From the moment the NY Giants selected offensive tackle Evan Neal with the No. 7 overall pick last spring, people had high hopes for him to be a monster on the line with Andrew Thomas. While Neal showcased plenty of potential during his rookie season, he also had some rough outings in Year 1.
Despite Neal frustrating the fanbase in multiple contests, this is still a youngster who has more than enough time to still become a standout OT in this league. The good news here too is that Neal is ready to work overtime this offseason leading up to Week 1.
Neal is doing just that already, as he’s training with former All-Pro offensive tackle Willie Anderson. Anderson posted videos of Neal working out with him this week, and fans are loving what they’re seeing.
Willie Anderson working with Evan Neal pic.twitter.com/xXccQhfN6c
— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) March 24, 2023
Evan Neal working with Willie Anderson is great to see
A new stance for Neal? Looks like we’re already seeing improvements from the former Alabama standout. Neal got blown by opposing defensive linemen way too many times last season and it led to Daniel Jones having to make decisions much quicker than he wanted to.
The offensive line as a whole was awful for the Giants once again in 2022, but Thomas was simply sensational. Similar to Neal, Thomas was disappointing during his rookie campaign, but he bounced back in Year 2 and then he was sensational this past season. Thomas developed into an All-Pro LT – yeah, talk about a turnaround.
While we’re not going to set those same expectations for Neal leading up to the ’23 season, it should give people plenty of hope that Neal can take a major step forward. The fact that he’s working his tail off right now and learning from someone like Anderson has a lot of Big Blue supporters excited.
Something tells us Neal will be a different man out on the gridiron for the G-Men starting in September. If he does do a 180 with his play, we could have Anderson to thank for that.
4 NY Giants who must step their game up in 2023
Entering the 2023 season, these four NY Giants players must up their level of play if the team wants to have another strong campaign.