The Pittsburgh Steelers are hosting one of their first pre-NFL Draft visits, safety Keanu Neal from the University of Florida.
On Tuesday, Neal tweeted, “First stop… Pittsburgh,” indicating he is set to visit Pittsburgh sometime this week. Fans who follow Neal on Twitter seemed happy about the young safety’s visit to the Steel City.
Many have called Neal one of the best safeties in the NFL Draft. At the NFL Combine, Neal had the best broad jump (132 inches) and second best vertical jump (38 inches) of all the safeties in attendance.
According to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, Neal is the kind of safety who gives opposing teams nightmares.
“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,” Zierlein wrote. “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.”
During his junior season (his most recent season), at the University of Florida, Neal started 12 games for the Gators. Neal finished with 96 tackles—51 solo and 45 assisted—one interception, one broken-up pass and two sacks, while also recording one forced fumble.
Because Neal’s junior year was so successful, he decided to forgo his senior season and declare for the NFL draft. Many teams have been linked to Neal, with the Steelers just the latest—not just for visitation, but in many people’s latest NFL mock drafts.
While the Steelers have been connected to several cornerbacks, including Ohio State’s Eli Apple, Clemson’s Mackensie Alexander and Houston’s William Jackson III, Neal would fill a different hole in the Steelers’ secondary. The Steelers already have Robert Golden, Jordan Dangerfield, Jacob Hagen, Mike Mitchell, Shamarko Thomas and Ross Ventrone on the roster at safety.
The NFL Draft will take place this month, starting on April 28. If the Steelers want to get Neal, they’re going to have to grab him in the first round.
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