Following the selection of Maxwell Hairston in Round 1 a year ago, Buffalo Bills fans are trepidatious about using the team’s top pick in the NFL Draft on a defensive back for the second consecutive season.
And rightfully so.
Despite their apprehension, the team still must bring in pieces to fill out a secondary that needs depth entering the 2026 campaign. One player who could fill a need a bit later on during the selection process is Julian Neal, who visited with the Bills on Friday, according to a post to the Arkansas DB’s Instagram story.
“One step closer,” read the story’s caption.
Adding up
Julian Neal
Arkansas defensive back Julian Neal (DB24) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Bills have now met with a number of prospects, with the draft less than a month away, and Neal was added to the list most recently. The former Razorback played cornerback in college, but some believe he is better suited to play another position at the next level.
“When I watch him, I think safety,” said NFL Network’s Charles Davis during the NFL Scouting Combine. “I see him, he’s a big, physical, strong cornerback. He will probably want to stay at corner, there’s a pride in being able to do that. But there’s also the element—did you see that body?
“And you watch him play and how physical he is, and how he transitions, would not surprise me at all to see him transition back to the safety spot and be a really good player there.”
Neal played 90% of his snaps at boundary corner this past season, according to Pro Football Focus, recording a couple of interceptions and 10 passes defensed. He also finished the 2025 campaign, his lone year at Arkansas, with 55 tackles and two tackles for loss, building on a productive 2024 season in which he recorded five tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions and six passes defensed.
“Me going out there every day, I’m going to give it my all,” said Neal at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he ran a 4.49 40-yard dash, a 1.59 10-yard split and leapt 40 inches in the vertical jump.
He added, "I’m somebody—I’ll die on the field if I have to. I feel like I take very much pride in that, and that’s something I want every NFL team to know.”
How he would fit
Julian Neal
Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Julian Neal (23) hits Texas Longhorns wide receiver Emmett Mosley V (3) during the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
If Davis’ assumption is correct, and Neal is set to move to the safety position, that would give the Bills a potential future pairing with up-and-coming Cole Bishop, who recorded a breakout year in 2025. Buffalo signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone, each to a one-year deal, which doesn’t point to either player sticking around long-term.
If that’s the case, Neal could be a potential Day 2 selection that would give the Bills an option to run alongside Bishop for years to come. If he remains at cornerback, he would provide depth behind Hairston and incumbent starter Christian Benford.
Either way, Neal’s impressive 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame and physical skill set would fit the Bills’ new attack-style defense under first-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. A third-round target for the former Arkansas DB seems appropriate for the Bills in late April.