The Seattle Seahawks have drafted Julian Neal with the 99th pick of the NFL Draft in the third round. They were slated to pick at their native pick (96) but they moved back three spots to 99 and obtained pick 216 overall in the sixth round.
Defensive back has been a commonly discussed need for the reigning champs. They have now addressed that twice in day two. In the second round, the Seahawks took Bud Clark who is a safety from TCU.
With the departures of Riq Woolen and Coby Bryant, the Seahawks needed to replace that depth in the defensive backfield. Clark and Neal will compete with Ty Okada and Josh Jobe for roles in certain packages this season.
Neal was a redshirt senior this last season at the University of Arkansas, but he played four seasons at Fresno State before transferring in 2025. In 42 games over five seasons, Neal produced 99 combined tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, and 18 pass deflections.
NFL Draft Analysts Saw Neal as a Day Three Selection
GettyJulian Neal projects as a day three pick; however, given the Seahawks pick situation they did not have many options.
Because of Neal’s lack of experience playing cornerback at a high level, NFL draft analysts are somewhat divided on his projections. He is a former wide receiver who has converted to cornerback. As the Seahawks have seen with Richard Sherman, that is not too much of an issue for them.
Dan Brugler of the Athletic graded Neal as a 4th round prospect and ranked him as the 15th best cornerback in this class. Brugler acknowledges Neal’s lack of experience, but he also lauds his season at Arkansas. That season has really raised his floor as a prospect in the eyes of evaluators.
Brugler said, “Neal lacks top-shelf speed for easy recoveries, but he stands out with his length, ascending cover talent and ability to play the football from different angles. He has the potential to be an NFL starter for both man and zone teams.”
PFF ranked Neal as the 172nd prospect in the draft, but he graded very positively last year in many categories. He had a 85.9 run defense grade and a 76.5 coverage grade overall. Like Brugler noted, Neal did well in both man and zone schemes. PFF graded him 66.3 in man coverage and 78.2 in zone coverage.
Julian Neal’s Athletic Profile
GettyJulian Neal has an elite athletic profile for a cornerback.
Neal graded out as an elite athlete for a cornerback during his drills at the NFL Combine and the Arkansas pro day. He scored a 9.2 RAS Score, ranking as the 228th most athletic corner since 1987. He is just a little bit over 6’1” and weighs between 203 and 206 lbs, which are great measurements for a corner. However, he only had 16 bench presses in his workout.
His speed scores were good as he ran a 4.49 40 yard dash, 2.63 20 yard split, and 1.59 10 yard split. His agility scores were only okay as a he set a 4.2 second shuttle cone drill and a poor 7.13 three cone. However, his explosion drills were incredible. He had a 40” vertical jump and a 11’2” broad jump.
Neal profiles as the type of athlete and player the Seahawks love. Clearly, he is very coachable given his long road from being a small school wide receiver to becoming a third round pick at cornerback.
Seattle Seahawks Draft Julian Neal with the 99th Pick