Florida’s Keanu Neal 2016 Scouting Report
Keanu Neal is a safety prospect who spent most of his time covering the back end of the defense. He has good size and bulk for the position while also showing some explosiveness. However, there are some glaring holes in his game that will make his transition to the NFL difficult.
Neal doesn’t play with a lot of instincts nor does he appear to trust his reads. His run support is a real issue as he is often out of position. Neal takes poor angles to the ball carrier and at times fails to identify the direction of the play.
There are too many instances where he fails to finish the play and pulls up right before making the tackle. Draft Breakdown’s gif creator is down at the moment but you can see Neal flying to the football and stopping right before making the tackle which allowed the runner to score by clicking here and forwarding t0 the 1:14 mark.
For his size, Neal doesn’t play a physical style of football where he appears unwilling to take on blockers in the hole.
His ability to hold up in coverage also comes with some question marks. Neal is a bit stiff through the hips which impacts his ability to change direction. He can get distracted by routes crossing his face and become stationary.
This is a player with solid physical attributes but in need of more experience and development. He would’ve benefited from another year at Florida where he could have worked on his reads and overall feel for the position.
It’s hard to imagine a team willing to take a risk on such a raw prospect early in the draft.
Current Draft Position: 7th Round