Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal is ready to make an immediate NFL impact

“I bring versatility,” he said. “You can pretty much plug me in any place other than center. I had 39 starts at Alabama, started as a true freshman, and I have a lot of game experience for sure.

“I learned to be versatile. Sometimes not everything is the way you want it, but you do what is best for the team. I feel like it all helped me out in the long run for sure.”

Neal also showed some resilience, coming back from a bout of COVID-19 prior to the 2020 SEC Championship Game, which he admitted was a struggle. He couldn’t work out, so his prep work for the title game amounted to stretching and film work.

“I missed two weeks of practice, so I didn’t have any preparation,” Neal said. “I was basically a couch potato for two weeks. I got cleared the day before the game, and I played in the SEC Championship with no practice, no anything. It felt like I was breathing through a coffee straw.

“But my teammates believed in me, my coaches believed in me, and I believed in myself. I just kept pushing through it. It felt great. I can’t describe a better feeling than winning that game, especially under the circumstances I played with for sure.”

And with the way he played, he has a chance to be the first No. 1 overall pick from Alabama since 1948.

“It would mean everything,” Neal said. “There are a whole lot of Alabama players who were worthy of being drafted in that spot. For it to be me would be really special.”