Why Florida Safety Keanu Neal Has Good Chance to Crash Draft's 1st Round

We often hear about prospects who may have benefited from their supporting cast enough to inflate their draft stock, so teams should potentially be wary of their upside. It’s common with Alabama defenders and running backs, USC quarterbacks and other top-talent teams with big names leading their offensive or defensive units.

In Keanu Neal’s case, and surprisingly for a Florida program that should be battling for tops in the SEC, the opposite is true. As a strong safety at Florida, he suffered through injuries and an up-and-down Florida team that failed to highlight his efficient run defense and highly explosive pass coverage each and every game.

Despite a lackluster supporting cast and relatively little buzz in the draft process, Neal may be a first-round talent, and you shouldn’t be surprised when ends up being drafted in the top 31 selections.

Efficient and Reliable Run Defender

Neal suffered through a hamstring issue that didn’t allow him to wow early in the season. But once he was 100 percent healthy, his top-end athleticism and explosiveness began to blossom into first-round potential. Possessing NFL size at 6'0", 211 pounds, Neal is able to finish with power as a run defender and wrap up even elusive running backs effectively.

Florida vs. Alabama

As in the play above, Neal is able to plant when he reads run and viciously attack runners upfield and on the perimeter. While he struggled a bit with running angles at times and overstepping his running lane, his violence coupled with efficiency in his wrap-up is what makes him a special strong safety run defender.

Along with this type of run-defending efficiency and steps, it’s Neal’s persistent effort that stands out on film. Neal, when playing his natural strong safety position, is constantly involved with group tackles inside and out. And once he recognizes it’s a run fit, he’s immediately tracking to the perimeter to finish.

Well aware of the first-down markers, Neal is willing to embrace perimeter blockers and takes them on with a low base and explosive hands to receive the block and actually use it to his advantage. That forces running backs to slow down at the block point and allows his teammates to finish the tackle.

While true strong safeties have lost a bit of their value outside of the Seattle Seahawks defense, Neal’s ability to be a linebacker-capable safety in run defense should allow for teams, especially those that run Cover 3 defenses, to take pressure off of their other defensive backs to succeed in run defense.

Explosive in Pass Coverage

While dislodging catches and inviting fear into a receiver’s decision-making when going across the middle has long been the duty of the strong safety in an NFL defense, it’s arguably never been a more important job than in today’s modern NFL. Offenses now rely on short-area passes to work as running plays and generally focus on attacking the hash marks and fringe perimeter to keep drives alive.

Safeties who play like Neal can be a risk for some teams, as their run-defending upside can inhibit some of their coverage versatility. But Neal boasts awesome athletic explosiveness and the experience in multiple alignments during his time at Florida that speak to his coverage capability while also maintaining top-flight hitting ability.

Florida vs. Missouri

As in the play above, Neal’s patient footwork in off coverage and timing to attack a receiver without being overly malicious and drawing a flag is why teams value him so highly. His combination of high-level athleticism and explosiveness along with patient steps in coverage and violent finishing ability at the catch point puts him into a special echelon of strong safety prospects.

After Florida State's Jalen Ramsey, the 2016 safety class doesn’t have a clear-cut second-best prospect. Boise State’s Darian Thompson, Boston College’s Justin Simmons, Ohio State’s Vonn Bell and Clemson’s T.J. Green all should also receive top-50 attention. And Neal has ample competition for the top safety spot (excluding Ramsey) on team’s rankings.

Neal’s defined college position allows teams to see the immediate role he can play for them. And after he suffered through an injury early in his season, the fact that NFL teams haven’t seen him at 100 percent for a full year only adds to the promise of his development and upside.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Denver Broncos all are in desperate need of safety help and should consider the position with their first-round draft choices, assuming the latter two don’t draft a quarterback.

And while Thompson may be a bit more reliable, Simmons may be a bit more versatile and Bell and Green may be a bit more noticeable on film thanks to a great supporting cast, it’s Neal who should win over those strong safety-needy teams.

Explosive hitters in the run and pass game like Neal don’t come around that often, and his top-end athleticism and consistent effort and efficiency should allow him to crash Round 1 on April 28 and be one of the bigger surprises on draft day.