When he’s healthy, Falcons safety Keanu Neal is one of the top young defensive backs in the NFL today. Unfortunately, he missed almost all of the 2018 season due to a torn ACL he suffered Week 1.
Sometimes when a solid player misses a full year, they are overlooked or forgotten when it comes time to look towards the next season. Neal is still getting some love though, if perhaps still not as much as he should. Pro Football Focus recently released their annual list of the top 25 players in the league under 25 years old. Neal was one of the players who apparently just missed the cut.
“Up until his injury, Neal had proved to be an impact player in every facet of the game. Since 2016, Neal earned a grade above 70.0 as a run defender (74.9), a coverage defender (78.1) and as a pass-rusher (73.2), making him one of only 15 safeties to achieve that feat over that span.”
Neal’s versatility and overall ability make him an irreplaceable piece for the Falcons defense, as they learned the hard way last season.
If Neal is able to play a full 16 game schedule, he should get back to playing at the Pro Bowl level he previously showed in 2017. If not, then Atlanta will have to lean heavily on backup safeties like J.J. Wilcox and Sharrod Neasman.
