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Neil Farrell Jr. NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Las Vegas Raiders' DL
April 30, 2022
HEIGHT: 6'4 1/8"
WEIGHT: 330
HAND: 10 1/8"
ARM: 32 1/4"
WINGSPAN: 6'5 3/8"
40-YARD DASH: 5.41
3-CONE: 8.41
SHUTTLE: DNP
VERTICAL: 21.5"
BROAD: DNP
POSITIVES
— Thick frame with his weight well distributed.
— Very good upper-body strength. Hands don't pop, but he has no issues taking control of blocks after engagement.
— Plays with good length and extension. Keeps OL out of his frame.
— Great eyes and discipline to the backfield. Can maintain his gap control without losing vision.
— Above-average lower-body strength. Can handle double teams well enough.
— Above-average movement across the line of scrimmage and when coming off blocks for his size.
— Good flexibility. Can contort his body while remaining balanced to make it difficult for OL to take over blocks.
NEGATIVES
— Hands do not pop when engaging. Needs to find a quicker strike.
— Below-average snap get-off. Not someone who will find themselves in the backfield immediately.
— Occasionally gives up an extra step of ground upon first contact by engaging with the wrong foot and forcing himself to reset/recover.
— Does not add much value as a pass-rusher. Average pocket-pusher and clean-up guy.
2021 STATISTICS
45 TOT, 9.5 TFL, 2 SK, 2 PD
NOTES
— Four years of playing time, one-and-a-half as a starter.
— 3-star recruit in 2017.
OVERALL
Neil Farrell Jr. is yet another SEC big man in this class with the tools to be a solid nose guard for any defense. Farrell played a majority of his snaps in the A gap as a 1-tech at LSU, though he could probably slot in directly over the center as a true 0-tech with ease in the NFL as well.
Farrell's calling cards are his strength and disciplined upper-body technique. Farrell's raw strength takes over once he gets engaged, allowing him to extend his arms and keep offensive linemen out of his frame while controlling the block with his tight grip. From there, Farrell does an excellent job playing with his eyes through the block and to the backfield. Couple that with Farrell's feel for what kind of block schemes he is getting, and you end up with a nose guard rarely out of position. Furthermore, Farrell has the lower body strength to anchor effectively, even against most double-team situations.
Most of Farrell's weaknesses stem from his lower body. Every now and again, Farrell can get caught taking on the block with the wrong foot forward and get blown off his spot. That is more of a foot quickness and technique issue than raw strength. Granted, Farrell often recovers well and stays off the ground, but it's a concern worth keeping an eye on. Additionally, Farrell does not come off the ball well for the most part. He is not going to be a menace in the backfield in the NFL.
The same is true of his pass-rushing work, where Farrell is mostly dependent on decent leg drive and the occasional swim move, but nothing more. In fairness, Farrell does play with good enough effort to be a somewhat valuable clean-up player. It is just more likely that Farrell is a complementary pocket-pusher than a real difference-maker in that respect.
In all, Farrell is one of the better nose guards in the class. He has the size, strength, discipline and experience to come in right away as a fairly reliable space-eater in the middle. Lack of explosive playmaking tools put a cap on Farrell's ceiling, but there should be a long-term starting role for a player with his kind of run defense chops up the middle.
GRADE: 7.5 (Potential Impact Player - 2nd Round)
OVERALL RANK: 59
POSITION RANK: DL7
PRO COMPARISON: Derrick Nnadi
Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen