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The Detroit Lions are entering year two of a massive rebuild, and head coach Dan Campbell needs reinforcements just about everywhere. Last year, the Lions used their seventh overall pick on the best left tackle in that class, Penei Sewell. Sewell had a very good rookie season and will be looking to build on that going forward. With Jared Goff in the fold, it's not unreasonable to suggest that the Lions pass on a quarterback this year and look to build other areas of their roster first, in order to put either Goff or some future rookie quarterback in the best possible situation to succeed.
The Lions have been rumored to take a serious interest in a number of players across multiple positions, ranging from edge rushers like Kayvon Thibodeaux and Aidan Hutchinson to cornerbacks like Derek Stingley, Jr. and Sauce Gardner, to offensive tackles like Ikem Ekwonu and Evan Neal. With Sewell well a part of this team's future, Neal is the more likely of the two tackles to be taken here, and he might be the perfect fit. Here are a few reasons why.
Evan Neal is the best Lions fit in 2022 NFL Draft
1. Versatility
In three seasons starting at Alabama, Evan Neal started an entire season at three different positions on the offensive line for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. In 2019, as a freshman, Neal started all thirteen games at right guard, and garnered SEC All-Freshman accolades for doing so. The following year, Neal was kicked outside to right tackle to block for Mac Jones, and again started all thirteen games en route to a National Championship.
This past season, as a junior, Neal was given the task of playing left tackle to protect Bryce Young's blindside, and did incredibly well. In potentially Alabama's toughest game of the regular season, against Texas A&M, Neal allowed zero pressures against a very capable Aggies pass rush. Early on in a rebuild, coaches look for versatility, and it will benefit the Lions to know even if Neal isn't quite ready to play tackle, he's got a wealth of experience at guard as well.
2. Competition
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Playing three full seasons in the toughest conference in college football, in addition to playing in the College Football Playoff in all of those seasons, exposes a player to the best teams and opponents in the country, both in and out of the SEC. Neal has never shied away from any of them, and he's faced a lot of big names in his three years in Tuscaloosa. This constant battling with NFL quality players should only have sharpened the skills of Neal, who at the NFL level will be tasked with blocking some truly fearsome pass rushers, even just in his own division if he ended up on the Lions.
Neal's exposure to top-level talent is pretty rare among offensive linemen in this class, as no other tackle prospect has played in as many College Football Playoff games as Neal's six, not to mention his three SEC Championship appearances as well. In fact, Neal is the only offensive lineman projected anywhere near the first round to have played in more than one Playoff. It's often remarked that metal sharpens metal, and Neal's metal has been constantly put against the very best players week in and week out.
3. All Around Ability
Often, a highly ranked offensive line prospect will lack one or two things. They may have elite measurables but struggle in the more technical aspects of the game. Or, potentially, they may have good technicals but lack the physicality to back it up with. Neal struggles with none of these. He's an absolute giant at six feet seven inches and 350 pounds. To match this, Neal has elite athleticism for his size, not to mention impeccable technique and a very good work ethic, all a good fit for the Lions.
This is all in combination with a very good football IQ, and good awareness in the trenches. Neal truly is one of the most well rounded offensive tackle prospects to come out of college in the last decade or so, and his draft stock reflects as such.
Few prospects have ever had that combination of talents, and in fact the Lions drafted one last year in Penei Sewell. The thought of having two absolutely incredible tackle prospects on either side of the offensive line would make most coaches and general managers salivate. Pass rushers all across the league would dread going to Detroit. Lions GM Brad Holmes has the chance to bring just that to the Motor City, and should take that opportunity without a second thought.
