Fans of the New York Giants have been waiting for some time for the team to upgrade its offensive line. Throughout their history, the team usually wins when the offensive line dominates.
Two years ago, the Giants used the fourth overall pick on Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas. This year, with the seventh overall selection in the draft, Big Blue took Alabama’s Evan Neal — a 6-foot-7, 340-pound athletic stud — to complement Thomas.
Neal has lined up at right tackle this week at Giants training camp and will finally get to show what he’s got come Monday when the team practices in full pads for the first time this summer.
“I’m extremely excited I get the chance to get better because when you don’t have pads on, you get better from a sense in pass protection and stuff like that, but it’s not the same,” Neal told reporters on Saturday. “We really can’t fit our combo blocks or really lean on guys in the run game. I’m definitely excited for that standpoint of it, for sure.”
One of the assignments Neal will be given will be to stop another 2022 first round pick, Kayvon Thibodeaux, from getting to quarterback Daniel Jones. It’s a matchup that many have been looking forward to.
“It’s crazy that through high school, and through recruitment, and every major camp that was the matchup that everybody wanted to see. Me versus Kayvon,” said Neal. “It’s just so ironic that we ended up on the same NFL team. I’m just excited to go against him every day, get each other better. I believe that iron sharpens iron.”
So far in drills, the two rookies have taken turns getting the better of each other.
“We are getting each other better. He beats me some reps, I get him some reps. That’s what it’s all about, that’s the name of the game — getting better, getting each other better, and iron sharpening iron,” Neal said.
Neal is enjoying his first NFL camp even in the sweltering heat wave the Northeast has been experiencing. After all, he is used to training in such conditions down at Alabama under head coach Nick Saban.
“August in Tuscaloosa, it is brutal. The heat index gets to 102, 103 degrees and the humidity for sure. I’m definitely grateful that I had the chance to go through Coach Saban’s camp. That definitely hardened my steel,” he said.
