Devin Neal has cemented himself among the upper echelon of Kansas Jayhawk football players and has many NFL attributes. Here is a 2025 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report and film analysis on him.
Overview, Film Analysis, and Early 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report of Kansas RB Devin Neal
Measurables:
- 5’11”
- 215 lbs
Player Background:
Devin Neal attended high school at Lawrence HS in Kansas and committed to the Jayhawks in the 2021 class. Kansas’s consensus #1 player was ranked a Top-250 recruit and four-star prospect. He became a major Day-1 contributor, carrying the ball 158 times for 707 yards and eight scores his freshman year. His sophomore campaign kickstarted an ongoing three-year stretch of over 1,000 rushing yards per season.
His 1,090 yards and nine touchdowns on 180 rushes were paired with 183 receiving yards and a score in 13 games. Neal followed that up with a stellar junior season, eclipsing 1,400 total yards and 17 TDs on 207 touches. His 2024 has put him more on the map than ever, closing out the season in impressive fashion. His 219 carries, 1,520 all-purpose yards, and 17 total TDs are all career-highs and commanded the Jayhawks to a late-season resurgence.
Accolades:
- All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (2021, 2022)
- Second Team All-Big 12 (2023)
- Preseason All-America (2024)
- Preseason All-Big 12 (2024)
Strengths/Pros:
Neal pops the most on tape in his compact movement aspect, and his twitchiness is impressive. The best way to describe him as a runner is nifty, doing many of the little things right and almost deceptively tearing apart defenses. He maintains a low contact balance and compact running style, making himself harder to get a hold of. His burst is solid and his small cuts in traffic both gain ground and position himself well to turn up the field. He has incredibly fluid hips and lateral quickness that makes him a dangerous runner at all levels.
He keeps the ball close to his chest when running, preventing fumbles and leaving just about every ballcarrier move available to him. Neal knows how to remain patient throughout the play and takes advantage of extra space that opens up late. His vision on cutbacks is good, and he will pick his way through a crowd when he does. His awareness as a ball carrier is sound, and he knows how to set himself up to be a yards-after-catch threat in the passing game.
Weaknesses/Cons:
The attribute that holds Neal back the most is his general lack of physicality. He’s somewhat undersized, and it shows often on inside runs. He doesn’t have true breakaway wheels to function as a speed threat, and his strength concerns put him at an interesting crossroads. He attempts to move laterally too much as a runner, something that will need to get ironed out quickly in the NFL.
Neal needs to get skinny more when moving through smaller holes at the line to utilize his smaller build fully. His patience can sometimes turn into indecisiveness, with holes closing up and him getting trapped behind the line. He’s not nearly as aggressive of a vertical mover as he needs to be to create more chunk plays. He struggles in pass blocking with both his vision and anchor, occasionally leaning into the title of liability in that area.
Potential Team Fits:
NFL Projection:
While Neal’s skill set and profile doesn’t exactly match that of a workhorse back, he can absolutely sit at the top of the depth chart in a multi-RB rotation. His abilities are mostly translatable and he should be able to handle a decent-sized workload. He tactically attacks defenses and could lead a formidable RB duo or trio if he works more vertically.
Prospect Grade:
- Late 3rd Round to Early 4th Round
Film Exposures:
- 2024 vs. Colorado
- 2024 vs. UNLV
- 2024 vs. Iowa State
Main Image: Chris Jones – USA Today Sports
