The New York Giants have one of the league’s ugliest draft misses still lingering on their roster. Former 7th overall pick Evan Neal, once projected to be a franchise cornerstone at right tackle, is now a ghost in the locker room — a player held more for optics than impact. With his fifth-year option already declined, Neal’s time with Big Blue is all but over, and this final season feels like a drawn-out farewell.
A wasted roster spot
The decision to keep Neal around serves little purpose. General manager Joe Schoen appears reluctant to cut ties with a top-10 draft pick after just three years, but holding onto Neal is more about saving face than improving the roster. In reality, Neal has been a liability since the moment he stepped onto an NFL field.
Over 29 career appearances at right tackle, Neal surrendered 98 pressures and 12 sacks, per Pro Football Focus. His footwork was clumsy, his balance often failed against speed rushers, and his inability to recover once beaten turned routine pressures into drive-killers. For an offense already struggling to sustain momentum, his presence was damaging.
A failed transition inside
The Giants attempted to salvage Neal’s career by moving him inside to offensive guard this past offseason, a common tactic when tackles fail to hold up on the edge. The hope was that removing the burden of protecting the perimeter might unlock his raw power in a smaller space.
Instead, the transition has done little to change perceptions. Coaches reportedly saw the same issues during training camp — poor technique, a lack of urgency, and minimal improvement in pass protection drills. At guard, where quick reaction and leverage are critical, those flaws became even more glaring. By the time Week 1 rolled around, Neal was reduced to a healthy scratch, a stunning fall for a player drafted to anchor the line for a decade.
Numbers that tell the story
Neal’s 2023 season offered the clearest sign the Giants had whiffed. He played just seven games due to injury, but in 460 snaps he allowed 29 pressures and 2 sacks. His pass-blocking grade from PFF landed at 38.5, among the worst in the league. The prior year wasn’t much better — 52 pressures and 8 sacks over 862 snaps in 2022.
These aren’t the numbers of a developmental project slowly improving. They’re the numbers of a bust. And with the Giants declining his $14.4 million fifth-year option, the organization quietly admitted it.
A saving face strategy
So why is Neal still here? The answer is less about football and more about perception. Cutting a 7th overall pick outright just three years later is an admission of complete failure, one that Schoen and the front office clearly want to delay.
Instead, Neal sits at the bottom of the depth chart, taking up a roster spot while providing no value. Unless injuries decimate the line, he won’t see meaningful snaps again in a Giants uniform.
The inevitable ending
Evan Neal’s Giants story is already written. From a can’t-miss tackle prospect out of Alabama to one of the most disappointing draft picks in recent franchise history, his arc has been a slow-motion collapse.
The Giants are moving forward with Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor as bookend tackles, while rookie Marcus Mbow develops as a swing option. Neal, meanwhile, is simply waiting for free agency, where he’ll hope another team still sees potential that never materialized in New York.
For Giants fans, Neal isn’t just a bust. He’s a painful reminder of how quickly hope can turn into regret when a top pick fails to deliver.
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