NFL

New York Giants Training Camp Preview; T Evan Neal

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6 months ago

June 26, 2024

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New York Giants Training Camp Preview; T Evan Neal

Few New York Giants’ 90-man roster players carry as much pressure on their shoulders as right tackle Evan Neal.

Coming out of college three years ago, Neal was expected to be one of the potent young edge blockers in the league and solidify the bookends of the Giants offensive line with All-Pro teammate Andrew Thomas.

In his first two seasons, Neal’s aspirations were marred by injuries and inferior pass protection, placing the 23-year-old’s starting role in jeopardy entering his third season with New York.

As a rookie, Neal played in and started 15 games (two postseason) for the Giants while posting a woeful 47.5 pass-blocking grade that .

He allowed a team-high seven sacks, ten hits, and 39 total pressures in that span, often leaving the quarterback a sitting duck in the pocket or running from constant pressure on the right side.

The following season, again tainted by off-field antics and an eventual high ankle sprain in December, Neal’s pass-blocking metrics only worsened while becoming a sore subject for the Giants fanbase.

It didn’t help the young man’s case that he was part of the 24th-worst blocking unit with little cohesion. The effort to improve individually wasn’t there, and it put addressing the edge protection high on the offseason to-do list.

As the Giants have begun retooling their offensive line ahead of the 2024 season, Neal’s starting tenure is not over but certainly under a bigger microscope. The team appears committed to giving their No. 7 overall pick one last chance to clean up his pass protection and contribute to what they hope is an upgraded starting front this season.

However, the question remains how far the leash stretches for Neal, who could be replaced swiftly by the Giants’ projected backup right tackle, Jermaine Eluemunor, should he struggle out of the gate. The eight-year pro joined Carmen Bricillo, his former offensive line coach in Las Vegas, on the Giants with the preliminary intent of settling into one of the guard positions and strengthening the team’s interior blocking that was egregious in 2023.

Eluemunor also has valuable swing tackle experience from his last two seasons with the Raiders. That versatility could entice the Giants to move at right tackle in the middle of the season if Neal disappoints.

Thus, Neal enters camp facing immediate pressure to stay healthy and grow into the first-round caliber pass protector he was drafted to be back in 2022. It’ll be a hard decision for the Giants to move on from Neal based on the draft capital invested in him, but one that can’t be refused if he stumbles and New York is serious about finally fixing the annual problem that is protecting the quarterback.

Height: 6-7
Weight: 340 lbs.
Experience: 3 Years
College: Alabama
How Acquired: D1-22

After an ugly rookie campaign that exposed the weaknesses of his pass protection, Evan Neal followed up by giving the Giants an even more abysmal second season. He started in seven games spanning 460 offensive snaps at right tackle, putting forth one of the worst pass-blocking metrics of the entire New York offensive line room.

In 309 pass-blocking reps, Neal posted a horrific , the eighth-worst on the Giants roster. He gave up two sacks, five hits, 22 scrambles in the pocket, and 29 total pressures, and was penalized five times to jump his career total to 12 infractions in two seasons of limited action.

Neal’s first four starts fueled his rocky and combative sophomore season. The Alabama product allowed 19 pressures in Weeks 1-4 and had two games with at least six pressures from the right edge, lending a big hand to the woeful protection that incapacitated the Giants’ offense and got them outscored 122-43 in that same span.

Neal would appear in three more games from Weeks 5-9 due to a high ankle sprain that ultimately capped his season after a compromised performance in the team’s Week 9 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Neal was added to the injured reserve list in December when the Giants discovered a fracture in his ankle requiring an offseason surgery to repair it.

Neal is entering the third year of his four-year, fully guaranteed rookie contract signed prior to the 2022 season. The contract—which has a total value of $24,551,256–will carry the Giants’ ninth-highest cap number of $6,695,797 and includes an annual roster bonus that must be paid three days into training camp.

Neal’s contract places him well above the Giants Top-51 cutoff line and has the third-highest dead cap charge among active offensive linemen. If Neal were to be cut before the start of the season, he would cost the Giants $18,560,458 in dead money over the next two years, and they would save no money toward their 2024 cap as a result of the roster bonus terms of $4,052,898 that is also lost in the transaction.

During the spring Neal worked on a limited basis before finally being shut down toward the end of the OTAs. While the team hasn’t made any indication of a potential battle for his spot in training camp, all signs are pointing to the Giants right tackle being ready for training camp and placing their faith in Neal on Week 1 to see if he can remain healthy and upright.

If Neal regresses to his previous form early on, the team can and will look toward prospective starting guard Jermaine Eluemunor to take his place. Eluemunor will bring the premium protection that Daniel Jones has missed in his first few seasons and help a Giants offensive line that gave up a whopping 85 sacks last season.

However, the Giants believe that Neal, once he is fully cleared for contact, will be their starting guy and have the renewed confidence to spur a comeback campaign. Neal has been putting in all the work to improve in the Giants’ offensive system and now has veteran resources like Eluemunor to turn to if he finds himself struggling at any point.

The Giants invested a first-round pick in Neal and would love to see that investment start to pan out under Carmen Bricillo’s tutelage in 2024. He’s done it before with seventh-round selections in Las Vegas, so now his newest challenge comes in a 6-foot-7 top prospect who needs to turn the corner in a pivotal third season in the NFL.

If his magic works, the Giants could finally have that improved offensive line they’ve been craving, and attitudes toward Neal might change in the Big Apple.