Rookie running back Devin Neal had to wait until the preseason finale to show what he could do in a New Orleans Saints uniform, but he made a positive impression.
Neal turned his seven touches into 30 yards — five rushes for 20 yards, and two catches for 10 yards. His first carry as a professional went for five yards up the gut, and he added a 9-yard catch and run to move the chains on third down on the Saints' lone touchdown drive.
"He's a beast," said quarterback Tyler Shough. "His savviness is what stands out to me. In the run game, he's really a power runner but he's got some finesse. And he's also extremely capable in the pass game, as we've seen in practices running some of these choice routes; he's been getting open almost every single time."
Neal missed several weeks of training camp and the first two preseason games with a hamstring injury — crucial time for a sixth-round rookie trying to prove why he belongs on the 53-man roster before the Saints make their cuts next week.
But, as far as first impressions go, his went well.
"It was great for Devin to get in there," coach Kellen Moore said. "I thought from a protection standpoint, a pass-catching, run game, I thought he had a couple on that drive with Tyler late in the game, in the fourth quarter, he had some big-time plays.
"You can just tell he's a really smart player. He's a very heady player. He did some good things for us."