"Versatile with a lot of upside to play any position in the secondary. Solid enough off ball defender and tackler to produce at corner or safety."
Strengths:
Good sized CB with quickness and tackling ability that plays aggressive, physical coverage. Experienced at CB, S and LB. Comfortable at the los. Dictates with physical hands. Strong, tackler that brings animosity. Solid special teams gunner.
In this clip Neal lines up at the star LB and knifes in on the RB. That's rare physicality for a CB if can stick there.
Weaknesses:
Good burst but not a blazer. Inconsistent motor and his effort’s up and down coming off blocks. Grabs a ton in coverage. Cover technique is sketchy.
Neal held up at CB senior week and impressed but he also probably would've been the most flagged DB there. He wins vs Marcel Ateman in this clip but almost certainly would've been flagged.
Overall:
Neal played star LB in 16’ then moved out to CB in 17’. He played CB senior week and held his own albeit with a lot of probable flags for being too hands on. But it's a lot easier for a CB to adjust from being too physical, then for a guy to have to become more physical as a pro.
Neal's versatile with a lot of upside to play any position in the secondary. He's potentially dominant at the los in press if he cleans his technique. He's also a solid enough off ball defender and tackler to produce at corner or safety.
NFL Comp. angry T.J. Carrie
