Neil Farrell Jr. (born September 9, 1998) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

and was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round of the

2022 NFL Draft The 2022 NFL Draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, and w ...

Early life and high school

Farrell grew up in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

and attended

Murphy High School Murphy High School may refer to: * Murphy High School (Alabama), United States * Murphy High School (North Carolina) Murphy High School (MHS) is a public high school in Murphy, North Carolina, it serves grades 9–12 and is one of only three ...

. As a senior, Farrell recorded 101 tackles, 28 for a loss, 13 sacks, and 14 quarterback hurries. Farrell was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at

over offers from

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

, and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and signed with the team despite a late recruiting push by

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

College career

Farrell played in the first five games of his freshman season and recorded five tackles with one quarterback hurry before suffering an injury. Farrell played in all 15 of LSU's games with three starts as a sophomore and had 46 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and three sacks as the Tigers won the

2020 College Football Playoff National Championship The 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game that determined a national champion in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the 2019 season. It was played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome ...

. Farrell initially announced that he would opt-out of his senior season due to family health concerns regarding Covid-19, but later reversed his decision. Farrell finished the season with 25 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. After considering entering the

2021 NFL draft The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021 ...

, he decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and return to LSU for a fifth season. Farrell finished the 2021 season with 45 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks. After the conclusion of his college career, he played in the

2022 Senior Bowl The 2022 Senior Bowl was a college football all-star game played on February 5, 2022, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The game featured prospects for the 2022 draft of the professional National Football League (NFL), predominantly ...

and was named the best defensive lineman for the American Team.

Professional career

Las Vegas Raiders

Farrell was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round, 126th overall, of the

. He was placed on the non-football injury list on July 26, 2023.

Kansas City Chiefs

On August 29, 2023, Farrell was traded to the

in exchange for sixth-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

References

External links

Kansas City Chiefs bioLSU Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrell, Neil Jr. 1998 births Living people Players of American football from Mobile, Alabama American football defensive tackles LSU Tigers football players Las Vegas Raiders players Kansas City Chiefs players