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Raiders sign ex-Giants Evan Neal, Azeez Ojulari to practice squad
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- Raiders sign ex-Giants Evan Neal, Azeez Ojulari to practice squad
The Las Vegas Raiders signed former New York Giants draft picks Evan Neal and Azeez Ojulari to their practice squad Thursday after both players worked out for the club.
Neal, selected seventh overall by the Giants in the 2022 draft out of Alabama, was waived during New York's cut to the 53-man roster. The 6-foot-7 lineman started 13 games as a rookie at right tackle but appeared in only 16 more contests over the next two seasons amid injuries and uneven play. The Giants later moved him to guard.
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Neal did not play in a regular-season game last year after stretches on the inactive list and injured reserve (IR) with a hamstring injury. The Giants declined his fifth-year option before a short-lived return under head coach John Harbaugh ended with his release.
Ojulari, a 2021 second-round choice from Georgia, recorded 8.0 sacks as a rookie. Injuries then limited him, and he never played more than 11 games in a later season with the Giants. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles last year and appeared in three games before joining the Atlanta Falcons in March. That deal was terminated Sunday.
In 49 career games, Ojulari has 22 sacks and 113 tackles.
Neal claimed off waivers after the Giants moved on, a sign of how far the draft investment had slipped in New York. The practice-squad deals now give both Neal and Ojulari a chance to start over away from the franchise that selected them.
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The Raiders also worked out former Giants cornerback Tre Hawkins, but he was not immediately signed.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Raiders sign ex-Giants Evan Neal, Azeez Ojulari to practice squad
