Devin Neal is the all-time rushing leader in Kansas football history and was a sixth-round draft pick for the New Orleans Saints in the 2025 NFL Draft.
He had an interesting rookie season with the Saints last year, but his 2026 season is already over due to a preseason hamstring injury. The Saints placed Neal on the season-ending Injured Reserve list on Sunday, as NFL teams had to trim their rosters down to 53 players.
Last season, Neal started off slowly. He logged two carries for nine yards in the season opener, then got only one more until November 2, though he did get three receptions for 11 yards on October 26.
With injuries to the running backs in front of him, including Alvin Kamara, Neal stepped up as the Saints' number one back over the last few games of the season. He finished the year with 57 carries for 207 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught 17 passes for 104 yards.
Neal was in stiff competition for the third running back, with Kendra Miller and Audric Estime to back up Kamara and free-agent addition Travis Etienne. Now, Neal must wait another year for the opportunity to make an impact in the NFL.
Devin Neal was a beast at Kansas
Neal had an incredible career for the Jayhawks. In four seasons, he compiled 4,343 yards on 760 carries (5.7-yard average) with 49 rushing touchdowns. All of these numbers are school records. He added 77 catches for 711 yards (9.2-yard average) and another four touchdowns through the air.
These skills as a productive dual-threat back are what made him attractive to the Saints. They are similar to those Kamara has given New Orleans for many years.
Neal is a Lawrence, KS, native and is part of a group of players who helped bring the Kansas football program out of obscurity and back to relevance. Neal and several of his teammates remained loyal to KU and spurned chances to play elsewhere, and for that, Neal and others are legends on campus.
Neal was durable while at Kansas, playing in 49 career games. He had three 1,000-yard seasons, two of which topped 1,200 yards. During his last three seasons, he had 180, 203, and 219 carries, plus all of his receptions.
It makes one wonder if that consistent heavy workload at Kansas will cost him time in the NFL. It must be a fairly severe hamstring injury for him to be shelved for the entire season. Is his body more beat up due to all the snaps he took in college? Though overall, he didn't see a lot of work his rookie season, especially in the first half, but he had plenty of mileage racked up before his arrival in New Orleans.
Few modern-day NFL backs have as much mileage as Kamara. There is a good chance this will be his last year in New Orleans. There is a chance Neal can get healthy and be ready for a bigger role in 2027. It is just sad to have the opportunity this season taken away so quickly.
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