The Kansas City Command announced a trade today, acquiring 2011 second-team All-Arena defensive back JC Neal from Arizona.  The Rattlers receive defensive lineman/linebacker Cliff Dukes, acquired this week from Tampa Bay in exchange for quarterback Stephen Wasil.

Neal (6-foot-0, 200 lbs., North Carolina State) finished fifth in the Arena Football League last year with 109.5 total tackles as a rookie for the Tulsa Talons.  He led the AFL with three interception returns for touchdowns and had nine picks overall on the year, good for sixth-best in the league.  Neal also forced five fumbles, recovered four fumbles and tallied 21 pass break-ups.  He signed with Arizona in October.

“JC Neal was a guy we targeted in the offseason,” said Command coach Danton Barto.  “We think he’s one of the top three middle (safety) guys in the league and he fits our system.  Finding those guys is like finding quarterbacks sometimes.  It takes a certain guy with a certain mentality to play that position.  We think we hit a home run.”

Neal earned National Guard MVP of the Week honors for his performance against Utah last year in Week 14.  He returned two interceptions for touchdowns and also returned an onside kick for a score against the Blaze.

“He had nine interceptions so obviously he can make plays on the ball,” Barto said.  “The other thing I like about him is he’s a big physical guy that can run.  He can do everything that we need him to do.”

Neal was a versatile player at NC State, logging starts at cornerback and safety in his four seasons with the Wolfpack.  He also made a big impact on special teams, returning a punt and kick for scores in addition to great coverage skills.

He signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and made his indoor football debut last year with Tulsa.

Originally from Sumter, South Carolina, Neal was the state’s Class 3-A Back of the Year as a senior after rushing for over 1,400 yards and 19 touchdowns.  He was also a 100-meter state champion in track.  He was highly recruited out of high school, rated as a top 20 safety in the country.

Barto feels Neal addresses a pressing need for the Command with training camp just over a week away.

“A concern we had about our roster was we had no experience in the defensive middle, which is dangerous,” he said.  “Now we get what I think is one of the top guys playing the position.  This trade made sense.  At the end of the day our team got better this week.”