 Neal with theAtlanta Falcons in 2016 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 22, 42, 31 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1995-07-26)July 26, 1995 (age 30) Webster, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 211 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | South Sumter(Bushnell, Florida) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Florida (2013–2015) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2016: 1st round, 17th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Keanu Neal (born July 26, 1995) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety for eight seasons in theNational Football League (NFL), primarily with theAtlanta Falcons. He playedcollege football for theFlorida Gators and was selected by theAtlanta Falcons with the 17th overall pick in the2016 NFL draft.
Neal attendedSouth Sumter High School inBushnell, Florida. He began playing as alinebacker before being switched tosafety. As a junior, he tallied 151tackles, 4interceptions, one of which he returned 20 yards for atouchdown, as well as four forcedfumbles, fivepass deflections and one offensive touchdown as a goal-linefullback. He received All-conference and All-state honors.
As a senior, he had over 70 tackles and four interceptions. He committed to theUniversity of Florida to playcollege football under head coachWill Muschamp.[1]
As atrue freshman in2013, he appeared in all 12 games as a reserve player, focusing mostly onspecial teams. He collected five special teams tackles.[2]
As a sophomore in2014, he played in 10 games with eight starts at safety. He was injured in the fifth game against theUniversity of Georgia and was forced to miss the next 2 contests. He posted 45 tackles and three interceptions.[3] He had 10 tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery with a 45-yard return against theUniversity of Alabama. He made 10 tackles against theUniversity of Missouri. He had 8 tackles againstEast Carolina University.
As a junior in2015, he started 11 of 12 games at safety under new head coachJim McElwain.[4] He missed the first 2 contests of the season with an injury. He recorded 96 tackles (third on the team), 51 solo tackles (led the team), 3.5 tackles for loss, one interception and 2sacks.[5] He has 14 tackles against theUniversity of Tennessee andLouisiana State University. He declared for the2016 NFL draft at the end of the season.[6]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) | 211 lb (96 kg) | 32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) | 10+5⁄8 in (0.27 m) | 4.62 s | 1.62 s | 2.69 s | 4.20 s | 7.09 s | 38 in (0.97 m) | 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) | 17 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[7][8] | ||||||||||||
Neal was selected by theAtlanta Falcons in the first round (17th overall) of the 2016 NFL draft.[9] He was the second safety selected in 2016 behindWest Virginia'sKarl Joseph (12th overall).[10] On May 4, 2016, the Falcons signed Neal to a fully guaranteed four-year, $10.73 million contract that includes asigning bonus of $6 million.[11]
Throughouttraining camp, he competed for the job as the startingstrong safety after it was left vacant due to the Falcons opting not to re-signWilliam Moore. He competed for the job againstKemal Ishmael andCharles Godfrey.[12] On August 25, 2016, Neal recorded five solo tackles before leaving the Falcons' 17–6 loss at theMiami Dolphins in the second quarter after sustaining an injury. Neal sustained a knee injury after receiving a stiff arm while attempting to tackle Dolphins' running backArian Foster during a 17-yard reception. The injury required surgery and sidelined him for the first two regular season games.[13] Head coachDan Quinn named Neal the starting strong safety to begin the regular season, alongside free safetyRicardo Allen.[14]
He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Falcons' Week 3 matchup at theNew Orleans Saints and recorded four combined tackles and a pass deflection during their 45–32 victory. He made his first career tackle on the Saints' first offensive snap and tackled running backMark Ingram II after a three-yard gain.[15][16] On October 23, 2016, Neal recorded a season-high 11 combined tackles (five solo) in and a pass deflection during a 26–24 loss at theSeattle Seahawks. In Week 10, he made a season-high nine solo tackles and broke up a pass in the Falcons' 24–15 loss at thePhiladelphia Eagles. On December 18, 2016, Neal tied his season-high with 11 combined tackles (five solo) and had a season-high two pass deflections during their 41–13 victory against theSan Francisco 49ers.[17] He finished his rookie season in2016 with 105 total tackles (72 solo), nine passes defended, five forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 14 games and 14 starts.[18][19] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[20]
The Atlanta Falcons finished first in theNational Football Conference (NFC) South with an 11–5 record, while also clinching the number 2 seed in the NFC, and a first round bye in the playoffs. On January 13, 2017, Neal started his first career playoff game and led both teams with 11 combined tackles (ten solo) during the Falcons' 36–20 win against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round.[21] The following week, the Falcons defeated theGreen Bay Packers 44–21 in the NFC Championship. On February 6, 2017, Neal collected 13 combined tackles (nine solo) during the Falcons' 34–28 overtime loss to theNew England Patriots inSuper Bowl LI. Defensive coordinatorRichard Smith was fired after the Falcons' defense experienced a fourth quarter collapse and let the Patriots come back from a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter.[22][23]
New Falcons' defensive coordinatorMarquand Manuel opted to retain Neal and Allen as the starting safety duo to begin the regular season. In Week 7, Neal recorded a season-high ten combined tackles (six solo) and deflected a pass during a 23–7 loss at the Patriots. In Week 9, he collected eight combined tackles and forced two fumbles in Atlanta's 20–17 loss at theCarolina Panthers. On December 24, 2016, he tied his season-high with ten combined tackles (eight solo) and a pass deflection in the Falcons' 23–13 loss at the Saints. The following week, Neal made five combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception off a pass by quarterbackCam Newton during a 22–10 victory against the Panthers.[24]
He finished the2017 season with 116 combined tackles (83 solo), six pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts.[25] He finished second in tackles for the Falcons, behind linebackerDeion Jones, and finished second in tackles among safeties behindReshad Jones.
