Big Blue View
Can Evan Neal successfully transition to guard?
We’ve been building to this over the course of the 2025 offseason, and it seems as though we’ve been heading here for a couple years now.
Will Evan Neal be a member of the New York Giants beyond 2025?
Neal was the second pick made by Joe Schoen as the Giants’ GM, who picked Neal 7th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Giants have one of the best left tackles in the NFL in Andrew Thomas, but the rest of the offensive line had been a massive question for years. The selection of Neal was widely praised, and it was believed that he would give the Giants young, athletic, and talented bookends for the foreseeable future.
That, obviously, isn’t how things worked out.
Instead, Neal has only played 29 of 51 possible games due to injury and has been inconsistent at best when he has played. While injury has obviously disrupted Neal’s development at tackle, the Giants simply can’t afford to devote any more time to hoping he can become a consistent starter there. Instead, they’re settling on Jermaine Eluemunor to reprise his role at right tackle and are moving Neal inside to guard.
This is his last chance to prove that he can be a starting lineman and a long-term piece for the Giants.
In other words, this is truly a make or break year for him.
The single biggest factor working in Neal’s favor as he moves inside is his raw strength. Neal is a massively powerful man with great grip and core strength that allows him to control defenders in pass protection or distort the line of scrimmage.
Neal is capable of being a bulldozer of a blocker when he plays with proper leverage. He does a great job of getting under defenders’ pads, uncoiling his hips, and running through the block.
And while Neal has gotten better about his hand placement, landing inside his opponent’s framework and seeking inside leverage, he’s strong enough that he can still win the rep even if his placement isn’t ideal. In general, he can at least stalemate defenders even if he doesn’t win the overall leverage battle.
Neal also has plus athleticism for a guard. His movement skills were a source of consternation at tackle (more on that in a bit), however he should have good feet for a guard. Neal actually showed much better lateral movement than he was credited when he returned from injury in the second half of 2024. He as able to widen the pocket and match speed rushers around the outside.
At guard, Neal won’t have to cover quite so much ground, which should allow him to quickly get into position against defensive linemen or blitzers attacking the A or B gaps.
Neal is at right tackle in each clip. In the first play, he becomes responsible for the linebacker that walks up to the right B-gap. He’s able to match...
