Giants draft OT Evan Neal with No. 7 overall pick

The New York Giants have drafted OT Evan Neal with the No. 7 pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Scouting Report

Coming out of high school, Neal was one of the top offensive line prospects and he proved that throughout his college career. After starting as a freshman, Neal moved to offensive tackle for the final two seasons of his college career and was phenomenal. In 2021, he was a consensus First Team All-American and was a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award.

Neal was viewed as the best offensive lineman in this draft for multiple reasons. For as big as he is, it’s hard to find one as physically and fundamentally sound as him. His footwork is incredible and was always in sync with his arms when blocking.

How can Evan Neal impact the Giants in 2022?

There was arguably no greater need for the Giants than beefing up their offensive line, and they did just that with the seventh pick. He’s already well schooled in blocking against the top competition at the college level. Neal could have easily been the first overall pick in the draft, and he was the top offensive lineman on more than a few draft boards going into this thing.

Neal should start right away for Big Blue. The team made some moves in free agency to give the interior line an upgrade, a move that will only help Neal transition to the pros. The Giants added Andrew Thomas two years ago in the draft. He’ll anchor the left side while Neal makes it a true bookend on the right. There are a lot of Giants fans who may be less than excited for another year of Daniel Jones, but with Neal joining a vastly improved offensive line, this offense gets a noticeable upgrade for 2022 and beyond.