Alexander Wilson
Evan Neal is running out of room, and it is hard to pretend otherwise.
The Giants took him seventh overall in 2022. That draft slot still follows him around, because it should. Players picked that high are supposed to become building blocks, not annual camp debates about whether the team can even justify a roster spot.
Neal has played in only 29 of a possible 68 games since entering the league, and he did not take a regular-season snap last year. Evan Neal is now trying to survive as a guard after the tackle experiment collapsed. Rough place to be for a former top-10 pick.
The depth chart is not friendly either. Jon Runyan Jr. and Sisi Mauigoa are ahead of him, and the Giants also have Daniel Faalele, Lucas Patrick, Aaron Stinnie, and other bodies fighting for interior spots. Neal needs camp to be more than decent. He needs to make the coaches reconsider what they thought they knew.
Giants cannot keep carrying draft status
The Giants can give Neal one last chance without pretending the odds are good. Those are different things.
There is still a huge body, real power, and a reason he was drafted where he was. But the NFL is not patient with linemen who cannot stay on the field or settle into a position. At some point, potential stops being currency.
I do not mind the guard move. It makes sense. Neal looked overwhelmed at tackle too often, and moving inside at least gives him a cleaner path to using his size without living on an island against edge rushers.
The camp bar has to be obvious
Neal has to block people in pads. The Giants need live reps that actually look playable.
If he wins one-on-ones, handles power, and looks playable with the second unit, the Giants can keep talking themselves into the final year of the experiment. If he looks like the same player in a new spot, the answer gets pretty obvious.
Joe Schoen does not get extra credit for hanging onto a bad pick. The only thing that matters now is whether Neal can help the 2026 team. Camp has to settle it.
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