ARLINGTON, Texas –
Siran Neal became the 10th Jacksonville State player ever taken in the NFL Draft on Saturday, when the Buffalo Bills selected him in the fifth round.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Neal was taken by the Bills with the 17th pick in the fifth round and the 154th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He becomes the first Gamecock taken since Alan Bonner's sixth-round selection by the Texans in 2013. Neal is the highest drafted JSU player since Eric Davis went to the 49ers in the second round in 1990.
Neal was a First Team All-American by the AFCA as a senior in 2017, his first career All-America honor after another dominant performance on the JSU defense. The senior from Eufaula, Ala., grabbed his second-straight First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference mention in 2017 despite changing positions before his senior campaign. An All-OVC linebacker at the nickel position in 2016, his move to corner in 2017 saw the same success.
He notched a team-best 11 pass break-ups to go along with 33 tackles and interception, despite seeing a limited number of passes thrown to his side of the field in 2017. Neal has gained the attention of many professional scouts and parlayed that into an invitation to the prestigious Reese's Senior Bowl. He will become just the fourth JSU player to ever play in the nation's top college all-star showcase on Jan. 27 in Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
