson told me for the Locked On Giants podcast, referencing the fact that Neal played the majority of his college snaps at left tackle, including his entire final season at Alabama where he lined up exclusively on the left side.
“When you're at left tackle for a long time, your dominant leg is your right inside leg. So that part of your brain is telling you, ‘Push off my right leg,' so that that leg becomes stronger. But now you change over to your left if you're at right tackle."
There's no denying Neal had his share of struggles as a rookie, so much so that Bleacher REport's Alex Ballentine named Neal as one of the young players "dangerously close" to being labeled a draft bust entering the 2023 season, citing stats from Sports Info Solutions in which Neal blew 24 blocks (four percent) and allowed 11 sacks, the sack total being third most behind Charles Cross and Braxton Jones's totals.
But besides not considering that Neal switched sides for his first season in the pro, the analysis also fails to note that Neal struggled after returning to a lineup following four games missed with an MCL sprain suffered mid-year.
Anderson, who in training Neal has also stayed in close communication with Giants offensive line coach Bobby Johnson to ensure that everyone is on the same page, recently posted on his Instagram account a video of Neal working under his guidance, mentioning that they were working through numerous stances to help Neal find the one that works best for him.
"Finding a comfortable stance when you're changing sides--that's a big deal. So all I was doing was playing around with him. He's gonna eventually have to fix it himself, but I'll just give him some ideas," Anderson said.
Anderson believes that Neal will take a big leap forward this coming season thanks partly to his determination to be the best he can be and his relentless work ethic.
"The good thing about Evan is this kid works his tail off," Anderson said. "I mean, he's in New York right now training. He goes to the facility every day and works out."
Check out the entire interview with Willie Anderson on the Locked On Giants podcast for more insight, including how Anderson has worked with Neal to help him with pad level and other great insights.
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