Evan Neal's last chance? Inside the Giants lineman's move to guard: ‘You see the flashes'

New York Times

4 days ago

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — This spring, at New York Giants OTAs, defensive lineman Rakeem Nuñez-Roches approached Evan Neal.
'You can't keep doing this,' the 11-year veteran told the offensive lineman. 'You're going to continuously get beat.'
Neal, a 2022 first-round pick, has spent this offseason working on his transition from tackle to guard. During OTAs, Neal played dozens of snaps with the starting offense and against the starting defense, meaning he matched up against Nuñez-Roches pretty often. Following this particular play, Neal, who is 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds, used a familiar hand technique, leaving him vulnerable to a wise veteran like Nuñez-Roches.
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'Once I beat your hands, I'm gone,' Nuñez-Roches told Neal. 'I'm too quick for you to recover.'
Fortunately for Neal, the conversation continued. When asked about it later, Neal said they talked about the importance of changing things up — like using different set angles to throw off defenders off and varying how he uses his hands.
As Neal said, 'In this league, it's all about adaptability.'
That word is one Neal has had to embrace — not only with his technique but with his entire career.
Three seasons ago, he was poised to become a Giants building block. The franchise drafted Neal at No. 7 out of Alabama, expecting him to serve as the pillar opposite All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas for years to come. But that never happened. Injuries — he's played in just 29 games in three seasons — and poor play resulted in Neal coming to something of a crossroads this offseason. If he was going to make it in New York, it was not going to be at tackle.
And so, the transition began. Neal's been working at guard this offseason and now finds himself in a competition with last season's starter, 35-year-old journeyman Greg Van Roten, at right guard. Though preseason depth charts tend not to mean too much, the Giants listed Van Roten as the starter and Neal as his backup on their first depth chart, released Tuesday.
While the switch to guard is an adjustment for Neal at the NFL level, he has some experience inside, playing left guard his freshman year at Alabama in 2019. Obviously, Neal couldn't simply rely on that experience to carry him through, and he didn't. He spent part of his offseason working at his old school, IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, dialing in on footwork that would be required of him to play guard. He also focused on building up his strength and endurance.
With the Giants back at training camp for the past two weeks, teammates have seen a change in Neal's play and his confidence at the new position.
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'It's like, OK, you're playing the game. You're getting comfortable,' Nuñez-Roches said. 'He's already a big man. No one's getting around him. When he throws those combinations at you, it not only has you guessing, but now you don't know where to put your hands.'
Left guard Jon Runyan Jr. has some experience with transitioning to guard, as he primarily played tackle in college. He's been encouraged by the progress he's seen Neal make.
'At guard, you're in a wrestling match, like kind of in a phone booth,' Runyan said. 'You have to stay in front of the guys; you have to anchor, and you have to set the depth of the pocket. And Evan, you see those flashes of him when he gets his feet under control and he's punching; he's a large human, and not many people can bull rush him and set him back.'
Giants right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, who regularly lines up next to Neal, is already thinking about how 'double teams are going to be terrible for defensive tackles.'
'Playing guard is a hard position in this offense, because you have to know so much,' Eluemunor said. 'You have to be basically a center. … You have to know the slides, the squeezes, the defenses, how to ID the fronts, all those different things. … But he's getting the technique down, and he's such a big freaking guy that you're not gonna run through him. You try to run around him, and he's gonna put those freaking 40-inch arms (Neal's arms measured at 34 inches at the NFL combine) on you, and it's over. He's really bought into it.'
So far during training camp, Neal's on-field results have been mixed. The highs — stonewalling impressive rookie edge rusher Abdul Carter in a one-on-one matchup last week and playing fairly well in some team periods — have been encouraging, but the lows — losing to Carter on the ensuring one-on-one rep last week and getting pushed to the ground too much during some team periods — are indicative of a player who is still adjusting to a new position.
Evan Neal v. Abdul Carter round 2 https://t.co/MPtGIdk13g pic.twitter.com/nLRI2Tb5qn
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) July 29, 2025
'I'm still working out the kinks,' Neal said. 'It's been a while since I played guard, so the set angles are just a bit different. Just trying to get comfortable in my guard stance and just making sure my technique is on point. But that's gonna come with time.
'I've been getting better and better. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm on the way.'
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Neal has largely split starting reps with Van Roten during camp, but he's recently picked up a majority of the first-team snaps as Van Roten missed three practices last week while awaiting the birth of his daughter. With Van Roten back Monday, the two rotated again, while Neal also played some second-team snaps at left guard.
Neal has said he's willing to play wherever the Giants need him, but he acknowledged that since he has played on the right side the last three seasons, that does feel 'a bit more comfortable.' Keeping him on the right should suit the Giants, as Runyan has settled into the left guard role.
While it's fair to presume the Giants would prefer Neal to win the right guard job with Van Roten likely nearing the end of his career and playing on a one-year deal, coach Brian Daboll hasn't tipped his hand on who is leading the competition. Instead, Daboll said the team will be looking closely at each player's performance in the preseason.
The Giants' first game action comes Saturday against the Buffalo Bills. Exactly how many reps Neal will play Saturday and throughout the rest of the preseason remains an open question, with Daboll not yet unveiling his plans for playing time during the exhibition season. However, it would stand to reason that the team would want to get Neal plenty of snaps so he can keep adjusting to the spot.
Greg Van Roten on Evan Neal's transition to playing guard:
"It's not easy to move inside, especially at this level, but he's taking it in stride, he's trying to learn every day, work on his technique, and improve" pic.twitter.com/L8jooXrNsp
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) August 5, 2025
While Neal certainly is still figuring out his new position, he's embraced the challenge. It's hard not to notice a sense of calm exuding from the lineman when he talks about the forthcoming season. To that end, Neal believes that being healthy and focusing on football, rather than any outside critiques or criticisms, has put him in a better headspace. All he cares about, he said, is putting himself in a position to help the team win.
But, of course, Neal will win, too, if this switch pans out. He's playing in the final year of his rookie contract after the Giants declined to exercise his fifth-year option.
'There's a natural amount of pressure playing a high-level sport like this in general,' Neal said. 'But I'm confident in myself. I'm confident in my abilities and my work ethic. I know I'm going to be all right. Nothing's ever perfect, but I know that (if) I continue to approach the game the way I approach it, I'll be okay.'
— The Athletic's Dan Duggan contributed to this report