Is the era of Evan Neal at right tackle coming to an end for the New York Giants?
Despite their repeated attempt to dismiss that notion, the writing seems to be on the wall. That’s especially true following the addition of Greg Van Roten and the shifting of Jon Runyan Jr. from right guard to left guard, which happened on Tuesday.
Biggest takeaway from the signing of Greg Van Roten: Giants are going to keep Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle. They can't keep moving him back + forth. That means Evan Neal's run as starting RT is likely over, barring injuries to others. He also doesn't seem that close to a…
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) July 30, 2024
There were talks about transitioning the former seventh overall draft pick to an interior offensive lineman but as of now, it looks like he may not even start at all. The Giants spent a premier draft pick on Neal but he has not shown much promise in his first 20 starts in the NFL.
In his rookie season, in 2022, Neal earned the seventh-lowest offensive grade by Pro Football Focus out of the 140 tackles that were graded. Many were calling him a bust but there was still hope going into his sophomore season.
However, the Alabama tackle was graded as the 132nd tackle out of 137 tackles in 2023.
Allowing 9.0 sacks and 68 pressures in only 20 games is not an ideal way to start your career. If things continue on their current route Neal will need to learn behind Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor and hope to fight for some playing time later in the season.
