The Kansas City Chiefs need a long-term answer at running back. Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Elijah Mitchell are all under contract for the upcoming season, but none of them are locked in beyond 2025. The good news is that the 2025 NFL Draft is the perfect place to find a running back. It’s one of the deepest positions in this draft, and the Chiefs would be wise to take advantage of that.

I have already written up scouting reports for Ashton Jeanty, TreVeyon Henderson, Cam Skattebo, Kaleb Johnson, DJ Giddens, Dylan Sampson, RJ Harvey, and Ollie Gordon II. If you are interested in any of those running backs and haven’t checked out their profiles yet, I encourage you to do so. Today, we are going to take a look at Devin Neal of Kansas.

Neal played all four years at KU, putting up over 1,000 yards rushing in each of the past three seasons. He finished his career with over 4,300 yards rushing and added another 700 yards receiving, giving him over 5,000 career offensive yards in college. He also had 53 offensive touchdowns.

Does Neal’s college production serve as a precursor to NFL success? Let’s get into it.

Devin Neal – 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Age: 21 (when drafted)

Height: 5’11” (official)

Weight: 213 lbs (official)

Devin Neal’s Weaknesses

Neal’s scouting report is a pretty simple one. His main weakness is that he isn’t a dynamic runner. He doesn’t have great speed. He doesn’t have explosive change of direction, and his burst is just good enough. He isn’t small, but he isn’t a big back either. While he isn’t afraid of being physical, he isn’t overly powerful and doesn’t typically run defenders over.

Basically, Neal’s weaknesses are more like areas where he isn’t special. All the areas listed above point to more of a solid backup running back, but when we get to his strengths, you’ll see what will give him a shot at being a solid NFL starter. His only other real weakness is that he had over 800 offensive touches in college. That’s a lot of wear and tear on a college back.

Devin Neal’s Strengths

While Neal’s speed, change of direction, and physicality may be average by NFL standards, his greatest strength may be that he maximizes his abilities better than most. Simply put, Neal sees what is there on almost every play and goes and gets it. He may not create more than what was there very often, but he rarely wastes an opportunity.

Neal has great vision, and his feet/patience/effort are very good, which enables him to take advantage of seeing the play/defense well. While his contact balance may not be as strong as some of the shorter/stockier backs in this class, it’s good enough that, when combined with his effective side-step and effort, he regularly picks up positive yards.

How does Devin Neal profile for the Chiefs?

While Neal may not be dynamic by NFL standards, he does have third-down (or even three down) upside in the NFL. Neal has good hands and topped 20 receptions in each of his final three seasons in college. His pass protection is solid, but not spectacular. He’ll need to continue to work in that area, but he shows enough potential to eventually build out a role on passing downs.

Neal is a player who could slip all the way into the 4th or 5th round because of just how deep this draft class is. While it’s possible a team could take him on day two, there are enough guys that are more special or flashy in some area of their game that could push Neal down the draft board. However, that doesn’t mean those players will be better pros. Neal is one of the more reliable backs in this class. While he may not have the high ceiling that other prospects do, his floor seems higher than most.

I think Neal would do really well in Kansas City. The Chiefs could use a back that can reliably get what the offensive line is giving them. While Isiah Pacheco is incredibly fun to watch, sometimes his vision leaves a little to be desired, and Neal would be an upgrade in that area. When you mix in Neal’s potential in the passing game, you get a back that could be a key contributor for the Chiefs right away as a rookie.

It will be interesting to see if Kansas City targets either of the prospects from the two biggest college programs in Kansas. Neal played right down the road in Lawrence, and K-State’s DJ Giddens is another back that could be a great value pick for the Chiefs on day two or three. You’ll have to wait for my final running back rankings a week before the draft to see which one I prefer.