Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal will almost certainly go in the Top 10 in the 2022 NFL draft, and he’ll do so without ever showing NFL teams how fast he can run 40 yards in a straight line.
Neal declined to run the 40-yard dash or do several of the other timed workouts that NFL scouts ask of players at the Combine and their Pro Day, and he says there’s no need: His abilities are right there on his college tape.
“That’s what you go to college for: to put it on tape,” Neal said, via the Tuscaloosa News. “The NFL is going to watch it, and that’s what they judge you based on. The tape.”
Alabama coach Nick Saban says NFL teams know what kind of player Neal is.
“His size and athletic ability has put him in a position where I think he has a very bright future,” Saban said. “He did a great job for us, whether he played guard or tackle. I’m sure that diversity will help him as a pro player as well.”
That’s what Neal’s tape shows.
