From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Kansas RB Devin Neal.
#4 Devin Neal/RB Kansas – 5106, 220 pounds (Senior)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Devin Neal | 5106/220 | 8 3/8 | 30 | 71 1/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
– Well-built frame with bigger lower half
– Impressive combination of burst and speed
– Accelerates through the hole and runs away from defenders
– Short-area quickness and smooth change of direction, loose-hipped runner who makes people miss in tight spaces with jukes
– Vision and patience to set up blocks and press the hole
– One-cut zone runner, reads defensive flow, and is decisive
– Willing pass protector who stays square and shows effort/determination
– Nose for the first down/goal line and fights hard for it
– Runs through arm tackles
– Gets skinny through the hole
– Capable of being a workhorse back and shows conditioning
– Good effort player and willing downfield blocker
– Runs with good pad level
– Competent receiver in short pass game, speed asset in open grass, and caught the ball on regular basis
– Impressive ball security
– Highly productive and consistent college career
The Bad
– Lacks high-end power, goes down when defenders square him up
– Speed is not elite and often tracked downfield
– Overwhelmed by larger linebackers rushing him and can get run through
– Contact balance is average; able to stumble ahead through initial contact but struggles to gather to keep running
– Benefitted from wider splits in an offensive system
– Struggles to find the ball on downfield routes and needs to work harder in scramble drills when releasing out
– Frame will have some questions if he can handle a full-time load
– Enters NFL with a heavy workload
Bio
– 49 career games for Jayhawks
– Career: 760 carries, 4,343 yards (5.7 YPC) 49 TDs, 77 receptions for 711 yards, and four receiving scores
– 2024: 219 carries, 1,266 yards (5.8 YPC) 16 rushing TDs, 24 receptions, and 1 TD
– Four fumbles in four seasons
– 180-plus carries in each of the last three years
– 16 rushing scores in 2023 and 2024
– Exited school as Jayhawks’ all-time leading rusher
– 11 career games of 20-plus carries, 20 career games of 100-yards, pair of 200-yard games
– Three-star recruit from Lawrence, Kansas (No. 1 in state), chose Kansas over Iowa, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Nebraska (grew up Jayhawks fan, attended ’08 men’s basketball national championship parade)
– Ran for 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns as HS senior
– No. 4 jersey inspired by T.J. Yeldon and Dalvin Cook
– Outfielder on Jayhawks baseball team in 2022, made one start and was recruited by colleges and scouted by MLB
– Picked Kansas partially due to multi-sport flexibility (was also recruited by Princeton to be a dual-sport athlete); lost interest from other programs like Stanford and UCLA because of it
– Mother once joked Neal could be the “Pied Piper” for his leadership and confidence as a kid
– Regarded as having a positive attitude and being a jokester
Tape Breakdown
Devin Neal stayed right at home for college, joining the Kansas Jayhawks. He’d exit as the school’s all-time leading rusher. He’s muscular and explosive, a one-cut runner with serious juice to burst through the hole and make plays in space. His speed is strong – he should run in the mid-high 4.4s and be able to turn the corner and run away from defenders. Some clips below.
He’s got wiggle in short areas, able to juke and make defenders miss in closed quarters. Neal’s tape is exciting, and he consistently threatened to rip off big plays.
Neal’s vision also stands out. Patient, he reads blocks well on zone schemes before making his cut.
The 2024 upset over Colorado is top-tier tape for Neal. Not just in his stat line, 207 yards and three touchdowns, but the whopping 37 carries he was given. Kansas fed him the ball repeatedly, and Neal responded in a massive way.
While his power isn’t special, Neal knows where the marker and goal line are and fights hard to convert.
Still, he can go down easily and gets tripped up often, lacking the high-end power and balance to stay on his feet even if he can fall forward. It’s not a core part of his game.
He shows effort and technique in pass pro but can get bowled over by larger blitzing linebackers.
Conclusion
Overall, Devin Neal has solid tape. He’s got size, versatility, burst, and speed, and he was highly productive. For a Pittsburgh team that likes its running backs to have size but could be looking for explosiveness in Arthur Smith’s zone system, Neal provides both.
He’s a true slashing zone runner who reminds me of Devin Singletary. But that profile doesn’t perfectly align. My NFL comp will land on D’Andre Swift.
Projection: Late Day Two-Early Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 7.6 – Potential Starter/Good Backup (Third Round)
Games Watched: vs UNLC (2024), vs TCU (2024), vs Colorado (2024)
