It should not come as a surprise that Evan Neal is playing for his NFL livelihood this season. The former first-round pick out of Alabama has had a miserable time playing for the New York Giants. After three straight down years, New York wisely declined his fifth-year option, making him a free agent after this season. Even more concerning, they are kicking him inside to guard to save face.
This position change is significant for two reasons. One, if it does not work out for Neal playing guard, his NFL career could swiftly come to an end. But on the contrary, should he succeed at guard, he may become too expensive for the Giants to actively attempt to retain him in his free agency. This is another consequence of the Giants' poor drafting under their current regime.
It still baffles me that head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen were retained for this season. They were so bad at their jobs a year ago that the Giants ended up with the No. 3 overall pick. While selecting linebacker Abdul Carter out of Penn State was a no-brainer, is Jaxson Dart really ready for primetime? With the way Russell Wilson has played of late, his time could be coming sooner.
All the while, we have to wonder how much better the Giants would be if Neal had been a big success.
New York Giants should expect to lose Evan Neal during NFL free agency
This is the prime example of why you need to hit on your first-round draft picks. When an NFL team takes a player in the first round, they are banking on that guy becoming a high-end starter for them on multiple contracts. Not everyone can be a Pro Bowler every year, let alone become one instantly, but you want to make sure a big-time investment starts paying dividends before the end of his first deal.
Even when a team is on the fence, it serves them to at least extend a player's fifth-year option to give them more time to reevaluate his play and see if he merits an extension. In Neal's case, he has to take on a role at the non-glamorous position of guard to have any real staying power in the league after failing at tackle. With the Giants regime possibly crumbling, I doubt that he will stay.
Ultimately, the best thing for Neal and the Giants is to put their best foot forward and just win anyway. A lot can change in a year. New York could go worst-to-first, Neal could be a revelation at guard, and Daboll emerges as a top-10 head coach in football. No, I am not banking on any of those things happening, but there is a non-zero chance that it could. It is why you have to focus on yourself first.
Unfortunately, the outside noise often finds its way into the Giants' locker room, and this is the result.