Giants pleased with Evan Neal's progress in move from tackle to guard

When the Giants drafted Evan Neal with the seventh overall pick in 2022, they were hoping he would have established himself as one of the top offensive tackles in the NFL right now. That has certainly not happened, but the Giants’ coaching staff is seeing positive signs with Plan B for Neal, which is moving him to guard.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Neal, who is getting offseason snaps at both left and right guard, is on the right track.

“He’s picked up things well inside,” Daboll said, via the New York Post. “You know, training camp will be an important time of the year for him as for all the offensive linemen.”

The best-case scenario for Neal would be that he takes to guard like Mekhi Becton, who was a highly drafted offensive tackle for the Jets and struggled to play the position for four years there didn’t work out there but became a starter for the Eagles at guard last year and signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the Chargers this offseason to play guard for them.

Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo pointed out that there’s precedent for tackles to move inside and have success.

“Excited to see when we put pads on what happens, but he’s embraced it, we’ve embraced it, it’s been good so far,” Bricillo said. “Throughout the NFL, plenty of guys have moved from tackle to guard, so we’ll see how it goes.”