Why It’s Time for the New York Giants to Move On from Their 2022 First Round Draft Pick
The New York Giants have been working on rebuilding their roster. They have done a fantastic job of picking up multiple players since free agency began on March 4th. However, they have made one mistake that has already upset fans. The Giants made the decision this past week to re-sign their guard Evan Neal. This was a significant downgrade on Big Blue's part, despite its strong performance. They need to let Neal go and move on to find someone else to fill the position.
This guard has had ongoing issues in leading the pass protection over the last several years he has played in the league. Neal has always allowed too much pressure, and it has led to a significant decline for this team. He has made multiple mistakes, and it has cost the Giants on multiple occasions. For a team in the midst of trying to stabilize its offense, having him in this position makes it impossible to build that consistency. They have given him multiple chances, and all of them have completely backfired on New York.
Neal has also lacked in development since being drafted to New York. He was a top-ten pick and was expected to grow into the shoes of a strong offensive lineman. Everything in his progress has stalled, and He has shown no growth at all. With him out with multiple injuries, there has been no help for this offensive line. The improvement just hasn't been there, and both fans and analysts agree on this.
The way the scheme has worked for the Giants has always been that they require disciplined footwork and awareness. Neal has managed to find a way to struggle with both of these. Neal's actions have hurt drives and put the offensive line behind where they need to be in a team reconstruction. He has not been able to find what the team is looking for, despite the team giving him a second chance by moving him to another position. New York really needs to think before they move ahead.
However, Giants' new head coach John Harbaugh sees something in Neal for the offensive line he wants to build. This is going to be Neal's last chance before the Giants decide what they are going to do with him. It’s not going to be easy for him. He needs to prove that he can be the type of player that New York needs. If Harbaugh does not like what he sees in him, he will decide to have him leave the team.
