Much of the talk around the NY Giants this spring and summer has obviously been around No. 5 pick Kayvon Thibodeaux and No. 7 overall selection Evan Neal. The pass-rusher and offensive tackle have so much potential, fans really can’t wait to see what they’ll be able to get done during Year 1 with the NFC East side.
People are already dreaming of Thibodeaux breaking Azeez Ojulari’s rookie sacks record, with the former Oregon star recently revealing he’s hoping to record a sack per game. Meanwhile for Neal, he’ll be the starting right tackle and hope to make a huge splash playing with Andrew Thomas and others. If you ask NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, he sees both NY first-round picks making the All-Rookie Team this upcoming campaign.
NY Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal are the future for this team
"“It will not be a shock if Thibodeaux racks up double-digit sacks as a rookie, like former top-10 picks Josh Allen, Joey Bosa and Von Miller did in Year 1,” Reuter wrote of Thibodeaux. “That’s certainly his stated goal in 2022. The Giants will give him every opportunity to use his length and strength on the edge across from last year’s second-round pick Azeez Olujari.”"
As for Neal, Reuter said that playing closely with Thomas will of course be beneficial for him, while the addition of Mark Glowinski will also help out the rookie tackle immensely. Both Thibodeaux and Neal have Giants fans ecstatic, as many people believe the G-Men were among the winners of the 2022 NFL Draft.
It’s hard to argue with that, especially after the team also brought in Wan’Dale Robinson, Daniel Bellinger and others. Several rookies are going to make an immediate impact for this team, but Thibodeaux and Neal will of course be the headliners early on. Head coach Brian Daboll will be counting on them to live up to their first-round hype.
In recent years, top draftees simply haven’t worked out. Just ask NY supporters about Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley and Kadarius Toney. Those three in particular have been incredibly inconsistent, but the hope is the trio can bring their best play to the table this season. In order for that to happen, Neal will surely need to do his thing protecting Jones and opening up holes for Barkley. Then on defense, look for Thibodeaux to be a sack machine from Week 1 moving forward.