Evan Neal, the Giants’ freshman right tackle, said this season has been a crash course in how things work in the NFL.
“I feel like it was a learning year for me,” Neal said this week. “I had some ups. I had some downs. I had to fight through some adversity, get hurt, fight back, come back. So I feel like it was a growth year for me – a learning year. And I feel like I’ve treated myself the best way I know how.
The next lesson comes Saturday night when Neal plays for the Giants in their NFC division game against the Eagles. Neal’s job will be to put the brakes on Haason Reddick, an Eagles linebacker who had 16 sacks for Philadelphia this season. Daniel Jones must hold his own against a defense that had the most sacks in the NFL during the regular season.
“They’ve got good players across the board, so their coaches make that guy rush,” said Neal. “They do some twist games. They print. But really, they have good players. So they let their good players eat.”
The Giants picked Neal last spring with the seventh pick in the NFL Draft, hoping he would be a strong offensive lineman again. He started on Day 1 with the right tackle.
His rookie season was up and down and he missed four games midway through due to a sprained MCL. PFF says Neal has given up eight sacks this season.
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In early December, when the Giants and Eagles played for the first time, Neal gave up a sack and eight QB pressures. That day, the Giants gave up 12 quarterback hits and 7 sacks.
Neal, who went to college in Alabama and played in many big games there, said he’s not going to make this game against the Eagles bigger than it needs to be.
“I think of it as another football game,” said Neal. “Obviously it is a big game with big implications. And of course we want to win. But the game will always be the game as I see it.”
Evan Neal is still learning and growing
Neal hurt his ankle in practice as the Giants geared up for their wild card game against the Vikings. Although injured, he still played every offensive snap in that game, leading to eight sacks. Neal said there’s nothing wrong with the ankle.
“I’m fine. I’m ready,” he said. “At this point of the year, you won’t find a man who isn’t in some shape or form. But I get up. I’m ready.”
Last words
Rookie right tackle for the Giants, Evan Neal, has described this season as a “crash course” in the NFL. Last year, the Giants selected Neal seventh overall in the NFL Draft with the expectation that he would make a significant contribution to their offensive line… Neal, who came under pressure in many situations while playing for Alabama, maintains that he will not make the Eagles game more important than it already is.
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