Giants land Thibodeaux at No. 5, Neal at No. 7

The New York Giants bolstered their defensive and offensive lines Thursday night at the NFL draft, selecting Oregon pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux with the fifth overall pick and then taking Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal two picks later at No. 7.

The selections of Thibodeaux and Neal mark the first two major acquisitions under new general manager Joe Schoen, who upgraded two areas of need for the Giants.

New York was the only team in the NFL last season to rank in the bottom five in both pass block win rate and pass rush win rate, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Thibodeaux had seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss last season at Oregon. He generated pressure on 17.8% of opponents’ dropbacks in 2021 — the third-highest rate in the FBS — and also averaged 4.2 pressures per game in 2021, the seventh-most in the FBS.

Neal figures to start his NFL career at right tackle for the Giants, who already have Andrew Thomas at left tackle. Thomas was the fourth overall pick in 2020, making the Giants the third team in the Common Draft Era to select two offensive tackles in the top 10 in a three-year span.

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