Just one month from today, the New Orleans Saints will host the Arizona Cardinals to kick off their 2025 regular season. New head coach Kellen Moore will lead a team with many new faces. One of those is rookie running back Devin Neal, who wears No. 30 at the moment. Here’s a look at Neal’s background and career to date.

Name (age): Devin Neal (21)

Height, weight: 5-foot-11, 213 pounds

Relative Athletic Score: 8.43

Drafted: Round 6, 184 overall in 2025 (Saints)

2025 salary cap hit: $902,808

A four-star recruit and Kansas 6A all-state selection, Neal stayed with his hometown Jayhawks. He was an instant hit, leading Kansas with 707 rushing yards and 8 scores as a true freshman. He’d follow that up with 1,090 on the ground and 9 touchdowns in 2022. In 2023, Neal raced for 1,280 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, second in the Big 12. Neal duplicated that impressive production last season, rushing for 1,266 yards and 16 scores while adding a career-best 24 receptions for 254 yards. He’d leave the college ranks as a 2nd Team All-Big 12 selection once and honorable mention all-conference three times. Neal’s 4,343 career rushing yards and 49 scores on the ground are both the best in the history of the Kansas Jayhawks program.

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Neal was reportedly highly thought of by several scouts entering the 2025 NFL draft. Despite that, he slide late into Day 3, where the Saints snagged him at 184 overall. New Orleans has been desperate for a backfield complement to Alvin Kamara, particularly one who can be effective between the tackles. In spite of the fact that he was a late-round pick, Neal may provide exactly what the Saints have lacked in their backfield.

Devin Neal showed that he could handle a heavy workload throughout all four years at Kansas. More importantly, he has excellent patience and vision for rushing lanes, especially between the tackles. He has the power to pick up tough yards inside, but also enough speed and burst to bounce outside or pull away from defenders for big gains. Unfortunately, we may not get to see much of Neal during the preseason, if any at all. He sustained a hamstring injury in the beginning of the week that will reportedly sideline him for multiple weeks. This may also force Kellen Moore and the other coaches to make their roster decision on Neal based off potential and college tape rather than what they’ve been able to witness in preseason games.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Devin Neal is the Saints Player of Day 30