West Virginia will be a proving ground for a few Giants draft picks who have run out of excuses.
As training camp opens, New York is giving another look to four highly drafted players who have not come close to matching their draft status: guard Evan Neal, offensive lineman Josh Ezeudu, cornerback Deonte Banks, and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. The question hanging over camp is simple enough: who, if anyone, still has a real path to being around in 2026?
Neal is the biggest name in the group, and maybe the most puzzling. The 6-foot-7, 340-pound No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft did not play a snap for the Giants last season, yet new head coach John Harbaugh still wanted his own look. That fits Harbaugh’s taste for massive people, but it also reflects how far Neal’s stock has fallen after injuries and poor play limited him to 29 of a possible 68 regular-season games since he arrived as Joe Schoen’s second draft pick as GM.
Spring work did not exactly scream comeback. Jon Runyan and Sisi Mauigoa are the starting guards, and Daniel Faalele, Lucas Patrick, and Aaron Stinnie all look ahead of Neal as interior depth. Still, first-year line coach Mike Bloomgren came away impressed by Neal’s approach.
“The thing I’d say that’s been cool with Evan is it doesn’t matter what group we put him in, all he wants to do is learn and work,” Bloomgren said. “And I think we’re seeing the best version of him in terms of how he’s preparing off the field before he even gets on the field.
“So, preparing for meetings the right way and starting to understand what it takes to be a successful offensive lineman at this level.”
That praise comes with a pretty obvious question: how is a 26-year-old entering his fifth season only now starting to grasp what it takes to stick in the NFL?
There is at least one scenario that could open a door for Neal. If the Giants decide to start Faalele at left guard and move on from Runyan, they would clear $9.25 million against the salary cap. That kind of move could create a better lane for Neal to compete for a backup guard spot.
Chance Neal makes the team: 10%
Ezeudu, by contrast, looks a little safer. The 2022 third-round pick has not exactly seized a role, but his contract gives him a leg up: an $80,000 signing bonus and $330,000 in guaranteed salary, for $410,000 guaranteed overall. Neal, by comparison, is on a minimum deal with no guaranteed money.
There’s also the fact that Bloomgren seems to think there’s still something worth developing. Ezeudu entered the league with guard expectations, but since 2023 he has mostly played tackle.
The Giants brought him back with the idea that maybe this would finally be the year he got a real shot at guard. Instead, Harbaugh’s staff has used him much the same way Brian Daboll’s staff did: tackle first, guard flexibility second.
He spent the spring aligned at tackle.
“Josh has done some very good things,” Bloomgren said at the end of mandatory minicamp. “And when he’s putting it together footwork-wise, hand placement-wise, you see why they drafted him in the first place.
“And you realize that this guy has a lot of potential, and that’s exciting.”
Ezeudu’s roster chances may end up tied to whether the Giants think they can get sixth-round pick J.C. Davis through waivers and onto the practice squad.
Chance Ezeudu makes the team: 30%
Banks is the one who already looks like he belongs, even if his path has been messy. His Giants career started with promise in Wink Martindale’s aggressive scheme in 2023, then went sideways over the next two seasons.
His play slipped in Shane Bowen’s less aggressive system, and his maturity issues showed up too, with questions about effort and accountability. He also made himself unavailable to the media for most of 2025, and last season he was used at corner only when injuries forced the Giants to play him.
But Banks still found a way to matter. His athleticism turned him into a dangerous kickoff returner, and in a role he had never handled before, he averaged 32.7 yards with one touchdown on 19 returns.
Now he gets a reset under Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, in a defense that should let corners be more aggressive. Banks split first-team reps with Greg Newsome and handled spring practices well. New defensive backs coach Addison Lynch said the staff worked to show Banks where the problems were.
“We make these tapes called ‘get better tapes,’” Lynch said. “We tried to just show him his consistency was his deal.
He wasn’t consistent getting lined up fast, wasn’t consistent with his feet. So, he’s improved his consistency, now his play has improved, now his confidence is up, and he can keep this rolling into the season.
“… he’s being consistent in his technique. That’s all we really needed from him to prove that he can do. Now he’s showing up day in and day out, he’s being a pro, he’s putting in extra work, so he’s motivated to do the right things, and I think he’s headed in the right direction.”
Banks may not beat out Newsome or second-round pick Colton Hood for a starting job, but he looks well ahead of Korie Black, Art Green, Nic Jones, and Jarrick Bernard-Converse.
Chance Banks makes the team: 100%
Hyatt is the one whose future feels the bleakest. The Giants took him in the third round in 2023 after he exploded at Tennessee with 67 catches for 1,267 yards and the Biletnikoff Award.
That speed has not translated in New York. In three seasons, he has just 36 receptions, and only 13 of those have come over the last two years.
After scoring 15 touchdowns in his final college season, he still has none in the NFL.
The Giants’ offseason additions at receiver do not necessarily mean Hyatt is being singled out, but they do suggest the team is not planning around him for 2026. He was quiet in spring work, flashing a couple of nice plays in one media-open practice and then barely getting targeted otherwise.
New York has 14 receivers on the 90-man roster, and only six or seven will make the 53-man roster to open the season. If you stacked them from top to bottom, Hyatt would be No. 13, with only Xavier Gipson behind him.
And unlike some of the other receivers fighting for a spot, Hyatt does not help on special teams. Dalen Cambre, Ryan Miller, and Beaux Collins do, which could give them an edge for a roster spot or a practice-squad landing place.
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