Giants add Evan Neal with No. 7 pick in 2022 NFL Draft

The Giants improved their offensive line Thursday night by taking Evan Neal with the No. 7-overall pick in the draft, and, just like that, new general manager Joe Schoen is saying things like this:

“I think we could potentially be operating from a position of strength at that position.’’

Is this crazy talk? Can the Giants and offensive line be linked as “a position of strength”?’

We shall see. Clearly, though, Schoen believes he has made significant progress in an area that has befuddled the Giants for nearly a decade. He signed veterans Mike Glowinski and Jon Feliciano in free agency to start at one guard spot and center, respectively, and added several other serviceable players for depth purposes. Now, he has Neal to move in at right tackle to work as a bookend with Andrew Thomas at left tackle.

“I feel like we’ve upgraded it,’’ Schoen said.

The draft board fell nicely for the Giants, as two edge rushers, as expected, went 1-2 in the first round with Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson. They loved cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, but he went No. 4 to the Jets, one spot after another cornerback, Derek Stingley Jr., went No. 3 to the Lions.

That left the Giants with their choice of Neal, Ickey Ekwonu or Charles Cross, the three top-rated offensive tackles in this draft. The Giants took edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux at No. 5, watched the Panthers at No. 6 take Ekwonu then pounced on Neal.

Schoen said the Giants had Ekwonu and Neal “very close. We had ’em side by side.’’

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Get the complete list of first-round 2022 NFL Draft picks, with analysis and more from the New York Post.

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Neal, played left tackle this past season at Alabama but in 2020 started at right tackle, which gives the Giants confidence he will make a smooth transition.

“If you’re gonna draft a player at No. 7 and you get to see him do what you’re going to ask him to do, that makes you feel good,’’ Schoen said.

At 6-foot-7 and 337 pounds, Neal, 21, actually looks svelte in his towering frame. He had a weight issue when he arrived in college, ballooning up to 390 pounds, but shed that extra bulk and became a technician on the field, overpowering as a run-blocker and difficult to get around as a pass protector. His height can sometimes be used against him and create balance problems that he must overcome to become a dominant player at the next level.

“The Giants are going to get a guy that is going to come in every day and work his hardest to be the best that he can be and just ultimately help the organization win,’’ Neal said.

Schoen said he spoke with three teams interested in trading up to get the Giants’ No. 7 pick and actually had two tentative deals worked out. There were six players the Giants coveted in this draft, and if all six of them went in the first six picks, Schoen said he would have traded back.

“Any scenario where two of the six guys were there we were gonna stay,’’ he said.

There was chatter a few days before the first round that Neal had a medical issue that was dropping him or eliminating him from draft boards. Schoen said teams often share medical information and that only 8 percent of the teams had an issue with Neal from a physical standpoint — believed to be concern with his hip. Schoen said the Giants’ medical team signed off on Neal, who had 40 starts in college and never missed a game because of an injury.

“He’s long, it takes a guy to go the long route to get to the quarterback,’’ Daboll said. “He’s got long arms, big massive man.’’