Purdue Football: Top 3 prospects for 2021 NFL Draft

When was the last time Purdue had a defensive tackle selected in the NFL draft? You’d have to go all the way back to 2013 when Kawann Short was drafted by the Panthers. He’s had a successful NFL career thus far, making two Pro Bowls along the way, but could there be another budding star at defensive tackle who’s following his footsteps?

As a junior in 2018, he was arguably the best defender on Purdue’s defense and started all 12 games before injuring his knee and sitting out the Music City Bowl. It was diagnosed as a torn ACL and he would have to spend all offseason rehabbing. When you’re as big as Neal is (6-3, 315 pounds), rehabbing a leg injury gets even tougher.

That was evident at the start of the 2019 season when Jeff Brohm ruled him a game-time decision for the opener and then he never saw the field as he maintained an injury redshirt to come back in 2020 for a fifth year.

Flashing back to that junior season, he was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection and had 30 total tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, two pass deflections and two forced fumbles. He was a menace in the middle.

Expect him to be back and better than ever in 2020, earning some mid-round NFL draft consideration.