Arkansas' first 2026 NFL draft pick did not have to wait until Day 3.
Arkansas football cornerback Julian Neal had to wait deep into Friday night to be picked at the 2026 NFL Draft. That means he didn't have to wait until Saturday. Neal went off the board at pick No. 99, going to the Seattle Seahawks at the end of the third round. On3 Sports has more:
"Neal spent one season at Arkansas after transferring from Fresno State. He was one of the only bright spots in an Arkansas defense that finished near dead-last in every category last season. The Bay Area native started all 12 games this past season and put up 55 total tackles, two for loss, two interceptions and 10 pass breakups. According to Pro Football Focus, Neal was the 90th-best cornerback in Division I and he finished with an overall grade of 79.5."
Seahawks Roundtable had this to say about Julian Neal:
"Given the losses the Seahawks had during free agency, with Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen, the NFC West champs knew that with only four selections, they had to hit on all of them. With Neal coming to the Seahawks off the back of a season that saw him post two interceptions, he now gets the chance to learn under Macdonald and be a cog in the defensive machine.
"We know that teams often view third-round picks as potential starters/rotational players, so Neal will have to prove himself over the duration of the offseason to show he deserves to see meaningful snaps."
The first thing to be said about Julian Neal going to the Super Bowl champion Seahawks is that if John Schneider and Mike Macdonald think a defensive player is worth selecting in the third round, they clearly see something which can be developed into a quality NFL player. The Seahawks have drafted and developed players well in recent years. It's a big part of how they built their Super Bowl roster. Neal going to Seattle gives him a chance to be guided by one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL, arguably the No. 1 defensive mastermind in the league. He could not have asked for a better spot purely in terms of increasing his football education and deepening his understanding of how to play the game.
When any NFL team drafts a player, it reflects a measure of belief in that prospect, but with the 2026 Seattle Seahawks, the belief shown in Julian Neal is not the full story. It's even better than that: Championship coaches and front-office executives -- not just any decision-makers, but some of the best in the business -- think Julian Neal can become special. That's not an ordinary vote of confidence. It's a huge and resounding statement. Julian Neal should feel great about this development. Now he needs to be open to the Mike Macdonald method and soak up as much knowledge as he can.