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September 21, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) blocks San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

This Giant Could Benefit from a Post-Draft Trade

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Stephen Lebitsch | Last updated Apr 23, 2025 8:00 AM ET

As the 2025 NFL Draft approaches, it’s not only the incoming rookie prospects who are waiting around, eager to find out which of the 32 franchises will turn in their name cards and make their professional dreams come true.

On the other side of the metaphorical stage, many current veterans will be on guard to see if their careers will take them to another city. As the draft board fills up with selections, team priorities will change, which could entice franchises to shuffle their major players away in a trade that benefits both parties.

Regarding the New York Giants, the player folks have been mentioning the most is edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who is nearing the final year of his rookie contract. The Giants have about a week left to decide whether they will pick up his fifth-year option or make him an asset bound for the open market if they take a replacement guy like Abdul Carter at No. 3.

Thibodeaux isn’t the only member of the Giants roster in that very same boat. As the draft opens on Thursday, he is left to ponder whether he is long for East Rutherford.

The team also has concerns about right tackle Evan Neal, a fellow first-round pick from that 2022 class. The team brass needs to determine his contractual fate within the next few months.

In a recent analysis by Pro Football Network, Neal was chosen as the biggest candidate for a post-draft move, which listed the Patriots, Dolphins, and Cincinnati Bengals as three organizations that might want to swing at the beleaguered lineman.

“At this point, it’s clear Evan Neal needs a change of scenery,” Sterling Xie said. “The former No. 7 overall pick has had a disastrous three-year run with the New York Giants and is so buried on the tackle depth chart that the team is expected to try him out at guard this offseason.”

When Neal came out of Alabama three years ago, the Giants thought they had landed one of the college’s best pocket protectors when they paired him with Thibodeaux as two of the top ten selections in that class.

Neal had the size and the length to contend with the brightest pass rushers in the league, and the Giants wanted to form a solid duo between him and veteran left tackle Andrew Thomas, but the responsibility that came with that role on the right end quickly became too much for the seventh-overall pick to handle.

In his first three seasons with the Giants, Neal hasn’t finished with a pass-blocking grade higher than 50.0 and has often been on the wrong end of pancake takedowns by opposing rushers who were able to get to the quarterback at a horrific pace.

As a novice, he allowed a whopping eight sacks and 52 total pressures, and he tallied at least 17 in the next two years, with 18 penalties.

The Giants' offensive line has struggled to remain healthy and consistent for years, and Neal is no stranger to the unit’s two biggest woes.

That is why Joe Schoen has invested in the position thus far, adding Stone Forsythe and James Hudson III in free agency to supply depth behind Jermaine Eluemunor.

That leaves the Giants with just one of two possible solutions for one of the regime’s first high-level picks: move him into the guard spot to salvage his tenure in East Rutherford or let him rediscover his game in a different scenery in the NFL.

While Neal did make major strides as a run blocker, with a career-high 80.6 grade last season, it might be beneficial to move him inside on rushing packages and let his beef open up the gaps for Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary to thread the pigskin.

At the same time, Neal hasn’t played in the guard hole since his time in Tuscaloosa with the Crimson Tide. While he was effective, it might be an awkward adjustment, especially if he is expected to jump into it quickly, depending on the roster's health after training camp is complete.

More so than Thibodeaux, the Giants could take advantage of the opportunity to shop Neal during the draft and at least get some potential capital in exchange. The other choice is to let him walk after the 2025 campaign and get nothing for one of Schoen’s more important picks throughout his tenure as the general manager.

The depth is stacking up too much against Neal, and it might take too much for him to stay in the picture and not fall into obscurity as he did last season. Suppose Schoen tabs an extra guy during the draft. In that case, he should keep his phone line open to fellow general managers looking to take a chance on a developmental player without digging deeper into their packets for a proven veteran.

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