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The Kansas City Chiefs lost their running back room’s explosiveness when Isiah Pacheco suffered an injury early last season. They signed Elijah Mitchell, but the often-injured free agent shouldn’t prevent the Chiefs from pursuing a younger option through the 2025 NFL draft.
The 2025 draft class features a historically deep running back pool with more than 30 prospects who could hear their names called this spring. Several options stand out for the Chiefs with their late fourth round pick, including Kansas Jayhawks running back Devin Neal.
At 5'11 1/8", 213 lbs., Neal lacks elite size and speed, but he’s a smooth runner who consistently finds hidden yardage with his agility and vision. He patiently picks his way through traffic in the box and uses his light footwork to cut on a dime. Neal maintains his speed through his fakes and cuts, allowing him to leave defenders grasping at air.
Neal’s hesitations, sidesteps, stutter-steps and twitchy cuts make defenders miss in the hole. He also uses dead legs and executes powerful jump cuts to work around defenders. Neal consistently makes the first defender miss. His vision reveals cutback opportunities and guides him to open grass. His acceleration in the open field makes safeties pay for taking steep angles downhill.
Neal lacks the top gear to finish long runs in the end zone. His patience is a blessing and a curse. Sometimes he waits too long for the play to develop and is tackled for a loss. Neal needs to accelerate into the gap earlier in plays to reach the second level with a head of steam. He offers limited value on passing downs.
Neal isn’t as explosive as Pacheco or Mitchell and lacks Kareem Hunt’s contact balance. Instead, Neal is a smooth runner who has many ways to make defenders miss in space. His agility and elusiveness when isolated with defenders make him an intriguing weapon who should hear his name called in at least the fifth round.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: 2025 NFL draft scouting report: Kansas Jayhawks RB Devin Neal
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The 2025 draft class features a historically deep running back pool with more than 30 prospects who could hear their names called this spring. Several options stand out for the Chiefs with their late fourth round pick, including Kansas Jayhawks running back Devin Neal.
At 5'11 1/8", 213 lbs., Neal lacks elite size and speed, but he’s a smooth runner who consistently finds hidden yardage with his agility and vision. He patiently picks his way through traffic in the box and uses his light footwork to cut on a dime. Neal maintains his speed through his fakes and cuts, allowing him to leave defenders grasping at air.
Neal’s hesitations, sidesteps, stutter-steps and twitchy cuts make defenders miss in the hole. He also uses dead legs and executes powerful jump cuts to work around defenders. Neal consistently makes the first defender miss. His vision reveals cutback opportunities and guides him to open grass. His acceleration in the open field makes safeties pay for taking steep angles downhill.
Neal lacks the top gear to finish long runs in the end zone. His patience is a blessing and a curse. Sometimes he waits too long for the play to develop and is tackled for a loss. Neal needs to accelerate into the gap earlier in plays to reach the second level with a head of steam. He offers limited value on passing downs.
Neal isn’t as explosive as Pacheco or Mitchell and lacks Kareem Hunt’s contact balance. Instead, Neal is a smooth runner who has many ways to make defenders miss in space. His agility and elusiveness when isolated with defenders make him an intriguing weapon who should hear his name called in at least the fifth round.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: 2025 NFL draft scouting report: Kansas Jayhawks RB Devin Neal
Continue reading...
