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| Griffin Neal holds multiple passing records for Concordia-Moorhead and made the leap from playing in Germany to getting a contract and an invite to camp with the New Orleans Saints. Photo by Wade Gardner, d3photography.com |
Former Concordia-Moorhead quarterback Griffin Neal continued his improbable trek to the NFL by signing a three-year contract with the New Orleans Saints on Friday.
Neal was signed after competing at the Saints local pro day in New Orleans.
"I thought I had a really good workout," commented Neal. "They had me run through a session of scripted plays and I felt very comfortable the whole time."
After Neal finished his workout he was told to wait around while coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis and several members of the coaching staff discussed his session.
After waiting for 15-30 minutes Neal was given the incredible news that the Saints wanted to offer him a standard rookie contract for the NFL.
Neal's contract is not guaranteed and will only be honored if he makes the team. He will participate in the rookie minicamp starting on May 13 and then hopefully keep progressing through the different offseason and preseason training camps.
"I got through the biggest step by being noticed," said Neal. "Now it is up to me to prove I can play at this level."
Neal was a three-time All-MIAC signal caller for the Cobbers from 2011-14. He set the school record for passing yards, touchdown passes and completion percentage. Neal finished his storied career with 5,614 passing yards, 47 touchdown passes and completed 63.7% of his attempts. He also ran for 1,331 yards and 22 TD's.
After graduating in the spring of 2014 with a degree in Business Management, Neal played overseas in Germany for the Hildesheim Invaders. He helped the Invaders win their league title and wound up throwing for 3,268 yards and 30 touchdowns in the single season.
His progress to the more pass-orientated offense at Hildesheim gave Neal the hope of taking one last shot at playing professionally in the U.S.
Neal returned home last fall and continued to work out on his own in the Fargo-Moorhead area. He then moved to Arizona to train with quarterback coach Rudy Carpenter. It was through Carpenter that Neal was able to get a chance to work out at the Tulane NFL Pro Day in March.
"They didn't have a quarterback at that pro day so I was able to get in and have a chance at being seen," said Neal.
The fates continued to hand Neal all the best cards at Tulane as the rainy weather forced the pro day workout to be moved inside to the Saints facility. That is where the Saints coaching staff first saw what Neal could do and they invited him back to the rookie pro day on Friday.
"I was in the right place at the right time," Neal said. "I am grateful for the opportunity the Saints have given me and thankful for all the people who have helped get me to this point in my career."
Grffin Neal Cobber Highlights