Julian Neal was immediately approached by a Seahawk icon and one of the great corners in NFL history.
Welcome to the NFL, Julian Neal. The brand-new Seahawk, a cornerback, was instantly greeted by none other than Richard Sherman, the greatest Seahawk cornerback ever and one of the great corners of the 21st century. The Tacoma News Tribune and reporter Gregg Bell have more:
"On day one of his NFL life, Julian Neal came face to face, wits to wits, with a Seahawks and NFL legend. Right in the middle of the rookie’s first practice in the league. Early in 11-on-11 scrimmaging that began Seattle’s rookie minicamp Friday, Neal was in his new Seahawks jersey number 1, lined up at left cornerback. He was in press coverage opposite a young wide receiver near the sideline.
“Hey, 1!” Neal heard a voice shout from nearby, along that sideline. “What are you looking at when you are in press?!”
“And this was mid-rep,” Neal recalled later.
"The voice? It was Richard Sherman’s. The likely future Hall of Famer Sherman is now 38, retired from football and a television analyst for Amazon Prime’s Thursday night package of NFL games. He played a decade-plus ago as a charter member of Seattle’s famed “Legion of Boom” secondary. Sherman still owns a home in Maple Valley. He’s a frequent visitor to Seahawks headquarters, a 15-mile drive from that home.
"He was a three-time All-Pro and won Seattle’s first Super Bowl at the end of the 2014 season playing the same position, left cornerback, on the same field in the same uniform the also long, tall, aggressive Neal was practicing at Friday. The 6-foot-2, 203-pound Neal (one inch shorter and eight pounds heavier than Sherman) dutifully told the legend where he was looking. Told him during the play. Sherman sounded pleased.
“OK,” Sherman told Neal. “All right.” The legend and the rookie’s conversation continued immediately following practice. Quite a day one in the NFL for a 23-year-old third-round draft choice, eh?
“Yeah, first day of minicamp, and RICHARD SHERMAN is coming up to me and telling me some stuff?” Neal said later, his voice rising incredulously. “Man! Mid-practice! “Stuff like that, it gets me pumped for the season.”
What's great about this interaction, in addition to Julian Neal becoming that much more excited to play for a team he clearly loves being with, is that Richard Sherman is adding to Neal's football education, nailing down instincts and good habits. Julian Neal is going to learn so much about how to play football in Seattle. That's likely to turn him into a solid, reliable pro.