On a Friday night near the close of the third round, Seattle made a modest trade and a deliberate choice, moving from pick 96 to 99 and landing Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal. The move reads like a quiet answer to a question the franchise has been asking all offseason: how to rebuild after the departures that free agency brought. Neal arrives with a long road behind him, from San Francisco to Fresno State to a single season in Arkansas, and a self-assured voice that fits the lineage of Seattle's defensive backs. Whether that confidence becomes production on the field is the story that now beg
Seahawks Take Cornerback Julian Neal of Arkansas at No. 99, Filling a Post-Woolen Need
Three picks, three vacancies filled
Mark
So the headline is a cornerback pick. Why does this one stand out?
Mimi
Because it follows a pattern. Seattle lost Riq Woolen to the Eagles, and now it takes a 6-foot-2, 208-pound corner at 99. It's the third straight pick that fills a hole from free agency or departures.
Luke
Worth saying that's the paper's read. The text calls them "perceived" needs, and the team hasn't said Neal replaces Woolen.
Mark
What do we know about Neal himself?
Mimi
He played at Fresno State from 2021 to 2024, transferred to Arkansas, started all 12 games in 2025, and had 55 tackles and two interceptions.
Luke
And he says he's never missed a game to injury and is the most physical corner in the class. Those are his own claims. The reporting doesn't back them up independently.
Mark
He also said Leslie Frazier told him at the combine that Seattle would likely pick him.
Mimi
Yes, and he says he wasn't surprised.
Luke
That's Neal's account of a private conversation. Frazier hasn't been quoted confirming it, so I'd hold it as his recollection.
Mark
And the trade?
Mimi
Seattle moved from 96 to 99 with Pittsburgh, gained pick 216, and now has five picks total with two on Saturday.
Luke
Five is the count unless they trade again, and we don't know whether they will.
O Pulso
- Seattle slid three spots, from 96 to 99, and still walked away with an extra pick, a small maneuver with large ambitions.
- A compensatory selection was spent on a cornerback position gutted when Riq Woolen signed with Philadelphia.
- Neal, 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, arrives with 55 tackles and two interceptions from a single Arkansas season and a bold claim to be the most physical corner in the class.
- The Seahawks have now answered three vacancies, running back, safety and cornerback, and enter Saturday holding picks 188 and 216 with room to trade for more.
On a Friday night near the close of the third round, Seattle made a modest trade and a deliberate choice, moving from pick 96 to 99 and landing Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal. The move reads like a quiet answer to a question the franchise has been asking all offseason: how to rebuild after the departures that free agency brought. Neal arrives with a long road behind him, from San Francisco to Fresno State to a single season in Arkansas, and a self-assured voice that fits the lineage of Seattle's defensive backs. Whether that confidence becomes production on the field is the story that now begins.
Near the end of the third round on Friday night, the Seahawks made a small trade and a pointed selection. They moved down from pick 96 to pick 99 in a deal with Pittsburgh, and with that slot they took Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal. The move also brought pick 216, giving Seattle five picks overall with two left for Saturday's final day, unless another trade adds more.
The pick was a compensatory one, and Seattle used it to refill a position that lost ground in free agency when Riq Woolen signed with the Eagles. Neal, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 208 pounds, began at Fresno State and then transferred to Arkansas, where he started all 12 games in 2025 and recorded 55 tackles and two interceptions.
On the conference call, Neal said the selection did not surprise him. He recalled a strong meeting at the Combine, where assistant head coach Leslie Frazier told him Seattle would likely take him. He called himself the most physical corner in the class and noted he had never missed a college game through injury.
Neal was Seattle's second pick of the night. Earlier, at pick 64, the team took TCU safety Bud Clark to replace Coby Bryant, and on Thursday it took Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price to fill the gap left by Kenneth Walker III. Each pick answers a vacancy from this offseason, and Seattle returns Saturday with two more selections and the option to trade for additional ones.
Near the end of the third round on Friday night, the Seahawks made a small trade and a pointed selection. They moved down three spots, from pick 96 to pick 99, in a deal with the Steelers, and with the pick they landed on Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal.
The trade did what Seattle had said it wanted to do, which was add to the four picks it carried into the draft. Along with the move down, the Seahawks received pick 216. They also hold pick 188, so they will have two selections on Saturday's final day and five overall, unless another trade adds more. Pittsburgh used the original Seattle slot at 96 on Iowa guard Gennings Dunker.
Pick 99 was a compensatory selection, and Seattle spent it on a position that took a hit in free agency. Cornerback Riq Woolen signed with the Eagles, leaving a hole that Neal is now positioned to help fill.
Neal stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 208 pounds. Lindy's, in its scouting report, called him "physically imposing." He began his career at Fresno State, where he played from 2021 to 2024. He is a native of San Francisco. After what he described as a breakout final season with the Bulldogs, he entered the transfer portal and spent 2025 at Arkansas. There he started all 12 games and recorded 55 tackles and two interceptions.
In a conference call with Seattle media shortly after the pick, Neal said the selection did not catch him off guard. He pointed to a good meeting with the team at the NFL Combine earlier this year, where, he said, assistant head coach Leslie Frazier told him to his face that he would most likely be picked by the Seahawks. Neal said he believed in them and that they believed in him, then added, "We going back-to-back, c'mon."
The confidence carried through the rest of the call, in a way that fits a long line of Seattle cornerbacks. Asked what kind of player he is, Neal called himself the most physical corner in this draft class. He also noted that he has never been hurt and never missed a game in college because of injury.
Neal was Seattle's second pick of the day. Earlier, at pick 64, the Seahawks took TCU safety Bud Clark, a selection that helps fill out the safety spot after starter Coby Bryant left in free agency. On Thursday, in the first round, they took Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price to replace the departed Kenneth Walker III.
That makes three picks, and each one answers a vacancy created this offseason: running back, safety and now cornerback. Seattle returns Saturday with two more picks, 188 and 216, and the option of trading for additional ones.
Citações Notáveis
I'm the most physical corner in this draft class.— Julian Neal, on a conference call with Seattle media
We going back-to-back, c'mon.— Julian Neal, after being drafted by Seattle
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