4 biggest winners and 2 losers from the Giants NFL Draft haul

Winner No. 2: OL Evan Neal

The other big winner on the Giants offense is another polarizing player on New York’s roster who happens to be a former first-rounder in offensive lineman Evan Neal. Some have theorized the Giants could’ve gone after former Notre Dame star Joe Alt in the first round, who ended up going one pick ahead of the Giants’ selection.

However, it’s not like there wasn’t talent on the board along the offensive line when New York was picking, as former Penn State star Olu Fashanu and former Alabama offensive lineman J.C. Latham went in the picks afterwards. 

Instead of investing draft capital into the Giants offensive line, Joe Schoen opted to sign many in free agency, mostly depth pieces. During the 2024 NFL Draft, Schoen actually declined to pick an offensive lineman, believing the unit is mostly set, and giving Neal an opportunity going into his third NFL season to prove why he was picked with a premium selection just a couple of seasons ago. 

It hasn’t been smooth sailing at all for Neal in the NFL, but it’s evident the Giants aren’t giving up on him yet. He could still be their right tackle of the future, and he’ll enter 2024 with a shot to make that happen.