Evan Neal shares unique story on first time Nick Saban met family

Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal established himself as one of college football’s most dominant players over the past three seasons by spending time at three different positions with great success. As he prepares for the NFL Draft now, the former five-star recruit remembers the special moment Nick Saban had visiting his family in Okeechobee, Florida.

During an interview on the Rich Eisen Show, Evan Neal broke down Nick Saban’s visit to his small hometown and went in-depth on the family business. When asked whether Saban visited his home during the recruiting process, he revealed one better.

“Yeah, he actually went to my dad’s store,” said Neal. “It was actually pretty cool.”

When asked by Eisen what kind of store his father owns, Neal broke down the family business.

“It’s a small little neighborhood convenience store where I’m from, we like sell different beverages and snacks and stuff. And he also owns small little units behind the store that he rents out. He probably rents out like six or seven units so a small little operation.”

To wrap up the topic, Eisen joked with Neal that his father can now close the store since Neal is in line for a big payday from an NFL team. That is not the plan.

“Oh no, we’re not going to close it,” said Neal. “We’re going to take it to the next level. My dad has been in that store his entire life and I just want him to have more time to spend with his family. So just get it to the point where it can run itself and he doesn’t have to be there all the time.”

Neal also shared that he remembers working in the store as a kid, taking care of the register and eating snacks.

Evan Neal in the NFL Draft

ESPN’s NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper has updated his projections with a two-round mock. In one of his most surprising projections, he has Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal dropping outside the top five to a borderline top 10 pick as the second offensive lineman off the board.

During an ESPN mock draft special, Mel Kiper took time to explain why Evan Neal makes sense for any team lucky enough to see him fall into their lap.

“Evan Neal has played three positions as a starter,” said Kiper. “Very rarely do you see that. Left tackle, right tackle, guard. Maybe drops this far, he makes perfect sense for the Seattle Seahawks. Some will debate whether he’ll be there at No. 9, I think if he were available at 10, that would be a whale of a pick.”

Despite projecting him to fall after talk he could be the No. 1 overall pick in the early stages, Mel Kiper still lists some of Evan Neal’s best traits as positional versatility, athleticism at his size and how light he looks on his feet.