Broncos Met with Dynamic Kansas RB at the NFL Combine

With the hunt for Sean Payton’s ‘joker’ underway, the Denver Broncos are leaving no stone unturned at the NFL Scouting Combine. Teams get 45 formal interviews at the Combine, which have a limit of 20 minutes and often include all of the brass.

However, Payton wasn’t in the room for the formal meeting with the top running back, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, which is outside the norm.

It's been reported that the Broncos used at least a third of their formal meetings to search for their ‘joker’ running back and tight end. According to reports, one of those running backs Denver met with formally was Devin Neal out of Kansas.

Neal has three straight seasons of over 1,000 yards rushing and back-to-back seasons of 16 rushing touchdowns. While his usage as a receiver has been limited, with 25 catches and 254 yards being his season-highs and one receiving touchdown in each of his four years, he has more ability as a pass-catcher than he's had the chance to display.

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Neal is a quicker-than-fast running back who can make defenders miss in tight spaces. However, at Lucas Oil Stadium, his 40-yard dash of 4.58 seconds was near the minimal threshold teams want from a running back.

While that isn’t the worst 40 time, Neal's 10-yard split of 1.59 seconds is slower than the 1.56-second threshold most teams have for the position. Of the running backs drafted in the first three rounds who've failed to meet that mark, few have gone on to have a successful NFL career. Neal is projected to be a third-round pick.

Neal had his best game in 2024 by running all over the Colorado Buffaloes with 207 yards and three touchdowns. It was his only game in the season with more than two touchdowns and over 150 yards.

It was a productive collegiate career for Neal, and he is a fine prospect. Still, his potential to fill the ‘joker’ role Payton is looking for is a projection because of his limited usage as a receiver.

But if we come to learn that Payton loves Neal like he did Bo Nix, who are we to question it? For now, Neal is one running back in the class the Broncos have expressed interest in, which is worth monitoring.

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