The NY Giants swung and missed with their 2022 first-round selection of Evan Neal. The Alabama product was brought in to help shore up the right tackle spot and that did not happen. Between inconsistencies and injuries, Neal simply wasn't up to the task of being the tackle the Giants needed on their offensive line.
While Brian Daboll has been adamant that the team is going to give Neal a shot to prove himself at guard, the writing is on the wall. Neal isn't the guy the Giants were hoping he'd be and that could lead to him being a trade candidate for them, assuming another team would be willing to bite.
This is precisely what Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report discussed in his latest write-up where he picked one player from each NFL team that could make sense to trade. He had Neal as his pick for the Giants and said that while Kayvon Thibodeaux makes more sense as a trade piece, Joe Schoen would have to be offered a king's ransom to part ways with him.
"It was Schoen who drafted Alabama tackle Evan Neal seventh overall in 2022. But after three mostly horrific years at tackle (including 22 missed games), New York head coach Brian Daboll told reporters that this year the team will try Neal out at left guard.
Maybe Neal will pull a Mekhi Becton and blossom after kicking inside. But if he doesn’t, Big Blue should look to flip the contract-year lineman to a team that believes it can salvage Neal’s career."
Giants might need to trade draft flop Evan Neal while they still can
The Giants can certainly put Neal on the trade block if they want to but truthfully, it's doubtful they'd get much, if anything, for him. Maybe he could end up performing well at guard but if the Giants opt to trade him, it's probably a safe bet that they don't see a successful transition being in the cards for their former first-rounder. They already declined his fifth-year option so clearly, the writing is already on the wall when it comes to Neal's future in the Big Apple.
Sometimes teams strike out on first-round picks and while Neal still has time to prove the franchise that drafted him wrong, he's running out of time to do so. If a team were willing to trade for him, the Giants should take whatever they can get here.