Ex-Giant Justin Pugh Believes Evan Neal Could Help on Offense at Some Point

Pugh praised Evan Neal's run-blocking abilities as a strength, adding that the third-year offensive tackle just needs to restore his confidence in his pass blocking skills.

Aug 24, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) after the game at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal has sort of faded into obscurity this season, having yet to get a game snap, be it on offense or special teams.

On the surface, that would seem surprising because Neal is a former top-10 draft pick, chosen seventh overall in 2022, and instantly anointed the team’s starting right tackle.

That hasn’t panned out, though, as injuries and inconsistent play, plus the arrival of Jermaine Eluemunor, have all led to Neal becoming an afterthought.

Add to that how Neal suffered a setback in his recovery from season-ending ankle surgery in the spring that landed him on the PUP list for most of training camp, and new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo had little choice but to move on.

But although Neal is a forgotten man, at least for now, former Giants offensive lineman Justin Pugh believes that Giants fans haven’t seen the last of Neal just yet.

“Evan Neal will play this year at some point,” Pugh told the Locked On Giants podcast. “At some point, we will see Evan Neal on the field as a sixth offensive lineman.”

Through four games, the Giants have rarely used a sixth offensive lineman, instead going for two or sometimes three tight ends when wanting to run a heavy personnel package. 

Despite the use of heavy personnel, the running game is struggling. According to ESPN stats, the Giants as a team have a run-blocking win rate of 71%, 18th in the league. 

None of the Giants offensive linemen currently rank in the top 10 in the run-blocking win-rate category. And the Giants rushing offense is ranked dead last in average yards per attempt (3.44) and 30th in average yards per game (85.3). 

Pugh, who recently launched his new podcast, NetWorth, as part of the Athlete Podcast Network, believes Neal could help the Giants run the game.  

“I can say this: Evan Neal is the best run blocker on the Giants team right now–no one can run block better than Evan Neal.”

If one prescribes to Pro Football Focus’s grades, they tell quite a different story. Neal has yet to finish a season with a run-blocking grade higher than 51.1.

If one looks at his season last year, Neal put forth a dominating run-blocking performance against the Cowboys despite the 40-0 loss (78.1 run-blocking grade) before his ankle issue popped up and sent his grades tumbling.

Before entering the NFL, Neal, in three years at Alabama, never saw a PFF run blocking grade lower than 70.1.

To Pugh’s point, our very own Coach Gene Clemons, in his “Good, Great, and Ugly” review of Neal’s run blocking, had this to say:

“Neal is a powerful tackle that gets movement when he makes contact with a defender. His down blocks and base blocks can set an edge for a back to make a cut and accelerate through a hole. 

When he is one half of a double team, they can clear the road, but one of his underrated abilities is climbing to the second level. He understands when to leave a double or go directly to the next level.” 

That said, the Giants don’t seem interested in telegraphing their intentions via a rotation of offensive linemen. Neal would come in when the team wants to run the ball, and someone else would replace him in pass-blocking situations.

The latter is Neal’s biggest deficiency right now. Still, Pugh believes that a now-healthy Neal, who can work on rebuilding his craft under the watchful eye of new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo in the privacy of the Giants’ closed practices, can regain any confidence he lost in his first two seasons. 

“Pass protection (has) hurt his confidence, and that's matriculating down into the rest of his game,” Pugh said. “As he regains that confidence, I feel very optimistic about the rest of his career. He's going to be a successful starter in the NFL, but it was good to take that pressure off him.”

Check out the Locked On Giants podcast for more thoughts from Justin Pugh, including Daniel Jones, the defense, Malik Nabers and more.

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