Rebuilding the offensive line has been a big priority for new Giants GM Joe Schoen, and he has done quite a lot of adding in the midst of a tough salary cap situation.
It seemed pretty obvious that Big Blue would make a final addition with one of their two picks in the Top 7 of the NFL Draft, and indeed, Alabama’s Evan Neal was the choice at seven – because, as Schoen joked, “Ickey (NC State OT Ikem Ekwonu) was gone at six.”
But in truth, the team got a dream scenario when, after taking edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux at five, they had the two tackles they ranked “side-by-side” still available, knowing they’d get one – and then had the choice made for them when Ekwonu was indeed selected sixth by Carolina.
Perhaps, though, they got the better fit for their system and their contacts.
“He’s long, played multiple positions, and is a big massive man who makes rushers take the long route to the quarterback,” head coach Daboll said. “I have a lot of people down at Alabama I trust, and they have a lot of confidence in him. (Offensive line coach) Bobby Johnson and (assistant offensive line coach) Tony Sparano also looked at him, and we thought highly of him. We are happy he's in our program, but now he's got a lot of work to do.”
Those folks at Alabama allayed any concerns about a rumored hip issue, and also gave the team some insight into the character of the man off the field.
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“Obviously I know a lot of people down there, and they are big proponents of Evan, rightfully so. He's a good player, but you're also trying to get to know the person and how does he treat the GAs and how is he in the cafeteria and the type of people that we want to build our program with, and he fit it to a T. And on top of that, you have to be a good football player and have some talent and love the game and love to compete.”
Neal played three positions at Alabama, spending last season at left tackle after being the left guard in 2019 and right tackle in 2020. The right side is where he’ll work with the Giants, who hope he can at some point provide a bookend with former No. 4 overall pick Andrew Thomas. Ekwonu was exclusively a left tackle/left guard at NC State, so seeing Neal able to play on the right side as he did in 2020 was helpful to Big Blue.
“Knowing he has versatility to play left tackle or guard was attractive to us, but it helps when you're going to draft a player at number seven and you get to see him do what you're going to ask him to do," Schoen said of that 2020 experience. "That makes you feel good. We definitely went back, we studied his tape from when he was at right tackle and even watched some of the stuff at guard. His versatility is important. One guy goes down in a game, it helps the eight guys you take on game day. If a guy can move around like that and help you out, that's an added plus, too.”
And now, with Neal added to Thomas, free agent signings Jon Feliciano and Mark Glowinski locked into two spots in the middle, and a strong mix of veteran signings and returning players – including a few returning from injury at various points this year – in the fold, the OL seems to be in a lot better shape in 2022 than it was at any point in 2021.
Talk is cheap, though, until the team gets into pads and begins to come together for the season.
“I hope (it’s fixed), but we haven’t been in pads yet. I feel like we've upgraded it from where it was and added some veteran guys we like, and I think it’s an interesting group with some interior depth,” Schoen said. “And (tackle) Matt Peart, when he comes back, all of a sudden, I think we could potentially be operating from a position of strength at that position.”
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