Giants’ draft pick Evan Neal always has been a big deal
How long has Evan Neal been such a big guy?
Pretty much forever.
“In the eighth grade, I weighed in at 378 pounds,’’ he said.
He is no longer that big. Neal, taken by the Giants with the No. 7-overall pick in the NFL draft, arrived at the Giants facility on Saturday and said he weighed in at 340-342 pounds. That is in line with the weight he carried last season playing at Alabama.
When he first got to campus in Tuscaloosa, Neal was up to 390 pounds. Better diet and weight training cut that tonnage, and Neal, at nearly 6-foot-8, actually looks svelte in his upper body.
“I’ve always carried my weight well,’’ Neal said. “I can move, whenever we would run, I would always be in the front of the pack with the O-Line. It was really important to me to not allow no one else to outwork me.
“I just come from a really big, blessed, athletic family. And going into college I knew I was going to have to shed some weight, but I didn’t look at my weight as like a project or anything like that. I just had to trim a lot of that baby fat off.’’
Neal is expected to move directly into the starting lineup at right tackle.
With six picks on Day 3 of the draft, the Giants addressed needs and filled up their depth chart. In the fourth round, they selected tight end Daniel Bellinger from San Diego State and safety Dane Belton from Iowa. With three picks in the fifth round, the Giants took linebacker Micah McFadden (Indiana), defensive tackle D.J. Davidson (Arizona State) and guard Marcus McKethan (North Carolina). In the sixth round, the Giants took linebacker Darrian Beavers (Cincinnati).
“I think we added competition and depth,’’ general manager Joe Schoen said after his first draft with the Giants. “Hopefully we have as many guys turn into starters as we can but we’re not going to hand anybody anything. We want to see progress, I’ve said that since Day 1, and I think this will lead us to that.’’
With Neal, Joshua Ezeudu and McKethan, Schoen has now added nine new offensive lineman since he was hired.
With 11 players in this draft class, Schoen said he wants to concentrate on defense with the undrafted free agent signings.
The draft came and went and cornerback James Bradberry (and his $21.8 million salary cap charge) remains. Schoen said he has spoken with Bradberry’s representation. Could Bradberry remain on the roster at a less expensive price tag?
“We’ll see where that goes,’’ Schoen said. “We’re working towards some contingency plans.’’
Edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, the No. 5-overall pick, wore No. 5 at Oregon. He wants to wear that jersey number with the Giants, but it is currently being used by veteran kicker Graham Gano. When safety Jabrill Peppers arrived two years ago, he wanted No. 5, but found the price Gano set was too high. It sounds as if Thibodeaux is bracing himself for the financial commitment it will take to wrest No. 5 from Gano.
“This is real now, we’re talking real numbers,’’ Thibodeaux said. “When you tell somebody 250, I don’t know what 250 means. You forget all the zeros behind it. Things are a lot different now.’’