Evan Neal fell a few spots in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft on Thursday, but didn’t wait too long to hear his name called. The New York Giants took the former Alabama football star with the seventh overall pick as the second tackle off the board, only behind North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper believed that Neal was a near-perfect pick for the Giants.
“The only issue with Neal is that he plays to the whistle instead of beyond it,” Kiper said.
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Neal played three seasons with the Crimson Tide from 2019-21, seeing time at right tackle, left guard, and left tackle. Neal was named a first-team All-SEC performer as a junior in 2021 and was part of two SEC championship squads and one national championship team during his time in Tuscaloosa.
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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What Mel Kiper said about the New York Giants drafting Evan Neal