Though his decision to declare for the 2016 NFL Draft came as a somewhat surprising one for Florida fans, Keanu Neal's move to pass up a senior season in Gainesville paid off on Thursday, as the Atlanta Falcons took him in the first round of the NFL Draft with the No. 17 overall pick.
Falcons draft Keanu Neal at No. 17
Florida’s hardest hitter finds his place in the pros.
Neal, a two-year starter for the Gators under Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain, came to Florida with a rep as one of the hardest hitters in the high school football ranks in the Sunshine State.
He only reinforced that reputation as a Gator, unleashing hellacious hits on seemingly every ball-carrier in the SEC, including one memorable popping of future Heisman winner Derrick Henry.
After playing sparingly as a freshman, Neal broke out as a sophomore, with 45 total tackles as Florida’s starting strong safety. In 2015 he had 84 total tackles, third on the team, despite missing two games with a hamstring injury.
But it was that well-earned rep as a hitter -- and only a hitter -- that led some to consider the 6’0, 211-pound Neal a player who could use more seasoning in college at the time of his declaration. Neal had four career interceptions, but two came in the same game against lowly Kentucky in 2014, and most came off tipped passes. Neal was also partially responsible for massive blown coverages in that same game against Alabama in which he met Henry head-on and won, and he was thought of as the lesser of Florida’s two safeties in pass coverage.
Couple that with a tendency to hunt for jarring hits rather than wrap up runners, and Neal’s decision to go pro puzzled some: if he could prove his worth as a free safety, perhaps he would be worthy of an early pick, but if not, was he taking too big a risk?
Neal wasn’t fazed by any of those critiques, or the potential of slipping in the draft.
“It’s a starting point,” Neal said. “That’s how I look at it. You know, go first, second, third, undrafted. It’s a starting point. There are a lot of free agents that go 10 years in the league because they use it as a chip on their shoulder and they keep working. All it is is a starting point in my opinion.”
In the pre-draft process, Neal impressed NFL decision-makers with a league-ready body and extensive preparation for the NFL Scouting Combine. While his 4.62-second 40-yard dash wasn't evidence of incredible speed, his 11-foot broad jump puts him among the most explosive safeties ever tested at the event.
He saw and heard his stock rise from a likely second-round selection to a possible first-round pick, with very late buzz linking him to the Falcons and Dan Quinn -- he helped recruit Neal while at Florida in 2012, but never coached him before returning to the NFL with the Seahawks.
On Thursday, that rumor came to fruition. And as a bonus, in Neal, the Falcons will be getting the first Keanu in pro sports.
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