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By Michael Stewart@TheTruthNYG

The 2023 season for the New York Giants could be a pivotal year for this team and could determine which direction they will trend moving forward. Among the many players looking to either build on a solid 2022 season or to take that next step up would be second year player Evan Neal. Neal’s rookie season is arguably one he would like to forget as he played in a combined 13 games and logged 738 snaps, committing seven penalties and allowed seven sacks. This off season Neal was on a mission as he focused on conditioning his large frame (6’6/365) and trained under the mentorship of former All-Pro Willie Anderson. Anderson has been impressed with Neal’s work ethic and maintains that Neal has that “it” factor.

Transitioning over from LT to RT was a major learning curve for Neal as Anderson also pointed out that Neal needed to get into better shape, while improving on his footwork. As Neal enters his second training camp as a Giant, he is more confident this time around under the guidance of Anderson and also learning the errors in 2022. Anderson did confess that Neal is a work in progress, but he also proclaimed that Neal will prove to every Giants fan that he is their RT for the next decade.

2022 was a rookie year that Neal should never forget as he should use that as fuel to improve upon moving forward. His 44.1 PFF rating places him near the bottom among all offensive tackles and Neal expects a big jump up in 2023. Every player is different on how they adjust to the speed of the NFL, and some take longer than others to figure it out. I believe we will see a much-improved Evan Neal and although I’m not expecting Pro Bowl honors, I do expect him to a much better season while surrendering less pressures, penalties and sacks.