The New York Giants’ offensive line won’t be confused for one of the NFL’s best anytime soon, but they could get a boost along the interior from an unlikely source.
Evan Neal, the team’s first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has been a downright disaster at offensive tackle since entering the league. In fact, he’s been so bad that Big Blue has kicked him inside to guard this season in an attempt to tap into the upside that made him the seventh overall pick.
Up to this point in the offseason program, Neal has almost exclusively been lining up at left guard. But during Tuesday’s minicamp practice, Neal did something that will be critically important to his roster status this summer: he lined up at right guard, too.
If Neal can prove he has interior versatility, his odds of not only making the team but also eventually earning a starting job improve mightily.
“Evan Neal had worked exclusively at left guard during OTA practices open to the media as he transitions inside from right tackle,” The Athletic’s Dan Duggan wrote. “Neal played left guard as a freshman at Alabama, so offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo said they wanted to maintain some familiarity for the 2022 first-round pick.
“However, Neal took reps Tuesday at both guard spots. He played right guard when starter Jon Runyan was at left guard early in practice. Neal then shifted back to left guard with Jake Kubas at right guard late in practice.”
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Neal should eventually slide into a starting job, whether it be because of injury or poor performance by one of the starters in front of him. Ideally, he’d replace Greg Van Roten, the current starter at left guard who’s 35 years old.
Van Roten has — literally — no chance of being in the Giants’ long-term plans; throwing Neal into the starting lineup could not only lead to a surprisingly good result but also restore his spot as a fixture along New York’s offensive line.
Neal will be one of the most interesting storylines to follow throughout training camp as he embarks on his journey as a guard in the NFL, one that will ultimately decide his fate with the New York Giants.
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