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Evan Neal is excellent, BUT is he a fit for this system?


jetstream23

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There's no doubt Neal is an excellent player and very likely a Top 10 pick, possibly even Top 5.  But the more I read the more I see him as potentially miscast in the outside / zone blocking scheme the Jets use.  LaFleur needs men who move well in space, who can get to the second level and hit a moving target like a LB.  We need guys who pull and are laterally quick.

This is very different than the powerful, short area, maulers that are used in man/power blocking schemes.

I like Neal's versatility to play multiple spots but I'm going to go on record as saying he's not for us, maybe not even at #10.  Again, this is based on what I'm reading and now really starting to understand the types of guys that LaFleur values.  

Don't get me wrong, there's a certain spot where he simply becomes too good of a value but the other OTs that might be a better fit IMO are Ekwonu, Petit-Frere, Raimann.

 

A scouting report from TDN (with some things I noted.)

Evan Neal is a former 5-star recruit out of IMG academy. Neal possesses a large frame, measuring in at 6-foot-6 and 360 pounds. Neal uses his massive frame and power to move defenders off the line of scrimmage when run blocking. Neal excels at playing in a phone booth and uses his weight to wear defenders down. In his pass sets, he uses his body mass and length to force defenders to run around him and out of the way of the quarterback. This year, Neal made the transition from RT to LT which seems to be a successful one and one that seems more natural for him. He uses his natural spatial awareness to take away the inside move for defenders and force them around him. Neal has the natural skill set of a right tackle but seems more comfortable at left tackle. This versatility will give more value throughout the draft process and make him a day-one starter in the NFL.

Ideal Role: A dominant run blocking RT

Scheme Fit: A downhill power scheme that allows him to use his rare combination of size and power to punish defensive lineman. 

FILM EVALUATION

Written by Keith Sanchez

Games watched: Texas A&M (2020), LSU (2020), Florida (2021), Texas A&M (2021) 

Best Game Studied: LSU (2020)

Worst Game Studied: Texas A&M (2020)

Balance: Neal has great linear movement but struggles to redirect laterally due to balance issues. In the run game, he gets too far over his feet and it causes him to miss defenders. His pass set can be thrown off-balance when defenders use quick counter pass-rush moves. Quicker defenders force him to use reactionary athleticism, which is not a strong trait of his and exposes his balance issues when moving laterally.

Pass Sets: He has a quick, explosive initial pass set that allows him to gain leverage on defenders quickly and dictate that track that pass rushers have to take. At times he can over-set, which makes him susceptible to the inside counter move. He’s most effective when he can beat defenders to a spot and use his massive frame to make them run the arc around him. 

Competitive Toughness: Displays good competitiveness throughout the evaluation. An active run blocker that made the extra effort to finish blocks. Looks for extra work when he doesn't have a pass-rush responsibility. Showed enthusiasm about making the extra block and played through the whistle. 

Lateral Mobility: This is the biggest question mark of Neal’s game. He lacked elite quickness to react laterally to defenders’ counter moves in pass protection. Displayed average ability to redirect when working to second-level defenders when trying to run block, resulting in him missing blocks. 

Length: Neal’s length is one of his best assets. Neal uses his wide wingspan to run defenders around the arc of the pocket to prevent sacks in pass protection. He also uses his length to get a grasp of pass rushers and prevents them from getting into his chest during a bull-rush move. 

Football IQ: He demonstrates average Football IQ. Struggled to ID blitzers and what guys to pick up, resulting in free blitzers to the QB. There are plenty of examples of this in the 2021 Texas A&M game. This could be a result of him switching from RT to LT and not knowing the different pass protection principles associated with the position. 

Hand Technique: Neal has good strength in his hands that results in a strong punch that initially shocks defenders. Neal’s balance issues affect his hand placement location at times. There were examples of Neal getting off balance and missing his initial punch when trying to engage with defenders throughout his film.

Anchor Ability: Displays the ability to anchor on defenders, but it is an average trait of his. Balance and lateral movement issues negatively affect his ability to anchor. Speed-to-power pass rushers can give him issues because of his lack of ability to get reset and synchronize his lower half to anchor on defenders. 

Power at POA: Neal has great power at the POA. Has an elite-level first step that allows him to generate power to move defenders off the ball. This is his No. 1 trait as a player. His size and quickness will allow him to become a dominant run blocker in the NFL. 

Versatility: Neal showed the ability to have positional versatility during his career at Alabama, playing both RT and LT. He has the natural run-blocking skill set to play RT, but he plays with better pace in pass pro at LT. He also has the mauler mentality in the run game that allows him to play snaps at guard.

Prospect Comparison: Orlando Brown (2018 NFL Draft, Baltimore Ravens)

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There seem to be a lot of good OT prospects this year, so I'm hoping JD waits on taking at OT rather than take one at #4. 

If he doesn't like any of the edges at #4, try to trade back.  If unable to trade back, then I guess take the best OL on the board. They shouldn't reach for a WR or whatever at that spot....JD needs to nail his early picks.

