Player: Evan Neal

School: Alabama

Height and Weight: 6’7.5”, 337

Combine Results:

• 40: DNP
• Bench: DNP
• Broad Jump: DNP
• Vertical Jump: DNP
• 3 Cone: DNP
• Other Notes: Neal only got measured at the combine, and did not compete in any tests or on field drills. It sounds like it was to give himself more time to prepare after a long season, but not sure if that is the exact reason or not. The only real note here is that Neal slimmed down about 15 pounds ahead of the combine. 

Strengths: Run blocking, pass blocking, physicality

Weaknesses: Body lean/center of gravity, seems slow/limited agility, blitz pickup, short arms

Projected Draft Day: Day 1

Player Comparison: Orlando Brown Jr.

Player Summary: Before looking at Neal’s tape for myself, I had heard concerns of inconsistency. After watching some tape, that is not a concern for me at all in my head. Neal, like anyone, had some issues and potential red flags, but it seems so far like Neal is the best tackle in this class. Neal is a huge guy standing at 6’7”, 350 pounds(in season). Neal is an extremely physical tackle and likes to show it, especially in the run game. He usually likes to get the last shove in to try to “rustle the feathers” of his opponents and get in their head. Neal is a quality tackle who excels as both a run and pass blocker.

As I mentioned though, every prospect has something about them that needs work or sticks out like a sore thumb. My biggest technique issue with him is his body lean. Neal has a tendency to lean forward into his blocks and the issue is it shifts his center of gravity causing a “balance” issue. Against NFL level pass rushers I could see a simple rip or swim being an easy way to not just beat Neal but potentially put Neal on the ground. Neal needs to keep a more upright posture when blocking to avoid being “ole’d”. This leaning issue to me could be driven by one of two factors: limited agility, short arms, or a mix of both. Neal isn’t the fastest guy on the field and it’s pretty noticeable. He’s kind of a “clunky” mover, and it shows in run blocking as he doesn’t make it to the second level much. His leaning could be him trying to make contact with the rusher while still kick sliding so he doesn’t get bulled over or run past. The other thing I noticed when watching Neal is that it looks like he has short arms for a guy of his height. His lean could be him trying to get hands on early and not being able to do it from a far. This is something I could see being an issue with guys in the league like the Bosa brothers, Chandler Jones, and Myles Garrett just to name a few. Both of these are understandable; however, lean is not the answer. Lean is a killer for offensive lineman. You have to move guys around that are at least 250 pounds, if not more, and you need a strong base and center of gravity. The other main weakness I saw from Neal’s game was blitz pickup and late stunts trying to catch the edge. If Neal doesn’t acknowledge a blitz or stunt early, it’s something that will most likely “get home”. It just looked like there were multiple occasions where he’d let in a free rushing backer off the edge or nickel/dime blitzer, and it seemed more of him realizing that he wasn’t going to be able to get to it in time, so he might as well keep blocking someone instead of whiffing on the blitzer entirely. This goes back to the issue of his speed/agility and “clunky” movements.