I will believe it when I see it, but there is reason to believe that this year could be better than the last for Evan Neal. The former Alabama star offensive tackle has been anything but that in the NFL with the New York Giants. Already being slapped with an NFL Draft bust label as the former No. 7 overall pick entering year four, perhaps a position change is all Neal needed to have to success after all?
Neal is going to be playing right guard this season along the Giants' offensive line after floundering as their turnstile right tackle opposite Andrew Thomas for years. He seems to be grateful that he still has a job, as well as one last opportunity to prove himself. Neal revealed how he was feeling when he was speaking to Steve Serby of The New York Post about the position change. He seems to be all about it.
The big key here in the first half of Neal's statement has everything to do with accepting his new role.
"I'm just focused on playing football. I still have an opportunity in this league, and I'm grateful for that. The acceptance part of it, that really was never in my head because at the end of the day, I'm just grateful to still be able to play the game that I love."
Neal continued by taking pride in his work ethic, one that had been on full display while at Alabama.
"I can be as good as I want to be, 'cause I know how hard I work. I put in the time, I put in the hours, and I come out here and I bust my behind every day. And I can feel myself getting better. So that's the mindset."
To add even more fuel to his fire, Giants legend Carl Banks thinks Neal can be a All-Pro at right guard!
*Guarded* prediction....
— Carl Banks (@CarlBanksGIII) July 29, 2025
Back in the offseason, I said Evan Neal could be an All-Pro guard if he buys into the move. After watching him today, I feel even better about that. Not saying it’ll happen—but it definitely can. #Giants #togetherblue
With the Giants declining Neal's fifth-year option for 2026, it is now or never for him to figure it all out.
A position change can be what stops Evan Neal from remaining a bust
The thing that I never could understand about Neal and what his NFL career has become up to this point is why it has been such a struggle for him out on the edge. This was a guy who was every bit a physical freak coming out of Alabama. I distinctly remember him doing impressive split jumps onto boxes during his pre-combine workout routine or whatever. I guess that does not translate to the NFL.
One of the biggest reasons why offensive tackles end up failing in the NFL is they lack the athleticism to keep a guy in front of him. At 6-foot-7 and 350 pounds, Neal was about as sure of a thing coming out of Alabama as I can ever remember at the position. It really shows what you and I and everyone knows about the draft process. It is a total crapshoot. Has he been well-coached? That is an issue...
Even though Brian Daboll worked under Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, albeit briefly, it seems to be quite the down tick in leadership for the offensive lineman in question. In a way, I feel like the Giants are rigging the deck just a bit to make sure Neal is in a cannot-fail situation. He will be bigger than most defensive tackles he will be tasked to block. Whether it is saving face or a good idea, I am intrigued
With so much at stake for this season, the Giants' big gamble to kick Neal inside has to work out.