Atlanta Falcons: Can Keanu Neal Make an Impact on Defense?

Atlanta Falcons’ rookie safety Keanu Neal has a strong chance to win the starting role to begin the season, but will he be able to make an immediate impact?

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There were some Atlanta fans who questioned the team’s selection of safety Keanu Neal out of Florida with their first-round pick.

Neal, who was drafted at No. 17, didn’t have a great NFL Combine, running a disappointing 4.62 in the dash, but the Falcons didn’t gamble on Neal for his speed.

His physical 6-foot and 211 pound stature drew comparisons to another outsized safety head coach Dan Quinn has worked with in the past on defense: Kam Chancellor.

Quinn has said that he hopes in the long run that Neal can develop into one of the most intimidating and hardest hitting safeties in the league, but what can his impact be in 2016?

Neal has been spending time this offseason working with Chancellor, and at one point posted a video on Instagram saying “Pleasure working with this dude.. Learning from the best.”

Defensive coordinator Richard Smith told Falcons.com that so far he has “been very impressed with [Neal].”

“He’s extremely focused, he’s very mature, he’s very, very talented,” Smith said. “I love his demeanor and his work ethic. He’s the first one in the building trying to get more coaching; he wants to be coached so much. I think he’s going to be pretty special.”

What was most impressive of Neal at Florida was his ability to come up from the safety position and make a tackle. His run-stopping mindset allowed him to finish third on the team with 96 tackles his final season as a Gator, more than half of which were solo.

Smith also noted that Neal’s versatility as a run-stopper and excellent tackler will allow them to bring him on pressures along with dropping him into coverage.

In Quinn’s second season at the helm it is no surprise that he quickly pulled the trigger on a player of Neal’s repertoire. Quinn built from the ground that feared defense opposing team’s hate to face in Seattle and it is evident he is trying to establish the same type of scheme in Atlanta.

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Concerns remain though on Neal’s ability to drop into coverage and he still has to fight off veteran defensive backs Kemal Ishmael and Charles Godfrey for the starting position.

But on a defense that lacked explosiveness last season, Neal’s Madden hit-stick like attitude could be that fire the Falcons need.