How Colorado's System Prepared Amari McNeill for the NFL

During the 2026 NFL Draft, the Colorado Buffaloes did not have any players selected; however, several have signed undrafted free agent deals in hopes of starting their NFL careers.

Former Colorado defensive tackle Amari McNeill goes down a similar path as he has received minicamp invites from the Kansas City Chiefs and the Carolina Panthers.

With his Colorado career behind him, this brings up one question. How did playing for Colorado prepare Amari McNeill for the NFL?

NFL Style Coaching

While playing for the Buffaloes, one of the benefits that McNeill had was consistently receiving NFL-style coaching. This came in the form of Colorado coach Deion Sanders and former Colorado defensive line coach Domata Peko.

As many know, Coach Prime had a very successful career in the NFL and has been selected to the NFL Hall of Fame. With his experience and success at the professional level, coach Sanders allowed McNeill to learn what it takes to consistently prepare in order to find success at the next level.

In addition to Sanders, McNeill also got to learn from Peko, who also had a successful career in the NFL when he played along the defensive line at defensive tackle. With recent experience playing in the NFL, Peko was able to teach McNeill a variety of techniques that helped him have a solid season in 2025 and could help him to land a roster spot in the NFL.

The opportunity to learn from two former players who were successful, like Sanders and Peko, was a tremendous opportunity for McNeill. As he begins his NFL career, McNeill can take that advice and translate it to his game in hopes of finding consistent success at the next level.

Game Experience, Production, and NFL Size

In addition to the solid coaching that McNeill received, he also had the benefit of having significant game experience to learn from.

When NFL organizations are scouting collegiate prospects, one of the main things they look for is how much experience they have and if they have consistently produced in those opportunities. When it comes to McNeill, he has that experience and was able to find consistent production.

After not receiving a ton of reps with Tennessee in his first two college seasons, McNeill opted to enter the transfer portal, which then landed him in Boulder with the Buffaloes, where he spent three seasons.

In his three seasons with Colorado, McNeill recorded 77 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, seven sacks, one pass deflection, and three forced fumbles. McNeill was able to be productive with Colorado and had a significant amount of experience as he played in 32 games with the Buffaloes.

McNeill’s production and experience were solid for Colorado, which was significantly impacted by his size. At defensive tackle, McNeill stands at 6-4 and 300 pounds, which is a frame that could translate very well to the NFL level.

Having the size and consistency that McNeill has is a major benefit as he begins his NFL career. While a roster spot is not guaranteed for McNeill, the traits he possesses give him a great opportunity to fight for a roster spot and potentially start his playing career in the NFL.

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