The Falcons finished third in the NFC South with a 10–6 record. They received a wild card spot, but were eliminated from the playoffs after being defeated 15–10 by the eventualSuper Bowl LII Champions the Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round. Neal recorded six combined tackles during their loss and had 14 combined total in both playoff games.[24] On January 22, 2018, Neal was named to his firstPro Bowl as a replacement for safetyMalcolm Jenkins due to his participation in Super Bowl LII with the Eagles.[26]
During theseason opener against the Eagles, Neal left the game with a knee injury. He came back to the game only to leave the game again on a non-contact play.[27] The next day, it was confirmed that Neal tore hisACL, and would miss the remainder of the season.[28] He was placed oninjured reserve on September 10, 2018.[29]
On April 24, 2019, the Falcons exercised the fifth-year option on Neal's contract.[30] In third preseason game against theWashington Redskins, Neal dealt an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit against tight endJordan Reed that ended Reed's season before it began.[31] Neal was fined $28,075 by the NFL for his hit on Reed.[32] Against theIndianapolis Colts in Week 3, Neal suffered a tornAchilles tendon just before halftime, ending his season prematurely for the second year in a row.[33] He was placed on injured reserve on September 24, 2019.[34]
In Week 7 against theDetroit Lions, Neal led the team with 11 tackles (10 solo) and sackedMatthew Stafford once during the 23–22 loss.[35]In Week 16 against theKansas City Chiefs, Neal recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by wide receiverSammy Watkins on a trick play during the 17–14 loss.[36]
.jpg)
On April 14, 2021, Neal signed a one-year, $5 million contract with theDallas Cowboys, reuniting withdefensive coordinatorDan Quinn, who was his head coach with the Falcons.[37] He was switched toweakside linebacker duringorganized team activities in May.[38] He appeared in 14 games with 5 starts, while missing 3 contests on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. He registered 79 tackles (tied for third on the team), one sack and 2special teams tackles. He had 13 tackles against theLas Vegas Raiders.
On April 6, 2022, Neal signed a one-year, $1.272 million contract with theTampa Bay Buccaneers, switching back to a more traditional role atstrong safety.[39] He appeared in 17 games with 8 starts, after being thrust into action followingLogan Ryan's foot injury in Week Four. He posted 63 tackles (2 for loss), a half sack, one interception and 4 passes defensed.
On April 4, 2023, Neal signed with thePittsburgh Steelers.[40] On November 18, the Steelers placed him on injured reserve.[41]
On March 7, 2024, the Steelers released Neal after a failed physical.[42]
On February 23, 2025, Neal announced his retirement from the NFL after not playing the entire 2024 season.[43]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TfL | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2016 | ATL | 14 | 14 | 106 | 72 | 34 | 0.0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 116 | 83 | 33 | 0.0 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | ATL | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | ATL | 3 | 3 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | ATL | 15 | 14 | 100 | 76 | 24 | 1.0 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | DAL | 14 | 5 | 72 | 44 | 28 | 1.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | TB | 17 | 8 | 63 | 41 | 22 | 0.5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | PIT | 9 | 8 | 50 | 33 | 17 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 32 | 32.0 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 89 | 69 | 523 | 361 | 162 | 2.5 | 22 | 22 | 4 | 51 | 12.8 | 32 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | |||
| 2016 | ATL | 3 | 3 | 30 | 24 | 6 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | ATL | 2 | 2 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career | 5 | 5 | 44 | 35 | 9 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Keanu Neal is named afteractorKeanu Reeves.[44] His brother,Clinton Hart, playedsafety in theNFL.[45] Neal’s mentor is former Seahawks safetyKam Chancellor. Neal kept a signed Chancellor jersey in his locker to pay respect.[46]
Media related toKeanu Neal at Wikimedia Commons