State coach Todd Graham hasn't seen another player who was recruited more heavily or rated higher than N'Keal match his work ethic. N'Keal didn't jog in workouts, Graham remembered. He wasn't a middle-of-the-pack runner. He sprinted. He wanted to finish first. He didn't take plays off during practice.
When they'd talk privately, which happened often in the two seasons they were together at ASU, Graham would ask N'Keal what he wanted out of football. N'Keal's answer never changed: He wanted to be the best.
"This guy, in my opinion, ain't even close to as good as he's going to be," Graham said. "He was in college for 36 months. You're talking about a guy who was really young, as far as his mental maturity, emotional maturity, he was very young coming out of high school.
"He's come leaps and bounds."