Evan Neal Scouting Report: Evan Neal NFL Draft Report

 

Offensive Tackle, Alabama Crimson Tide, #73

 

Measurements

6′ 7″ / 350 lbs

40 time: ran a 5.6 coming out of high school

 

Evan Neal Draft Profile

Let’s begin the Evan Neal scouting report by talking about pedigree. Evan Neal comes from a football family. Two of his uncles are ex-NFL players. One uncle was a two time Super Bowl Champion as a member of the Miami Dolphins, the other led the league in rushing touchdowns in 1990 as a member of the Rams. On top of that his father played college ball for Tulane.

Neal began his high school journey at Okeechobee High School before he was offered the opportunity to attend the illustrious IMG Academy. The IMG Academy is a hot bed for future NFL talent. It was there that Neal stood out as a man among boys and earned 247 sports number 7 overall ranking and number 1 tackle in the 2019 recruiting class.

Neal would earn major attention from the power five schools. He gave the Hurricanes down in Miami some serious thought. He unofficially visited them many times before confirming he would play for coach Saban and the Crimson Tide.

As a freshman he would start all 13 games a left guard and not give up a single sack. As a sophomore he would move to right tackle and Alabama would once again have a stout offensive line. According to Anthony Treash of PFF wrote “with the help of his brute strength, length and decent athleticism given his size, Neal recorded an 83.7 PFF grade in 2020, ranking fourth in the Power Five. He laid down a whopping 12 big-time blocks in the run game, which was the second-most in a single-season by a right tackle in the seven years since PFF began grading college football.” You can find that in his top 10 returning offensive lineman article.

Entering this season, his junior year, the big question was how would he fare as the left tackle for Alabama? So far so good and I have seen him improve upon the question marks I had of him, which we will dive into later.

Strengths

Strength

As one would expect out of a man that looks like two men sewn together, he is strong. Neal uses his strength to get into his opponents chest and blow them back in the passing game. You will notice if you watch his film he is so strong he will often rely on just one hand to block the defender or to shove a speed rusher past the pocket. In the run game I enjoy watching him get into defenders at the second level and shove linebackers into the turf.

Athleticism

When you think about the fact that he is 6’7” and 350 lbs you wouldn’t expect to see so muck quickness. He has good quick feet when shuffling them or performing a step out to cut off a speed rusher. He also has good lateral quickness along the line to block down on running plays. I could see some NFL teams using him to pull from the tackle spot to be a lead blocker for what would be a grateful runner.

Neal gets off the ball very fast and is in the second level before the defense can adjust. This allows him to maul linebackers who aren’t ready to be hit by a truck. In the screen game he gets out in front of the ball carrier faster than you’d ever expect. Imagine being a 200 lb corner and this man is running at you full speed.

Awareness

When watching film for the Evan Neal scouting report, I noticed he does a fantastic job of keeping his head on a swivel. He doesn’t get fooled by delayed blitzes or stunts as he is always watching. When he drops into pass coverage, and he doesn’t have a rusher to block, he is looking for the other potential rusher every time.

He uses that same skill set on the second level to see who else he can hit. Pre-play he does a good job recognizing his assignment and making the correct read.

Areas for Improvement

Balance

The fact that Neal is 6’7” may be one of the biggest reasons for this, but I see him reaching for too many blocks, especially in the run game. He tends to reach which causes him to lean forward. He then loses balance and ends up on the grass way more often than I’d like to see. I noticed this a lot in his 2020 film, but I must admit he is starting to clean it up a bit this season. As the year continues, I need to see even more progression.

Hand Fighters

Evan Neal is a top NFL Draft prospect, but in the NFL he can’t rely solely on being a behemoth. I notice he loses at the line to pass rushers with good hand fighting arsenals. They don’t usually beat him for a sack, but the elite athleticism in the NFL would. A player like Aaron Donald or Myles Garrett would eat him alive with their hand fighting. Neal needs to get his hands back into his own chest faster after making impact and be ready to fire again.

Even against a bull rush I notice his head getting snapped back far too often for a man his size. In the NFL he wont overpower everyone like he can now so he still needs coached up. Once again I have seen this start to improve in his 2021 film as well.

Size

This may not be an issue, but it’s something to watch. When players are this big i always worry about injuries. Recently the Jets drafted a very large man named Mekhi Becton and he has struggled with some injuries in the NFL. Also weight becomes a real issue sometimes with such large human beings. Neal once weighed 390 lbs in high school. If he were to balloon back up to that it would affect his speed and quickness. He can not afford to lose either of those things.

Evan Neal Draft Stock

It is highly likely Neal will hear his name called early on day one of the 2022 NFL Draft. His blend of size and athleticism is unmatched and the raw potential is through the roof. I know a lot of scouts are already salivating about him. When he participates in the NFL Combine next spring I assume he will confirm what we already know. He is a supreme athlete.

If Cincinnati drafts early, I’d expect them to not let him slip by like they did Sewell in 2021. My favorite fit for him would be the Ravens. Watching him block in that playbook would be amazing to watch. To see him pull and lead for Lamar Jackson would be must see TV. He will probably go in the top ten, but I wouldn’t use a top 5 pick on him at this point. You can see this in my most recent mock draft.

Fianl Thoughts on Evan Neal

Although most scouts have him as the consensus number one tackle in 2022, I’m not all in just yet. I see the raw talent and potential, but I don’t see the technique just yet. If he were in last years draft I would take him after both Sewell and Slater. As the season progresses, we will see if he can separate from the pack or if they will surpass him. I do believe this is another deep class at the position. I also think he is better suited to play right tackle than left. If head coaches and GMs agree that could hurt his draft status too.

Evan Neal Scouting Report by Ken Noble

Evan Neal NFL Comparison: An even bigger Lane Johnson