FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Julian Neal’s wait is over.
The Arkansas defensive back became the first Razorback picked in the 2026 NFL Draft when the Seattle Seahawks called his name Friday night, selecting him 99th overall in the third round.
It’s a milestone moment for Neal and for the Hogs’ program, which has now placed a player in the draft’s third round in back-to-back years.
The pick lands Neal in the Pacific Northwest, where he’ll look to carve out a roster spot with a Seahawks squad that clearly liked what it saw on film from his time in Fayetteville.
The selection also marks a notable moment in Seattle’s own draft history.
The Seahawks hadn’t taken a Razorback since the fifth round of the 2016 draft, when they picked running back Alex Collins, a late-round find who went on to have a meaningful NFL career.
A decade later Seattle’s front office came back to Arkansas, but this time it didn’t wait nearly as long to pull the trigger.
Razorback DB drafted for first time since 2022
Neal’s selection means the Hogs have now produced a drafted defensive back for the second time in four years.
The last Arkansas defensive back to hear his name in the draft was Montaric Brown, who went to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round in 2022.
Neal’s climb to the third round represents a significant jump in draft capital for Arkansas’s secondary.
He came to Fayetteville after spending four seasons at Fresno State before transferring to Arkansas for his final college season.
That one year on The Hill turned out to be all he needed to make a strong case to NFL evaluators.
In his lone season with the Razorbacks, Neal started all 12 games and showed why he was worth the investment. He recorded 55 tackles and picked off a pair of passes, giving the Arkansas secondary a dependable presence throughout the year.
He wasted no time making an impression on the program, either.
Instant impact in Fayetteville
Just the second game of the season proved to be a coming-out party for the San Francisco native.
Neal put together a performance that featured 11 tackles, one interception and two pass breakups — a combination that hadn’t been seen from an Arkansas defensive back since 1997.
That kind of early production from a transfer told coaches and scouts alike that Neal wasn’t just filling a roster spot. He was there to compete.
His ability to make plays on the ball along with his willingness to get involved in the run game made him a versatile piece in the Razorbacks’ defense.
Those 55 tackles in a single season underscore the fact that he wasn’t just a coverage-first player, he was someone who could come downhill and be a factor against the run as well.
Before arriving in Fayetteville, Neal had built a solid body of work at Fresno State over four seasons.
In his final year with the Bulldogs in 2024, he appeared in all 12 games with four starts, racking up 35 tackles and five tackles for loss to go along with two interceptions.
The tackles for loss number stood out as a sign of his ability to be a disruptive presence beyond just pass coverage.
Career numbers tell the full story
Looking at his full college career across 42 games — split between Fresno State and Arkansas — Neal totaled 99 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss and four interceptions.
Those numbers reflect a player who was consistently productive and whose game translated across different programs and systems.
The tackles-for-loss figure is particularly interesting for a defensive back, as it shows a comfort level playing in the box and a willingness to take on blockers in the run game.
For the Seahawks, getting a player with that kind of versatility in the third round is the kind of value teams look for during the draft’s middle rounds.
Neal’s path to the NFL — from Fresno State to Fayetteville to Seattle — is a reminder of how the transfer portal has changed college football.
He used his final season wisely, choosing Arkansas and performing well enough in one year to vault himself into the third round of the NFL Draft. It’s a decision that clearly paid off.
For Razorback football, Neal’s selection is part of a bigger story about the program’s ability to develop and showcase talent at the professional level.
Back-to-back years with a third-round pick — following Isaac TeSlaa going to Detroit and Landon Jackson heading to Buffalo last year — gives Arkansas’s recruiting pitch a boost heading into the future.
The NFL Draft’s final day covering rounds 4 through 7 kicks off Saturday at 11 a.m. on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and NFL Network.
Expect more Hogs to hear their names called before it’s all over.
