Evan Neal on Alabama's offensive line play, making statement vs. Georgia

Evan Neal has been an anchor on Alabama’s offensive line throughout the entirety of his collegiate career. He is viewed as the top offensive line prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Neal recently spoke to reporters, where he assessed the current play of Alabama’s offensive line. He feels as if the unit has put in great work, and he was happy with the performance in the SEC Championship game against Georgia.

“We just want to do our absolute best for our teammates,” Neal said of Alabama’s offensive line. “That took preparing the right way in practice and I feel like we did that. Just going out there with a worker’s mentality. Not thinking too far ahead, just focusing on snap by snap. What do I have to do to get better? And I feel like we did that.”

Coming into the SEC title game against Georgia, Alabama knew it was going up against arguably the top defensive team in the nation. But the Crimson Tide held its own, and actually dominated the majority of the game. Neal was asked if it was a statement win for the Crimson Tide, but he said that they just did what they had to do to win.

“I mean, I guess you can say that,” Neal said on if Alabama’s offensive line made a statement against Georgia. “But like I said, we were just trying to be our best to help our team win. We’re all competitors and it was a great competition. I’m proud of the way we executed as a unit, I really am, to show the testament to all the work that we did leading up to that week.”

Neal could be selected very early in the 2022 NFL Draft

After his impressive career with Alabama, Neal is likely to hear his name called very early on draft night. ESPN NFL Draft expert Todd McShay projects Neal as a top five pick, calling him “the best offensive lineman in this class for a reason.” McShay projected Neal as the third overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in his initial 2022 mock draft.

“He is massive, 370-pounds, but you don’t see many guys likes that can move and mirror, and slide in pass protection and get out as a second-level run blocker.  He moves so well,” McShay said of Neal. “He’s tough to get around.  I think he’d be a perfect with the Jaguars.  With Travis Etienne coming back healthy next year and Lawrence at the quarterback spot, they need to do better upfront.”