NY Giants OT Jermaine Eluemunor Praises Evan Neal's Willingness to Help Team Win

It wasn’t that long ago that New York Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal tried to dig his heels into the ground, insisting that he was “born to play tackle” whenever the topic of him switching to guard came up.

But with that path seemingly a dead end for the former Alabama star, Neal has had a change of heart and has embraced a move inside to guard, one which  offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, who ironically took over the starting right tackle spot that Neal was supposed to anchor for the next decade or so, has been impressed with.

Neal, the Giants 2022 first-round pick, has been in the process of transitioning to a guard role after spending his first few seasons at the right tackle position where Eluemunor currently resides.

In that span, the 24-year-old Neal has mostly struggled to gain his footing as the same elite pass and run protector he was during his time at Alabama. 

That includes being made into a human turnstile by elite edge rushers who've torched him for 11 sacks, 20 hits, and 85 total pressures since he entered the league.

Last season, Neal had to deal with some unique challenges, such as being pulled in and out of the lineup due to injury needs, but he still wasn't very proficient in his workload, allowing two sacks, 17 total pressures, and being penalized six times in 459 snaps.

Yet, in the middle of his potential career-altering shift over to learning and working in the guard spot, Eluemunor has seen Neal grow as a professional into his new role.

"I think that he's truly bought into it, and it's been cool for me to just watch the tape and see him going out there and being able to not change anything from indy (individual) to the team and him going from tackle to guard is a big transition," Eluemunor said.

"I've done it myself a couple of times in my career, so to see him buying into it and to see how serious he's taking it is cool to see. And I think that he can be a really good player.

"I was telling him that if you locked in and truly bought into this, you could be a really good guard just from seeing how he's done in the spring. I'm excited to see him in the summer and putting pads on."

Even with that sense of enthusiasm and diligence that Neal has shown in the meeting room and on the field, Eluemunor acknowledged that his teammate will likely face some bumps in the road before he can become one of the best guards across the entire league.

He mentioned the glaring differences in speed of play, something that veteran Greg Van Roten also noted earlier this spring, which comes with playing in the interior of the offensive front, and how that can often be hard for a traditional tackle player to adjust to right away. 

That often requires a player to develop and demonstrate knowledge and resilience to win those battles and avoid giving up a more direct lane to the quarterback.

There is also the secondary factor of one's ego when it comes to the Giants asking a former high draft pick to switch from the one position he's known best for his entire football career and assume another that he isn't as comfortable in. 

Nevertheless, Neal has found a way to trounce all concerns, and Eluemunor believes "the sky's the limit" for what he can become in time.

“Yeah, I think that in Evan's case, he was a five-star recruit, Alabama's left tackle, and a top-eight pick in the NFL draft. You're just used to one certain thing, and you're used to playing tackle. And then when they're like, oh, play guard now, there's a decision you have to make," Eluemunor said.

"I had to make that decision too, whether it's like my first couple years in the league, they were like, you're a guard. I was like, ‘I'm a tackle.’ They were like, ‘No, you're playing guard, and you have to truly be willing to accept that and just clear your mind of everything and relearn everything.’ And I think he's done a phenomenal job doing the entry, buying in.”

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