The drill at Giants camp the other day was all about simulating a linebacker running downhill, directly at the offensive lineman. Basically a runaway freight train taking aim at a mountain. The key for the lineman is to drop his center of gravity.

“Making sure he’s got everything nice and tight, the way we teach it,’’ offensive line coach Bobby Johnson said on Friday.

A large and heavy bag was pushed and swung into each lineman. They are the largest players on the Giants’ roster and they all were pushed back by the momentum of the bag, some only a few inches, some a few feet.

Check that. Not all of them. Evan Neal stood firm.

“He’s got mass on his side,’’ Johnson said.

If it had not been a drill, but an actual game situation, even the massive Neal would have budged a bit, which would be acceptable, as long as he kept his balance. It was a drill, though, and Neal proved to be immovable.

“Yeah, I’m a large human, I have a lot of mass,’’ Neal said, smiling. “The bag wasn’t that heavy either. I was pretty much able to absorb it. I know I probably weigh more than the bag.’’

The rookie right tackle, taken with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, thus far is living up to his advance billing. His teammates — many of them very oversized human beings — marvel at his physical presence at 6-foot-7 and 350 pounds. Wide receiver Darius Slayton recently referred to taking a lane behind Neal as running behind a fire truck.

Max Garcia, a 30-year-old veteran lineman new to the Giants, noticed Neal right away.

“He came in, has this stupid deep baritone voice. He’s just a commanding presence,’’ Garcia said. “Still a rookie, has a long way to go, but I’m excited for him. Really looking forward to seeing how he progresses.’’

Neal’s technique, thanks to the quality of the coaching he received at Alabama, is more advanced than that of most novice NFL players. His durability, thus far, has been exemplary and his attitude and ability to fit in with his older teammates is on point.

At 21 years old, is he perfect? No sir.

“At the end of the day, I’m definitely not a finished product, but I’m getting better and better every day,’’ Neal said. “I belong here, I belong in this league. I’m going to win reps, I’m going to lose reps. That’s all a part of it. The preseason games and everything and so forth are just extra experiences that I’m going to get under my belt and I’m going to learn from all those mistakes and learn from the things that I need to get better at.’’

It is early and there will be struggles, because there always are with first-year players, no matter their pedigree. Neal has already shown an ability to shrug off the criticism sent his way.

After he played 19 snaps — some good, some not as good — in the preseason-opening victory over the Patriots, Bleacher Report labeled Neal “one of the NFL’s most disappointing rookies so far.’’ Chris Long, the former NFL defensive end (with 70 career sacks) in an interview for 33rd Team said, “I wasn’t a big fan of what I saw from Evan Neal.” Long called Neal “top heavy,’’ pointed out “he was on the ground twice the first series,’’ blamed him for allowing a sack and called his top-heavy tendency “a tough habit to kick. He could kick the habit. He could kick it next week.”

Asked if he has ever been called “top-heavy’’ before, it was clear Neal was familiar with Long’s critique without mentioning his name.

“I really don’t take the time to focus on what goes on in the internet,’’ Neal said. “It’s the internet, everybody has their opinion. I like to listen to the opinions that matter.’’

Not everyone is coming at him. During the offseason, Neal worked out with Hall of Famer and former Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin, who said on NFL Network: “I’ve never in my life seen a big man, this big, this fast, work this hard. This dude is a workhorse.’’

Neal admitted he has to work on “set angles, hat placement and my base … things that are definitely going to help propel my game to the next level.’’

He has already dominated the heavy bag. There is a heavier bag. Johnson calls it “Big Bertha,’’ but it takes a four-man crew to put in place. Perhaps that is what’s needed next time to get Neal out of his spot.