Green Bay Packers backfield competition heating up
Sep 28, 2013; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Rajion Neal (20) runs the ball against the South Alabama Jaguars during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 31 to 24. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Rajion Neal  –  5’11”, 220 pounds
Preseason Week 1:
4 rushes, 15 yards
2 receptions, 5 yards
Neal actually pushed DuJuan Harris for the third job in 2014’s training camp, but suffered a knee injury in a preseason game versus the Tennessee Titans that delayed his pro career. After the Packers placed Neal on injured reserve and released him with an injury settlement, the organization brought him back to the practice squad mid-season. The playbook familiarity he earned during that time gives him the inside track.
What separates Neal from the pack is his ability to catch balls out of the backfield. Green Bay did not find their true receiving back after Harris struggled last season which left Eddie Lacy to collect a surprising amount of receptions out of the backfield. Perhaps limiting those touches in the passing game would allow the Packers to feed him heavier workloads on the ground, and therein lies the value of someone like Neal.
His long speed will not jump off the tape, but Neal has always relied on consistent gains of three-to-five yards over splash plays. I don’t have any problems with his vision or decisiveness once he recognizes a hole, and perhaps the lack of an eye-popping physical trait played a leading role in him going undrafted last season.
Behind a strong offensive line or zone running scheme, however, Neal should profile just fine. If the trio of he, Lacy and Starks were to emerge from August, his running game touches would likely be limited to mop-up duty. Keep in mind that Eddie Lacy is no slouch as a pass-catcher and has developed into an incredible blocker, so Neal would not step into a majority third-down role immediately. He would, however, provide the Packers with a style of player that they do not have.
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