It's disappointing that Neal fell to the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, especially given how productive he was as a four-year star at Kansas. Neal's skill set seems on par with that of most Day 2 running back picks, and his otherwise mediocre athleticism (4.58-second 40 at 5-foot-11, 213) doesn't grade poorly enough to negate the quality of his production. Not many players produce like Neal did, running for 4,343 yards (5.7 YPC) and 49 touchdowns in 49 career games at Kansas. Neal showed NFL-level pass-catching ability by adding 77 receptions for 711 yards and four touchdowns on 104 targets (74.0 percent catch rate, 6.8 YPT), so if a three-down role were available there's reason to believe he could do well with it. Alvin Kamara is likely locked into a heavy three-down role for the Saints and 2023 third-round pick Kendre Miller has the talent to emerge as a starting candidate in his own right, but Kamara might be in his last year with the Saints and Miller's durability troubles have left him unavailable for most of the last two years.
