It’s difficult to label an NFL player a ‘bust’ after just one season. Most analysts will wait until they have a larger body of work to judge from before they sta throwing the ‘B’ word around.
But every year there are a few players who are grossly ‘over-drafted,’ meaning they are NFL caliber but their performance did not warrant them being such a high section.
Then there are some who are just never going to make it in the league. Every team has them. Fans of the New York Giants are wondering if last year’s seventh overall pick — Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal — is one of those players.
Neal had an uneven rookie year as there Giants’ right tackle in 2022. He was, however, banged up a bit with knee and ankle issues but he was clearly overmatched by the better speed rushers in the league.
In a recent article, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report listed Neal as being ‘dangerously close’ to being a bust.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Neal had 24 blown blocks (a four percent clip) and allowed 11 sacks from his right tackle spot. Only Charles Cross and Braxton Jones (also rookies) ceded more sacks.
There were times when Neal just looked lost in pass protection. His PFF grade ranked 80th out of 81 tackles on the season.
The Giants aren’t quaking in their boots over this pick. Not yet, anyway. They had a similar issue with their left tackle, Andrew Thomas, who was a disaster as a rookie but has developed into a Pro Bowl player.
There is hope that Neal will get it turned around. Thomas had a PFF grade of 62.4 and gave up 10 sacks in his rookie year. Two seasons later, he finished with an elite 89.1 grade and gave up just three sacks on Daniel Jones’ blindside.
Then again, Neal is a big body who simply may not be suited for the tackle role in the NFL. Giant fans remember Ereck Flowers, another first-rounder, who was a bust as a tackle.
Neal has more upside than Flowers (we think) and may develop at tackle but the Giants may not have the patience and slip him inside to guard.
