3 Giants who will avoid sophomore slumps in 2023

2. Right tackle Evan Neal

Opposite of All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas, Evan Neal was shaky at best in his first season with Big Blue. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Alabama, Neal was stuck in cement for a good amount of the season, allowing 11 sacks. Additionally, he was only behind Laremy Tunsil of Houston and tied with Jermaine Eluemunor of Las Vegas for most false starts, with an abysmal six, according to SIS Data Hub.

Now that the Giants have locked up Daniel Jones for the next four seasons, it is important to protect him at all costs. Jones has a whole new list of expectations placed upon him, and he can't achieve any of those if he doesn't have a solid offensive line in front of him. His blindside is covered by the aforementioned Thomas being a safe and secure lineman, but Neal has to seriously step up his game to protect Jones as well. In 2023, Neal has a large hill to climb to prove that he is not a draft bust in his sophomore season.

Lineman in this league are not easily replaceable, and if he can develop into a sturdy right tackle for the Giants, this team could be a contender each year. That is how important Neal is to this organization.