As Detroit Lions fans, we sometimes get too wrapped up in what might happen with the team’s No. 2 overall pick. But what happens with the Jacksonville Jaguars at the No. 1 spot is critically important. One of the top candidates for that spot proved why he’s worthy of being the first pick this week with a display that even the hapless Jaguars cannot ignore.
Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal still gets some run in mock draft projections as the top pick. Rightly so. His game tape for the Crimson Tide is outstanding, and the Jaguars do have a long-term need at left tackle. After Neal’s pro day, which capped a fantastic workout circuit for the freakishly athletic 21-year-old, expect to see more mocks circling back to Neal as the top pick.
Neal is 6-foot-7 and weighs in at 337 pounds. Humans of that considerable mass aren’t supposed to move like this:
A 6'7", 337 lb man moving this quick?! 😳@AlabamaFTBL OL Evan Neal is just showing off at his @AlabamaFTBL Pro Day. @ENeal73 (via @DOrlandoAJC) pic.twitter.com/8xEuiT3ETZ
— NFL (@NFL) March 30, 2022
It shows on Neal’s Alabama game tape too. He’s been one of the most consistent blocking forces in college football for the last two seasons, playing in the physical and challenging SEC.
The Jaguars currently have one of Neal’s Crimson Tide predecessors, Cam Robinson, as their left tackle. But Robinson is playing on the franchise tag. He’s not locked in for the long term, and the Jaguars are right for being hesitant about paying Robinson big money in the long haul. Robinson ranked 25th in pass blocking amongst tackles who played at least 200 snaps in 2021, per Pro Football Focus. It was far and away his best season since joining the Jaguars in 2017, too.
(By way of comparison, Detroit LT Taylor Decker ranked 6th)
Robinson is a short-term situation at left tackle. Neal can be the long-term standout solution the Jaguars sorely need to build around last year’s No. 1 pick, QB Trevor Lawrence. Jacksonville isn’t exactly set at right tackle either, though last year’s second-rounder, Walker Little, flashed some potential in a late-season trial replacing Robinson at left tackle. But neither approaches the talent ceiling of Neal, who also played some guard at Alabama earlier in his career.
As with all the top prospects in this draft class, Neal does have questions to answer. In Lions’ parlance, he’s not a kneecap-biter, not a guy who always plays through the echo of the whistle. Neal isn’t a fiery personality on the field. But he’s a high-floor, NFL-ready pass protector for a Jaguars team that desperately needs to make their precious passer work out.
It’s still a few weeks before we find out who the Jaguars are taking at No. 1. Don’t be surprised if the pick is Evan Neal.
