Dynasty Rookie Prospect Profile: Devin Neal

Devin Neal | RB | Kansas | 5’11” 215 lbs

With the Dynasty offseason officially underway, our team at Dynasty Football Factory is dedicated to bringing you all the rookie coverage you’ll need to crush your upcoming Dynasty rookie drafts. In today’s article, we’ll dive into the prospect profile of Devin Neal, senior RB out of Kansas. To start things out, let’s see how Neal fared from an analytical standpoint. 

Production

Devin Neal is a four-year player and was highly productive for the Jayhawks from his freshman year. Below are Neal’s rushing numbers from 2021-24:

As you can see, Neal was a major part of this Jayhawk offense throughout his career. He amassed over 4,300 rush yards and 49 TDs in his four years, averaging nearly 6 yards per attempt. Neal was utilized as a workhorse back and handled the role exceptionally well. Looking at the numbers above, Neal’s yards after contact is one area of slight concern. In his career, he averaged 3.34 yards after contact per attempt (YCO/A), which is respectable but far from elite. Neal’s best YCO/A numbers came this season (3.73), which still put him outside the Top 40 RBs in the FBS (min. 100 attempts). Physicality could be a question mark, which we’ll discuss later in the film portion. 

Now, let’s see what kind of role Neal played in the receiving game:

I would classify Neal as an above-average pass-catching RB. He was used as a three-down back and was used a fair amount in the receiving game, especially in his final three seasons. Neal finished his career with a YPRR of under 1.0, which is not great. His season-best mark of 1.31 YPRR is decent but nothing to write home about. We’ll break down Neal’s pass-catching role in the film section as well. 

Devin Neal was not really atop the rankings in any advanced metrics this season, though he was average or above average in nearly every mark. His best finish was in PFF Rush Grade, posting a 90.5 score, which was good for 10th in the nation (min. 100 attempts). 

Now that we’ve seen Neal’s production profile at Kansas, allow me to go over some of my findings from watching film. 

Film

Devin Neal is listed at 215 pounds on ESPN, but I would be a little surprised if he came in at over 205 at the NFL Combine. If he does, I imagine that will negatively impact some of his testing numbers. He just looks like he has a much thinner frame than someone like Omarion Hampton, who is listed at 6’0” and 220 lbs. 

Let’s cover Neal’s strengths first. Neal is an extremely patient runner, waiting for his blockers to develop before committing to a gap. He has quick feet and is constantly chopping his feet as he waits for a hole to open up. Neal is a reliable pass catcher when it comes to dump-offs or swing passes. When he has the ball in open space, he displays some nice one-cut moves to create space and get extra yardage. He appears to have above-average athleticism in the class, which is saying something, given how loaded this RB class is. 

While there are many positives to Devin Neal’s game, there are just as many negatives, in my opinion. He is sometimes patient to a fault, failing to commit to a gap quickly and missing out on potentially big gains. He has moments where his vision impresses me and others that leave me wondering what in the world he was looking at. I think Neal is more of a finesse rusher rather than a physical, downhill runner. He doesn’t invite contact the same way someone like Ashton Jeanty or Kaleb Johnson does, and he certainly can’t break tackles like they can. Neal has some nice lateral quickness to him but his long speed doesn’t appear to be anything special. And while Devin was used in the screen game frequently, he didn’t have a very large route tree at Kansas. But with that being said, I do believe with his build, athleticism, shiftiness, and soft hands, he is more than capable of taking on an expanded role in the receiving game. This may be the area where he could find the most success at the NFL level. 

Conclusion

If you’ve been playing Dynasty long enough, you know landing spot and draft capital mean a ton at the RB position. We can talk about player tendencies until our faces turn blue, but until we see the results from draft day, we can’t confidently project Dynasty production. In the case of Devin Neal, I think draft capital and landing spot will literally make or break this prospect. Neal is currently listed as an early fourth-round pick on NFL Mock Draft Database. If he can sneak into Day 2 and land in a fortuitous situation, Neal is someone I’ll likely be targeting in the mid-to-late second round of Superflex rookie drafts. I don’t love the production profile or the film, but it’s sufficient enough to where I’ll make sure I have some shares if things fall into place on draft day. 

I’ve heard player comps of Bucky Irving recently when discussing Devin Neal. I don’t hate this comp, but Bucky was a better receiving back, and I believe he has more physicality and elusiveness in his game. I’m okay with saying Devin Neal is a poor man’s Bucky Irving, and I believe he could provide legitimate Dynasty value as a pass-catching back at the next level. I would be okay with valuing Neal as high as RB6 in the class after Jeanty, Johnson, Hampton, Henderson, and Judkins (assuming Judkins declares). 

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding