Evan Neal explains decision to not participate in NFL Combine on-field drills, testing

Evan Neal made the decision to decline to workout at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. On Thursday, Neal explained his decision not to participate in Indianapolis, opting to wait until his Pro Day later in March.

“Just asked OT Evan Neal what went into the decision not to participate in on-field drills and testing at the combine. He said he had a long season, and after talking with his agent, they agreed to take more time to prepare,” tweeted Stacey Dales of NFL Network. “Alabama’s pro day is March 30th.”

As you can see, the potential No. 1 selection in the 2022 NFL Draft is being methodical regarding the process. Alabama’s season went as long as it possibly could’ve, and the star offensive lineman is taking his time to ensure he puts on a good show for teams. Neal isn’t rushing anything.

It would’ve been nice for teams to see Evan Neal at the NFL Combine, but there’s only a select number of teams who even have a shot at drafting him. Expect the star Alabama offensive lineman to be off the board in a jiffy come April.

ESPN’s Todd McShay predicts Evan Neal No. 1 to Jaguars

In ESPN NFL Draft expert Todd McShay’s Mock Draft 2.0, Evan Neal was selected with the top pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Afterwards, Aidan Hutchinson followed at the second pick, while Kyle Hamilton and Ikem Ekwonu went third and fourth, respectively.

For McShay, taking Neal with the top pick in the NFL Draft was a no-brainer.

“I went with Evan Neal going to Jacksonville with the No. 1 spot and look, you look at last year, Jacksonville only had 30 sacks, Aidan Hutchinson is certainly in play,” McShay started. “But I kind of looked at it with Doug Pederson coming in. He won a Super Bowl with an elite offensive line in Philadelphia. Evan Neal, 360 pounds, with his movement skills, his length, his dominance in the run game. He gave up just one sack this last year. He’s improved so much in that regard.

“He can play left tackle, played right tackle in 2020, played guard in 2019. There’s positional versatility if they need it and certainly, they need help on the offensive side. They need to protect their investment of Trevor Lawrence.”

Evidently, experts around the NFL believe Evan Neal is one of the favorites to be the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Whichever team lands the Alabama star will be elated to do so.