NFL Analyst Believes NY Giants' Evan Neal Will Prove Himself This Year

Evan Neal still has the physical tools to make this work with the Giants, but will he?

New York Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal | John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Giants are hoping that their attempt to convert struggling offensive lineman Evan Neal from tackle to guard will salvage the investment they made back in 2022 when they selected the former Alabama offensive lineman No. 7 overall.

The 24-year-old has severely underachieved during the first three years of his NFL career, contributing to the ongoing instability that has ravaged the team's offensive line. The Giants hope that by having him move inside, his NFL career will be jump-started.

While some have doubts about whether Neal can become the next Mekhi Becton, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports has faith that the transition will be successful.  

"He was a promising starting right tackle before; you don't just lose that degree of NFL traits up front," Benjamin said.

Benjamin is not wrong. What often gets overlooked when it comes to Neal’s struggles is the fact that he’s had injuries that have cut into his reps. Since joining the Giants, Neal has yet to play in a full season, coming close with 13 games as a rookie in 2022. 

However, over the last two seasons, he has appeared in only 16 games, with last season marked by a setback following the season-ending ankle surgery he underwent in 2023. That setback cost Neal his entire spring and most of training camp, basically putting him at square one by the start of the season under the new offensive line coach, Carmen Bricillo.

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Can Neal finally elevate his game?

New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Giants declined Neal’s $16.7 million fifth-year option, in essence making this a definite “make or break” campaign. Despite some offseason calls to trade him, the Giants have stuck by him, believing in both Neal’s work ethic and Bricillo’s experience to salvage what has been a disappointing career thus far.  

Benjamin believes that Neal has the right combination of size and strength to succeed on the interior of the O-line. Playing guard is nothing new for Neal, who, per Pro Football Focus, logged more than 600 snaps at that spot during his freshman year at Bama. 

One must have their wits about them when playing on the inside, as veteran Greg Van Roten explained during organized team activities, but if Neal can stay on the field and build off each rep, there is reason to believe he can make this transition work.

Neal can run block with the best of them, the 2021 consensus All-American earning an 80.8 run-blocking grade in nine games with the Giants.  However, among the challenges he’ll face inside include keeping his pad level low and maintaining smooth footwork. 

Still, there is hope within the organization. This offseason, Bricillo has been complimentary of Neal and his commitment to making the move work. But there’s still a lot more to be done before it can be determined if Benjamin’s gut feeling about Neal making a successful transition comes to fruition.