Can Giants Find Success in Salvaging Evan Neal's NFL Career?

The biggest surprise of New York Giants’ first free agency period under head coach John Harbaugh was the return engagement of offensive lineman Evan Neal, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft.

Last summer, the team tried to convert Neal, who had primarily been a college tackle, to guard, but that process was far from smooth and ultimately led to Neal earning a permanent seat on the team’s bench for the duration of the 2025 season.

And yet, Giants head coach John Harbaugh, who admittedly has an eye for talent given his track record with the Ravens, is said to have seen raw, untapped potential in the hulking Neal, leaving Harbaugh determined to bring it out of the former Crimson Tide star.

If Harbaugh and, more importantly, offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren, can accomplish that, the Giants’ starting right guard problem, at least for the 2026 season, will have been solved.

It says a lot that Neal, who did his best to hide his frustration over how his career with the Giants has gone to date, was open to giving things another try with the new coaching staff and letting bygones be bygones. Most players in his position probably would have flown out the door the minute they were eligible, even if they didn’t have anywhere else to turn.

But here we are with Neal, who is willing to give it another go. That said, there are concerns about this experiment and whether it can play out successfully, some of which are beyond anyone’s control, and some of which it’s fair to wonder whether, at this point, they can be mitigated.

Health

Oct 23, 2022; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; New York Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal (73) leaves the field with an injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second quarter at TIAA Bank Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Neal’s durability has been a major detriment since he landed in East Rutherford. He has yet to play a full season when given a chance, having struggled with major ankle, knee, and hamstring injuries.

Giants fans might recall that Neal underwent ankle surgery in 2024, and while he appeared to be on track during the spring, toward the end of the OTAs, he was suddenly shut down, having experienced a setback in his rehab that ate into the start of training camp when he landed on the PUP list and stayed there for the duration.

That setback cost Neal valuable in-field time, as the coaches at the time had decided to work on the Neal-to-guard project that summer, yet were unable to do so because the player wasn’t available.

Even as recently as last summer, Neal had injury issues as well. He missed the preseason opener, though he did return for the final two preseason games. And then, somehow, during the regular season practices, he pulled a hamstring that landed him on IR. When he returned, he had back issues immediately.

The bottom line is that his injury history, while not necessarily his fault, has been a problem and has made this reclamation project a high-risk, high-reward type of proposition.

Run Blocking

When blocking straight on, Neal can block out the sun, as the saying goes. He’s a large, powerfully built human, and he has shown himself capable of moving people out of the way head-on with the ease of a plow pushing away snow.

But when asked to move on an angle or to pull, that’s where things get a little iffy. During last year’s preseason games, when asked to pull, Neal displayed heavy-leggedness. He also showed a tendency to lean on people rather than flat-out hit them.

Pass Blocking

Pass blocking remained Neal’s biggest hurdle, mainly because it just seemed that he couldn’t find a stance he was comfortable with.

According to Pro Football Focus, Neal gave up five quarterback pressures in 44 preseason pass blocking snaps last summer. Four of those pressures came on first downs, which automatically put the Giants in a second-and-long hole.

There were other concerns that carried over from his tackle days. The most notable struggle for him has been with his pad level. At nearly 6-foot-8, Neal has had career-long struggles keeping his pad level.

He has also struggled against speed rushers, who consistently beat him by a split second on the pass rush, forcing Neal to either lunge or grab the defender to keep his quarterback safe.

Although he didn’t commit any penalties last summer in limited snaps, he’s recorded 17 penalties since 2022, with six of those coming on first down and five on third down.

The most concerning thing we saw last summer regarding pass blocking was that Neal struggled against backup players. One might say that it was because of the position switch, but again, the position wasn’t necessarily brand new to him, as he did play enough snaps in college.

The Bottom Line

We talk about fresh starts for players all the time, and most of the time, a change of scenery is what is meant. But for Evan Neal, a fresh start is having a coaching staff that apparently believes he’s not the bust his prior performances have indicated him to be.

If Neal is willing to put the time into this and meet Bloomgren halfway, which apparently seems to be the case, perhaps the guard-needy Giants can succeed with finally getting him on the right track.

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