Keanu Neal #42, DAL S/LB

bio:

Keanu Neal is a converted Safety expected to play Linebacker for Dallas, drafted in the 1st round (#17 overall) out of Florida by Atlanta in the 2016 draft. Dallas signed him as a free agent in 2021.

attributes:

A physical, 6th-year Safety/Linebacker that has made a name as an enforcer in the backend of the Atlanta defense. He has average size and below-average athleticism, though he does have some burst to his game. He has an above-average College Prospect Score (CPS).

player grade:

He was graded as the #33 Safety in the league in 2020, per PFF.com. His play has been highly inconsistent through the years, though this is likely due to dealing with injuries most of 2018 and 2019. However, he had a decent bounce-back season in 2020 despite coming off an Achilles tear, which is a notoriously difficult injury from which to recover.

Year	Overall	Run Defense	Pass Rush	Coverage
2016	75.9	54.4	50.1	86.0
2017	78.1	84.9	72.3	71.6
2018	62.4	69.1	59.1	58.0
2019	43.1	54.3	86.7	42.0
2020	68.2	67.9	74.3	66.2

injury:

Neal missed the entire 2018 season due to an ACL tear and 13 games in 2019 due to a torn Achilles. Neal is probably converting to Linebacker because his Achilles injury has sapped some of his already limited athleticism as a Safety.

tackles:

He had a bounce-back year for combined tackles in 2020, but his undefined role in Dallas is a major concern. As a result, expect his tackle number to decrease significantly in 2021; he essentially has no floor in fantasy this year.

Year	SOLO	AST	COMBINED	A4GM*
2016	72	34	106	121
2017	83	33	116	116
2018	1	1	2	–
2019	11	3	14	–
2020	76	24	100	107

big plays:

Neal is pretty strong in the run game and mixes in a variety of big plays. Therefore, his upside has historically been decent, but his ceiling is low to non-existent in 2021.

Year	SACK	STF	INT	PD	FF	FR
2016	0.0	2	0	8	5	1
2017	0.0	4	1	6	3	2
2018	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
2019	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
2020	1.0	9	1	2	0	1

contract:

He signed a one-year, $4 million contract with Dallas in 2021, so he will show that he can play Linebacker on a one-year prove-it deal. He is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2022 (Age 27).

summary:

Keanu Neal is a physical, hard-hitting Safety attempting to convert to Linebacker in 2021. While he is certainly talented enough to make the transition, Dallas has a log-jam at Linebacker this year. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him start as a nickel/dime Linebacker and play a role as a rotational box safety, but the odds of him playing an every-down role is pretty unlikely this year without some injuries.

He is a good real-life player, but his fantasy outlook is murky. If he keeps a Safety designation in fantasy, he may be useable in 2021. I would not recommend using a keeper spot on him because his value is at an all-time low. I think he is someone to stash on your bench for cheap because he is still only 26, and there’s a chance he can work his way into a full-time role either in 2021 or 2022 when he signs with a new team. Expect him to compete as a Top 20 Safety or Top 30 LB in 2021, but he will almost certainly slide significantly in dynasty after this year. If he looks healthy early in the year and has a decent role, I’d buy him eyeing a potential 2022 resurgence.