CBS Sports tabs Evan Neal for Year 2 leap
CBS Sports' Jeff Kerr selected one under-the-radar player for each NFC Team who he believes could be a star this upcoming season.
As the analyst said in the introduction, "These players are already good and can transform to elite at their respective position, or they can finally have the breakout season their teams are expecting. These are the players worth monitoring in the NFC for 2023. By the end of this upcoming season, these players have the potential to become household names (rookies are not counted for this list)."
When it came to the Giants, second-year tackle Evan Neal was the selection.
"With a year under his belt, Neal has an opportunity to take the Giants to the next level," Kerr wrote. "A good sophomore season could get the Giants back to the divisional round of the playoffs, providing excellent expectations for the offensive line going forward."
The Giants selected Neal with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-7, 350-pound lineman started 13 games at right tackle during his rookie campaign. A knee injury suffered during the team's Week 8 victory over the Jaguars led to him missing four contests.
"Nothing is a surprise now," Neal told the media last week about Year 2 in the NFL. "I know what to expect. I know what an NFL-level game is. Just doing what I can to go out there and perform and play well. So, it's definitely good that I got the experience that I did last year, carrying it over into this season."
Neal moved to right tackle after starting 15 games at left tackle for Alabama in 2021. He was named First-Team All-SEC and Second-Team All-American after he helped lead the Crimson Tide offense to sixth in the country in scoring (39.9 points-per-game), seventh in passing (338.2 yards-per-game) and third in 3rd-down conversion percentage.
"They've had a year under their belt. So, still got a lot to learn. Still young players," head coach Brian Daboll said about Neal and Kayvon Thibodeaux during OTAs. "But again, they can draw from some of the experiences that they've had the previous year. Even just, not in terms of playing right now because we're out here in shorts and T-shirts, but grasping the material, different questions they ask. They've been through some of the stuff, so when they're watching cutups of things that we did the previous year, they know it. As a rookie, you have no idea what's going on right now. So, I'd say most players from year one to year two, there's a little bit more comfort level."
View the best photos from offensive tackle Evan Neal's first season with the Giants.
Evan Neal (73)
Evan Neal (73)
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Evan Neal (73)
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73)
Daniel Jones, Evan Neal, Andrew Thomas
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OL Evan Neal (73)
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Tyre Phillips (79), Evan Neal (73)
Evan Neal (73)
OL Evan Neal (73), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
Evan Neal (73)
Evan Neal (73)
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New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday January 8, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a football game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday September 18, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus/NY Giants)
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday October 2, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus/NY Giants)
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) and Dexter Lawrence (97) wait in the tunnel to lead the New York Giants on to the field before a NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday December 18, 2022 in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a pre-season football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday August 21, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus/NY Giants)
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday December 18, 2022 in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a football game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday October 16, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus/NY Giants)
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday October 2, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus/NY Giants)
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a Monday Night football game against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday September 26, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus/NY Giants)
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday December 4, 2022 in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a preseason NFL football game against New England Patriots on Thursday August 11, 2022 in Foxborough, MA
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) gets introduced before a football game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday October 16, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Evan Pinkus/NY Giants)
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday December 4, 2022 in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a preseason NFL football game against New England Patriots on Thursday August 11, 2022 in Foxborough, MA
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday December 4, 2022 in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
The New York Giants take on the Baltimore Ravens at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday October 16, 2022. (Ben Solomon/New York Giants)
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) gets introduced before a NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday December 4, 2022 in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a preseason NFL football game against New England Patriots on Thursday August 11, 2022 in Foxborough, MA
The New York Giants take on the Baltimore Ravens at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday October 16, 2022. (Ben Solomon/New York Giants)
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday December 4, 2022 in East Rutherford, NJ (Evan Pinkus\New York Giants )
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) during a NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday October 9, 2022 in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Credit Evan/New York Giants
Evan Neal (73)
Evan Neal (73)
The New York Giants take on the Baltimore Ravens at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday October 16, 2022. (Ben Solomon/New York Giants)
Evan Neal (73)
Evan Neal (73)
Evan Neal (73)
New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73)
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