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, RedBeardedSavage said:

Good thread and observation.

I don't know enough to speak intelligently on this, but I'm interested in the answer. 

I'm no expert either but I feel much better informed since I started reading about the Shanahan/LaFleur systems and the types of OLinemen it requires.  Growing up and watching "old football" I had a pretty unsophisticated view of OLinemen.  Basically it was the bigger and stronger... the better.  If they had good hands and long arms then even better.  And of course, the Bill Parcells "Planet Theory" that there's only a rare few human beings on earth that can be over 300 lbs. and move around athletically.

But watching lots of film, highlights of how the Shanahan running attack works, etc. has shown me that there's some serious nuance here.  Some big guys can simply bulldoze the man in front of him and push him back 2 yards.  But the guys we need have to be quick off the snap, navigate out wide or to the second level (linebackers) and basically hit a moving target like a LB flowing to the football.  It's not easy for 300 lb guys to quickly sprint 5 yards and cutoff a fast 235 lb linebacker.  But that's essentially what we're looking for.

And, let's remember that these schemes have started to unlock some rushing attacks that feature players most would consider average or pedestrian guys.  The 49ers are riding Elijah Mitchell (Round 6, Pick 194 in 2021) to this year's NFC Champ Game.  They rode Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman in the Super Bowl in 2020 (and they averaged 4.8 and 5.6 yards per carry that game).  This scheme is letting the Jets lean on a 4th round pick in Michael Carter as a RB1 so far.  In short, the OL is more important than the RB.  This scheme doesn't need a $100M Ezekiel Elliott, a Dalvin Cook or a Jonathan Taylor.  Would love to have any one of them, but the RB isn't the straw that stirs the drink of this rushing scheme, it's the OLine.

Believe it or not, Becton is actually very good for this scheme (if the guy could stay healthy!)  There are certainly some who are better but there are very, very few 350+ lb. guys who can get out there the way he does.  AVT also has this ability but he's much better technically, truly a great fit for this zone blocking scheme.

There are quite a few guys in this Draft that fit the bill outside of the 1st round.  I'll leave it to others smarter than me to identify who might be best and in what rounds but names I'm hearing are IOL like Zion Johnson and Alec Lindstrom, and OTs like Petit-Frere and Raimann.  All are guys that seem suited to the Zone scheme.

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53 minutes ago, jetstream23 said:

I'm no expert either but I feel much better informed since I started reading about the Shanahan/LaFleur systems and the types of OLinemen it requires.  Growing up and watching "old football" I had a pretty unsophisticated view of OLinemen.  Basically it was the bigger and stronger... the better.  If they had good hands and long arms then even better.  And of course, the Bill Parcells "Planet Theory" that there's only a rare few human beings on earth that can be over 300 lbs. and move around athletically.

But watching lots of film, highlights of how the Shanahan running attack works, etc. has shown me that there's some serious nuance here.  Some big guys can simply bulldoze the man in front of him and push him back 2 yards.  But the guys we need have to be quick off the snap, navigate out wide or to the second level (linebackers) and basically hit a moving target like a LB flowing to the football.  It's not easy for 300 lb guys to quickly sprint 5 yards and cutoff a fast 235 lb linebacker.  But that's essentially what we're looking for.

And, let's remember that these schemes have started to unlock some rushing attacks that feature players most would consider average or pedestrian guys.  The 49ers are riding Elijah Mitchell (Round 6, Pick 194 in 2021) to this year's NFC Champ Game.  They rode Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman in the Super Bowl in 2020 (and they averaged 4.8 and 5.6 yards per carry that game).  This scheme is letting the Jets lean on a 4th round pick in Michael Carter as a RB1 so far.  In short, the OL is more important than the RB.  This scheme doesn't need a $100M Ezekiel Elliott, a Dalvin Cook or a Jonathan Taylor.  Would love to have any one of them, but the RB isn't the straw that stirs the drink of this rushing scheme, it's the OLine.

Believe it or not, Becton is actually very good for this scheme (if the guy could stay healthy!)  There are certainly some who are better but there are very, very few 350+ lb. guys who can get out there the way he does.  AVT also has this ability but he's much better technically, truly a great fit for this zone blocking scheme.

There are quite a few guys in this Draft that fit the bill outside of the 1st round.  I'll leave it to others smarter than me to identify who might be best and in what rounds but names I'm hearing are IOL like Zion Johnson and Alec Lindstrom, and OTs like Petit-Frere and Raimann.  All are guys that seem suited to the Zone scheme.

I think Neal and Becton are probably more similar athletically than you're giving Neal credit for given the premise of the thread. But we'll see come the combine. I think he'll test considerably better than Orlando Brown did who's the TDN scouting report comparison, and probably pretty similar to Becton.

The question is probably less is Evan Neal athletic enough to play in the outside zone system and more twofold - one do you need athletic 350 pound guys at 4 overall to run outside zone or is it adequate with athletic 300 pounders, and two given 350+ pounds is a lot for a human to carry and the extra big tackle taken 11th overall has had issues staying healthy, does Douglas want to roll the dice twice there?

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