4 NY Giants who must step their game up in 2023
1. OT Evan Neal
The rookie season of Evan Neal was quite the roller coaster ride. While he had moments where he looked incredibly solid, even great, Neal struggled mightily for the majority of the 2022 season and it really hurt the Giants’ offense at times.
Neal is still full of potential, and he still has the chance to be one of the premier offensive tackles in the NFL. However, his rookie season left much to be desired. Through 453 pass-blocking snaps, Neal allowed seven sacks and 39 pressures, while also being called for seven penalties.
This poor play was mostly because Neal was still adjusting to the NFL and just how incredible edge defenders are compared to college. Alongside this, his footwork and hand placement were very sloppy, but if we’ve learned anything from Andrew Thomas, it’s that these issues can be fixed with experience.
Another thing we learned from Thomas is that it takes time for offensive lineman prospects to develop. While it’s unlikely that Neal becomes the level of tackle that Thomas currently is, he still has a ton of time to prove the doubters wrong.
With that being said, Neal must play better next season. He doesn’t need to make the star leap that Thomas took in his second season, but he simply must be a better player than he was in 2022.
