2016 NFL Draft: Atlanta Falcons select Keanu Neal

University of Florida safety Keanu Neal became the second Florida Gator drafted in the 2016 NFL Draft when the Atlanta Falcons selected him No. 17 overall in the first round.

Neal said deciding to forego his final season of eligibility at Florida was the “hardest he ever made,” but the potential to realize a lifelong dream was too much to pass up. Neal realized that dream on Thursday night.

A safety from South Sumter High School, Neal appeared in all 12 games during his freshman season, leading the team with tackles on special teams, while serving as a backup safety. Neal moved into a starting role at safety his sophomore season, playing in 10 games with eight starts, missing time with a hamstring injury.

As a junior Keanu Neal missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury but appeared in 12 games with 11 starts. Despite missing two games Neal finished third on the team with 96 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass breakup and 1 quarterback hurry.

Neal was a late riser in the draft this year. Many draft pundits and prognosticators didn’t feel that Neal would be selected in the first three rounds, but Neal impressed NFL teams with his workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine as well as his personality and demeanor off the field in interviews.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC