Devin Neal may be steal of the Saints’ 2025 draft
04/29/2025
By Ross Jackson
Drafting a running back in the sixth round of the NFL draft isn’t going to demand national attention. However, in a draft class of running backs as talented as this year‘s crop, many backs taken in the later rounds this year would have likely gone much earlier in previous drafts.
The New Orleans Saints may have selected one of those players on day three by taking Kansas running back Devin Neal with the No. 184 overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft.
It was a strong belief that the Saints needed to leave this year’s selection process with another running back. Star and starting running back Alvin Kamara had a career-high in rushing yards last year, but lacked consistent presence to complement his contributions. Neal has the opportunity to bring just that.
One Rookie RB I’m hearing nothing about is Devin Neal.. Why?
🔹 Productive at young age: Averaged 1,430 yards last THREE SEASONS (still only 21) 🔥
🔹 Pass-Catcher: 77 Receptions in College 🙌
🔹 Workhorse potential 📈
🔹 Elusive + Ball security 🔒— The Dynasty Grill (@FFDynastyGrill) March 28, 2025
The 5-foot-11, 213-pound running back is versatile enough to run both inside and out and has the scheme flexibility necessary to thrive in Saints’ head coach Kellen Moore’s balanced offense. He also has proven to be a capable receiver out of the backfield.
Neal averaged 3.73 yards after contact per carry in the 2024 Kansas season. That’s something a New Orleans Saints running back with 50 or more carries in a season hasn’t done since Mark Ingram in 2021.
The former Jayhawk may walk into the Saints facility as a sixth round draft pick but could end up being a contributor from day one.
His multiple skill set, punishing yet shifty run style and efficient production, are all positive traits that New Orleans will hope to benefit from, not just during his rookie contract, but possibly as early as his rookie year.
Even as a rookie, Neal has a ton of experience. At Kansas, he appeared in 49 games without missing a single one due to injury. He has also averaged just 190 carries per season over the course of his collegiate career, meaning that there’s plenty of tread left on the tires.
Look for Neal to have a larger short-term impact than some may expect while in the long-term, being in the running as one of the steals of the 2025 NFL Draft.