There were a number of storylines for the New York Giants over the course of training camp and the preseason, and one of the biggest is the transition of Evan Neal from right tackle to guard.
Not only has Neal been practicing at left guard with the second-team offensive line, but he’s also split reps with Greg Van Roten at right guard with the starting unit. The Giants’ first priority is obviously to field the best starting offensive line they can, and the line played well against both the Buffalo
Bills and New York Jets. While they won’t say it, the hope has to be that Neal will win the starting job.
While Van Roten is a (relatively) steady veteran, Neal is a month shy of his 25th birthday and could lock down the position for several years if he develops well. He also has far more athletic upside than Van Roten and could legitimately upgrade the position — again, if he develops well.
Neal missed the Giants’ first preseason game after suffering an injury in the practices leading up to the game. He returned to practice in the second joint practice between the Giants and Jets, and was thrown right back into the action. He got his first live game action against the Jets, coming onto the field with the starting offense at the start of the second quarter, and we finally got the chance to see him at his new position.
So how did he fare?
Overview
Neal was solid at guard against the Jets. He had 32 snaps with only two real losses (which we’ll get to), as well as some encouraging highs.
Neal got into the game at the start of the second quarter, with his first offensive rep coming when the Giants got the ball back with 12:23 left in the game. This also happened to be one of the more encouraging reps on his tape, as the Giants got the ball with terrible field position — their own 2-yard line.
Rather than run the ball and try to eke out a bit more room for the offense to operate, the Giants instead tested themselves backed up against their own goal line and called a pass.
Neal does an excellent job of executing the guard/center double team on the 1-technique. He and John Michael Schmitz fire off the ball and engage the defensive tackle with good leverage. They get hip-to-hip, shoulder-to-shoulder while maintaining good pad level and also not interfering with each other’s footing. They’re both able to maintain a wide base and set a deep pocket, not moving back off the 2-yard line.
He also had good reps in the run game.
Neal shows off both his prodigious power as well as his athleticism in this rep. He does a very good job of getting off the ball and taking control of the gap. He’s able to position himself to gain half-man leverage on the defensive tackle as well as get under his pads.
Neal’s leverage and positioning allow him to maximize his play strength and he’s able to dig the defender out of the play. He doesn’t just seal off the back side of the run, but also drive his man back into the edge defender who had been blocked by James Hudson II. I’d also like to shout-out the second- and third-level blocking from Theo Johnson. The majority of Neal’s reps were like this, where he at least stalemated his opponent.
Worst rep
We’ll get this out of the way first so we can end on a more positive note. You might be expecting me to single out the now-infamous “whiff” on Phidarian Mathis that led to one of Jaxson Dart’s two incompletions on the night (intended for Beaux Collins).
Frankly, while that was certainly an ugly loss, it wasn’t a terrible rep on Neal’s part.
Mathis was lined up as a 1-technique in the A-gap, and with fine pad level and in the process of firing an accurate punch. Neal did over-set a bit and was aggressive about trying to set the depth of the pocket, but it was really just an excellent play on Mathis’ part. I had to slow the tape down to 25% speed to catch the subtle hesitation and swipe to clear Neal’s right hand as he attacked the B-gap.
The other guys are professionals, too, and sometimes they just make a play.
Instead, I would say that Neal’s worst rep came on the first play of the second half.
This time, Neal is lined up against Jay Tufele, and while he doesn’t lose badly, there are a few areas of concern on the rep.
Neal doesn’t over-set this time, and is in pretty good position to block Tufele. However, he never really delivers a punch and instead allows his hands to drift high and outside Tufele’s framework. Not only does that put him in danger of being called for holding, but it makes it much more difficult to control the defender.
In fact, Tufele wins inside leverage on Neal, which opens up the next issue with the rep. Tufele forces Neal to be perpendicular with the line of scrimmage, eliminating his ability to anchor against the rush and allowing Tufele to drive him into the backfield. That’s further exacerbated by Neal playing upright and Tufele getting under his pads.
To a certain extent, it’s impressive that Neal is able to stay in front of Tufele and buy Dart just enough time to get the pass off. So this wasn’t a complete loss, but it’s definitely teaching tape. The good news is that this was the exception from his play at guard, rather than the rule.
Best rep
Neal’s most impressive rep came when Dart was inserted for one rep with the starters. The rookie was put in a “you never know when your number will be called” situation, and both he and the line responded admirably.
This was a 30-yard screen for Theo Johnson, and his own individual effort was great. The blocking was also impressive — and impressively schemed.
The play design called for the left and right tackles to release to the second level and set up the screen, where they were joined by John Michael Schmitz after he slowed the interior rush. But it was Neal’s block that was the lynchpin for the whole act. He was asked to pull from the right guard position out to the left C-gap to replace Hudson. He got there remarkably quickly and delivered a punishing block to defensive end Tyler Baron. Running back Tyrone Tracy and wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson also contributed to the backside blocks, but it was Neal’s job to prevent the blindside rush from getting to Dart before the screen could be set up.
It was impressive that Neal was even able to beat the defensive end to the spot from his right guard position, but he also arrived with good technique. He delivered his block with good leverage as well as excellent hand placement, his left hand landing squarely in the middle of Baron’s chest plate.
Neal had another impressive rep two plays later, though that will be remembered for Russell Wilson’s interception, not Neal’s blocks.
Neal initially executes the guard/center double team with Schmitz, clogging the center of the formation. That double team does a good job of establishing the line of scrimmage and giving Wilson a stable pocket with which to work. The quarterback is under little pressure as he drops back, but Neal continues to look for work. He picks up the left defensive end (lined up outside of right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor) as he slants inside to the right B-gap. The defensive end is likely trying to take advantage of Neal opting to block the right A-gap, however Neal switches from the guard/center double team to helping Eluemunor with a guard/tackle double team.
Taken as a whole, these two reps showcase the advantages of moving Neal inside to guard.
He is a good athlete who can cover a lot of ground in a straight line, and arrive with some very bad intentions. He’s massive, powerful, and has solid technique when he’s on balance. His biggest issue at tackle was redirecting when he was on an island against defensive ends, but that is much less of an issue at guard. He can’t establish much momentum in any direction, and inertia doesn’t overwhelm his short-area quickness.
Final thoughts
Overall, Neal’s first live action at right guard should be considered a success. At the very least it was a solid foundation that showcased upside while also highlighting some things to work on.
It should also be remembered that this is the first time Neal has played guard since 2019, and that was left guard, not right. Considering that this was his first live action at a brand new position, he acquitted himself well. It was far from perfect, but his pass protection was consistently solid and he generated movement in the running game.
It might not get talked about much, but it was quietly impressive how well Neal worked with his teammates. He executed double teams, pulls, and kick-out blocks well, and never got in his teammates’ way. Even in close quarters, he never obstructed or interfered with his teammates’ footing and clearly understood his role in the blocking scheme.
One game probably won’t be enough to unseat Van Roten, but Neal has shown that he can be a viable — and perhaps even good — starting guard. He fits in well between Schmitz and Eluemunor, and there’s significant upside to be had with more development.