Top-rated Alabama offensive tackle makes major decision on NFL future

Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal’s time in Tuscaloosa has come to an end.

On Thursday, Neal, a potential No. 1 overall pick, tweeted a message of thanks to the Tide faithful and announced his decision to declare for the 2022 NFL Draft.

It’s been a hell of a ride Bama nation! Now it’s on to the next chapter.
Roll tide forever!! #bpsiphi4life pic.twitter.com/CfjjZBYvWl

— Evan Neal (@ENeal73) January 13, 2022

Neal was a team captain and consensus first-team All-American in 2021. The 6-foot-7, 350-pound Florida native started on the offensive line since he arrived on Alabama’s campus three years ago.

He has played both guard and tackle, and he won a national title over Ohio State with the Tide in 2020 and played for another on Monday against Georgia.

He was the No. 1 offensive tackle recruit, No. 2 player from Florida and No. 5 recruit nationally in the 2019 class, according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. 

Neal joins Allen, Jobe

Following Monday’s game, multiple Alabama stars have announced their plans for the future. Like Neal, linebacker Christopher Allen and defensive back Josh Jobe are also leaving Tuscaloosa in favor of the NFL Draft.

On Wednesday, Allen announced he is singing with Priority Sports after sitting out the vast majority of 2021 after suffering a foot injury against Miami in Alabama’s season opener.

In three full seasons with the Crimson Tide, Allen had 54 tackles — including 18.5 tackles for loss — and 6.5 sacks. His best year came in 2020 when he had 37 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks as Alabama won the national championship.

Allen is from Baton Rouge, La. and was the No. 5 recruit in the state and No. 14 linebacker prospect in the 2017 class.

Jobe dealt with a toe injury for a lot of 2021 and eventually underwent season-ending surgery. However, the cornerback is still viewed as a potential Day 2 pick. Jobe could have gone pro after the 2020 season, but he elected to return to Tuscaloosa to improve his draft stock.

The secondary specialist hopes to join former Alabama star defensive backs Trevon Diggs and Patrick Surtain in the NFL. Diggs was a second-round pick in 2020 while Surtain was a top-10 selection in 2021.

Coming out of high school, Jobe was a four-star prospect according to the On3 Consensus. He was the No. 1 player to come out of his home state of Connecticut and the No. 16 cornerback in the country.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.