Evan Neal has been a massive disappointment for the New York Giants ever since they drafted him with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Neal was expected to become the Giants’ cornerstone right tackle of the future. However, injuries have gotten in the way, but even when Neal has been healthy and on the field, more often than not, he has been a liability.
That narrative could change the season, though. Neal is making the transition from tackle to guard and could surprisingly find himself competing for a starting spot on the offensive line once again.
Evan Neal is transitioning to left guard this summer
For much of last season, Neal was a healthy scratch. He earned some playing time at right tackle towards the end of the year after injuries caused the Giants to re-shift their offensive line.
Entering this season, however, Neal doesn’t seem to be a candidate for the right tackle job anymore as he moves to guard. He spent the spring practicing at left guard and even earned first-team reps during OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
Rather than moving to right guard, the Giants moved Neal to left guard because he has familiarity with the position. He spent his freshman season at Alabama at left guard and was seemingly always more comfortable on the left side of the line.
Could Neal become a starting guard for the Giants?
Jon Runyan Jr. is the Giants’ starter at left guard; however, New York failed to upgrade at right guard this offseason. Greg Van Roten is returning as the starter.
If Van Roten struggles this season, with minimal depth behind him at right guard, the most likely outcome would be for Runyan to shift to the right side of the line, where he has experience starting games at that position. This would open up the left guard spot for Neal, since that is where he has been practicing all spring.
In 2024, Neal played the best football of his career, earning a 61.2 overall PFF grade with an 80.8 run-blocking grade, which ranked eighth among all tackles last season.
If Neal can continue to make progress at left guard and secure himself the second-string spot on the depth chart this summer, he could find himself starting games once again in the fourth season of his career.
