Kansas City Chiefs Scouting Report: Keanu Neal
The Kansas City Chiefs need help in the secondary for 2016 and beyond. Should they look to fill the safety position in the 2016 NFL Draft?
The KC Chiefs have a first round and a second round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, and they could use both picks in a variety of ways. They could choose to address the defensive side of the ball, and if they do, safety is up there on the list of needs for the Chiefs.
If the Chiefs do decide to add to their safety depth on the roster, Keanu Neal out of Florida would be a fine choice in the second round for Kansas City.
Neal, a junior out of the University of Florida, had 134 tackles during his three years in the swamp. He also defended five passes, had four interceptions, and sacked the quarterback twice.
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Combine Results
- 40-yard dash – 4.62 seconds
- Bench press – 17 reps
- Vertical jump – 38.0 inch*
- Broad jump – 132.0 inch*
- 3-cone drill – 7.09 seconds
- 20-yard shuttle – 4.38 seconds
- 60-yard shuttle – 11.58 seconds
*=Combine top performer
Combine results courtesy of NFL.com’s Draft Tracker
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Something beneficial to Neal’s draft stock is that he was used as both a free safety and as a strong safety while at Florida. He has the size of an NFL safety and will likely be a higher pick in the draft due to the lack of good safeties in this year’s class.
The only safety really worth taking in the first round is Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey, who very well could be the number one overall pick. Basically, if the Chiefs want to go with a safety early, it’ll likely come down to either Neal or Vonn Bell.
Neal struggled with tackling at times during his junior season, missing 15 in 2015. He also has a tendency to lose track of the deep ball in games, which is something that could be troubling.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compares Neal to New Orleans Saints’ safety Kenny Vaccaro, who has had a nice few years in the pros so far. Zierlein writes of Neal,
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"Neal started the year off with a hamstring issue that slowed him down and caused some uneven tape at times, but his size, athleticism and hitting are the best in this draft. Neal isn’t limited to simple box tasks even though he thrives there. He has all the makings of an early starter and may hear his name called earlier than some might project."
Gil Brandt, also of NFL.com, seems to think that Keanu Neal is one of the most underrated defensive players in this draft class. Brandt seemed most impressed with Neal’s coverage ability and predicted that he could possibly be a late first round pick. Oddly enough, that’s when the Chiefs will be on the clock.
The KC Chiefs have Eric Berry and Ron Parker as their slated starting safeties in 2016, but it never hurts to add depth at any position. Berry had a nice year in 2015, but will he continue to be dominant in the secondary? Same with Parker. He’s made the transition to safety extremely well, but can we anticipate that moving forward?
Would you want to see the Kansas City Chiefs draft Keanu Neal in the 2016 NFL Draft?