In Joe Schoen’s first-ever draft as general manager of the New York Giants, he had two first-round picks at his disposal, and he used one of the choices on Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal.
It’s safe to say, nearly five years later, that draft pick was an absolute bust.
After playing out his rookie deal, Neal has bounced around from team to team in 2026, starting with the Giants, spending some time with the Las Vegas Raiders, and now landing back in the NFC East with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles have a history of rehabilitating offensive linemen who have had rough starts to their careers. Now, they’ll try to see what they can get out of Neal.
Evan Neal’s Failed Time in New York
Neal will go down in New York Giants history as one of their biggest draft mistakes of all time, considering the fact that they spent the No. 7 overall pick on him in 2022, current general manager Joe Schoen’s first draft at the helm.
The former Alabama standout was tabbed as a blue-chip talent coming out of college and was projected to be a franchise’s right tackle for a decade.
Instead, Neal quickly proved he wasn’t cut out for the bright lights of the NFL and struggled mightily for New York throughout his first few years in the league.
With 29 career games under his belt since 2022, Neal has recorded a pass-block win rate of 82.9%, which, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, ranks last among all qualified offensive tackles during that span.
After four failed seasons, Neal became an unrestricted free agent and somehow managed to find his way back to New York this past spring.
The former first-round draft pick signed a one-year, $1.2 million deal with Big Blue and was a mainstay of the 90-man offseason roster.
He was buried on the depth chart, however, and failed to make the Giants’ 53-man roster. They opted not to bring him back on the practice squad.
Then, Neal signed to the Las Vegas Raiders, where he spent the first couple of weeks of the season before being released there too.
In Philadelphia, though, Neal may actually end up on a path to playing time.
Eagles in Desperate Need of Offensive Line Help
There haven’t been many teams ravaged by injuries like the Philadelphia Eagles so far this season, and the former New York Giants draft bust may find his way onto the field at some point in 2026.
It started with guard Landon Dickerson, who fought through injuries all offseason long and only managed to appear in Philadelphia’s first game of the season before being placed on injured reserve.
Then, the Eagles lost Lane Johnson to retirement right before their Week 4 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The All-Pro right tackle cited mental health struggles as the reason he needed to hang up his cleats.
Finally, Philadelphia traded away Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens, stripping them of three of their best offensive players in the span of one month.
Right now, the Eagles are relying on Willie Lampkin, Jake Majors, and Tyler Steen as their starting interior offensive linemen. It’s not far-fetched to say Neal could make his way into that lineup if any other injuries occur.
Ex-Giants Draft Bust Evan Neal Signs With NFC East Rival