Latest trade proposal has Texans snagging failed first-round pick from Giants

Latest trade proposal has Texans snagging failed first-round pick from Giants originally appeared on The Sporting News

The 2025 NFL season is still young but the Houston Texans are already in big trouble. 

The Texans are one of six teams who still have yet to secure a win. It's a bit surprising, considering many had the Texans picked to win the AFC South. Starting out 0-3 is usually a death sentence for for playoff hopes, but the Texans are talented enough to climb out of this hole. 

If they're going to do so, the offensive line has to be better. C.J. Stroud has been pressured a whopping 40 times in three games and as a result, the Texans are averaging a league-low 12.7 points per game. 

Aireontae Ersery, Laken Tomlinson, and Jake Andrews have been especially bad, and none of the team's line combinations have been particularly effective. As a result, it wouldn't be surprising to see the team make a trade soon. 

Alex Kay of Bleacher Report recently identified one addition each winless team should make to improve their fortunes. For the Texans, Kay identified New York Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal as a realistic target. 

Neal has fallen out of favor in New York, but the former first-round pick can play guard or tackle and was once thought of as an elite prospect. Kay offered the following trade package: 

Houston Texans receive: OL Evan Neal

New York Giants receive: 2026 seventh-round draft pick

If a seventh-round pick is all it costs, the Texans should be all over this deal, Sure, Neal has been disappointing so far in his career, but a late-round flier is worth it for the Texans who desperately need to improve. 

Regarding Neal, Kay offered the following analysis:

Although Big Blue has been averse to deploying him in 2025, Neal is an experienced starter with a first-round pedigree. He's appeared in 29 games—including 27 starts, mostly at the tackle spots—since the franchise drafted him at No. 7 overall in 2022.

A change of scenery could do Neal wonders, allowing him an opportunity to see the field before he hits free agency after the 2025 campaign. Given his fifth-year option was declined and he's almost certain to exit after the campaign wraps up anyway, a seventh-rounder should be more than enough to pry him free from the Big Apple.

As Kay pointed out, Neal has plenty of starting experience and versatility. The lineman is also slated to hit free agency after the season, so the Giants would likely prefer to get something for him before he walks. 

In Houston, Neal could try out at tackle and see if he works out. If not, the Texans could deploy him at guard or at the very least use him as an experienced backup.