Could Giants' Evan Neal Thrive Inside?

In 2025, the Giants’ lineman could turn heads with the position change fans have been clamoring for.

By now, it’s beyond clear that Neal will not pan out at right tackle. He’s been too injured and too inconsistent for too long for that to be the projection. But when his struggles in pass protection continued in 2024, New York’s social media communities buzzed with the idea that Neal was simply being misused.

“He should be playing guard,” says Lastname Bunchofnumbers. But more credible analysts have supported the idea, too, and there’s reason to believe a transition to right guard would work.

Far too frequently, Neal was targeted by opposing coordinators to put him on an island against starting-caliber edge rushers. The results went as expected, helping New York’s offense wither away in the second half of the year. But while it was all a struggle in prior seasons, 2024 was kind to Neal’s play on the ground.

If he can continue contributing well in the ground game, particularly using his athleticism on zone runs, there’s a pathway to competency. Likewise, he may be better-suited to take on interior lineman in pass protection who offer less bend and more bullrushes. Technique will likely be his strong suit, but he has more than enough size to take advantage of rushers with less runway (and ability) to convert speed to power.

Regardless, several obstacles remain. At 6-foot-7, it’s easy to see him getting out-leveraged by shorter linemen hoping to push the pocket. His footwork didn’t help his anchor enough at tackle, and the opponents are only getting stronger closer to the line of scrimmage. Changing positions is always difficult, but doing it without a proficient technical foundation won’t be easy.

That might be the biggest reason why New York didn’t try converting him during the regular season. Neal has dealt with continuous injuries, adding a position change while also preparing him to play week-to-week would have been untenable. If there is ever going to be a change, it will come in a healthy offseason.

New York is not going to accept his fifth-year option. Neal has one season left with the Giants. With guards Aaron Stinnie and Greg Van Roten set for free agency, a last-ditch effort to become interior depth might be his only shot at sticking around even longer.