Certain expectations come with being a top draft pick. However unfair or unjust it is, it’s what happens. When Joe Schoen and the New York Giants drafted Evan Neal seventh overall in the 2022 draft, the expectation was he’d be a bookend tackle opposite Andrew Thomas.
Three years later, and he’s been anything but. The former Alabama star lineman is an uncharacteristic miss from a Nick Saban-coached team. It truly looked like he had all the tools necessary to be the next great right tackle for the G-Men. Massive, athletic, powerful, and built with a high motor and strong work ethic, the odds he’d turn into a bust seemed microscopic.
He’s now moved inside the line to battle it out for the starting right guard spot next to Jermaine Eluemunor, who took his spot on the outside. The move inside is nothing more than a final career-saving throw at this point, if he can’t make it there, he won’t anywhere.
Related: Giants’ long-awaited fix for Evan Neal is finally getting put to the test
There have been reports coming out of training camp that Neal has been doing well inside. It makes sense. He can use his size and athleticism to his advantage. He’s a natural run blocker. It’s not just reports coming out of camp that prove he’s adjusting well. Clips on social media came out during Sunday’s practice that show just how dominant he can be in his new role.
Giants fans finally have video proof that good Evan Neal does exist
The pads don’t come on until Monday, but this was about as encouraging a sign from the 24-year-old as fans will see. Keep an eye out for No. 73 on the left side. He’ll be the one manhandling the defensive tackle to create a massive hole for Cam Skattebo to expose and hammer through for a big gain:
@camskattebo5 shifty … and he gone off the hip of Evan Neal pic.twitter.com/louJCEcyOs
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) July 27, 2025
That was a textbook seal right there. It wasn’t nothing.
This was like the Giants fans’ version of spotting Bigfoot — a super rare caught-on-video clip of Evan Neal dominating a defensive line was a sight to behold.
While that one play looked great and encouraging, that's exactly what it was. He still has a long way to go. Neal has struggled mightily with his footwork, leverage, and consistency... things he’ll need to fix immediately to stick. It doesn’t help he’s missed 18 games the past two seasons due to injuries — the guy’s fighting an uphill battle.
Big Blue already, unsurprisingly, decided not to pick up his fifth-year option for next season. They just haven’t seen enough from the former top-10 pick to warrant a $16.7 million price tag.
Time is not on Neal’s side. He essentially has this training camp and preseason to prove he deserves to stay in the league... not even just in New York. It’s assumed he’ll be in a camp battle against Greg Van Roten, but John Michael Schmitz could throw a wrench into that plan altogether.
If the Giants are going to go anywhere this season, they’ll need their offensive line to perform like a cohesive unit. Neal stacking reps like Sunday’s could go a long way in making that happen.