Giants Trade Proposal Moves on from First-Round NFL Draft Disappointment

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has nailed his past few first-round draft selections. Malik Nabers earned Pro Bowl honors in his first season. Meanwhile, Jaxson Dart already looks the part of an NFL quarterback who will have a long career in New York. Abdul Carter could very well develop into one of football’s best pass-rushers.

Yet, just because the Giants’ scouting department has done better in recent years, it doesn’t wipe away their checkered past. That’s especially true when it comes to the 2022 NFL Draft class, which saw the Giants select right tackle/guard Evan Neal with the seventh overall pick.

While Neal is still just 24 years old, he’s not viewed as a long-term building block in New York after starting just 14 games across the past two seasons. Now he’s not even projected to start in 2025, and he could be set to lose his roster spot as cutdown day approaches.

Neal’s status with the team now has ESPN’s Bill Barnwell projecting the offensive lineman to get traded for a very low return. At this point, Barnwell believes the Giants would be willing to part with Neal in exchange for just a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Is that enough to give up on a former first-round pick? Considering they have since replaced him with multiple free agency signings and even selected Marcus Mbow in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Neal’s place with the team is on thin ice. At this point, getting anything in return for Neal, who’s set to have a cap hit of $7.8 million in 2025, is better than nothing.

While the Giants attempted to convert Neal to offensive guard, he’s still a highly paid backup with no path to a starting role, barring injury. If that’s all the Giants view him as, then they could find a much more inexpensive backup, and if they can pick up some draft compensation in the process, then it could be a win for everyone involved.