SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks went shopping for toughness and came back with a San Francisco kid who talks like he plans to start a fight at the line of scrimmage.

With the 99th pick in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, Seattle selected Julian Neal, a 6-foot-2, 203-pound cornerback out of University of Arkansas who calls himself the most physical corner in the draft and doesn’t blink saying it.

The Seahawks moved back three spots in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, picked up an extra sixth-round selection, then grabbed Neal anyway. Looks like they knew what they wanted.

And Neal knew it too.

“It’s box time,” he said, sounding less like a rookie and more like a man arriving for work.

That’s how he plays. Presses receivers at the line. Uses long arms like crowbars. Comes downhill against the run like he took it personal. Talks about tackling the way some corners talk about interceptions.

A lot of defensive backs want to cover.

Neal wants to hit.

The San Francisco native started at California State University, Fresno, where he spent four years and moved from safety to corner, then headed to Arkansas looking for bigger tests in the SEC. In one season with the Razorbacks, he started 12 games, pulled down two interceptions, broke up 10 passes and piled up 55 tackles.

That part caught Seattle’s eye.

So did the attitude.

Neal said Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier all but called the shot at the combine, telling him he’d likely end up in Seattle. Turns out it wasn’t draft-night small talk.

Now Neal joins second-round pick Bud Clark as part of a new wave in Seattle’s secondary, adding depth and edge to a defense looking for both.

Scouts say Neal is still growing into the position — a late-blooming press corner with length, strength and upside. Technique needs polishing. But his ceiling? That’s what made him a Day 2 pick.

And his willingness to tackle like it’s still 1996 probably didn’t hurt either.

He says too many corners avoid contact.

He wants to bring physical football back.

That sounds like something Seattle has heard before.

For San Francisco, it’s another hometown player headed to the league.

For the Seahawks, it may be a bargain.

For receivers lined up across from Julian Neal?

Might be box time.