Last season was one to forget if you're Detroit Lions defensive tackle, Alim McNeill. The promising and once surging interior defensive lineman had been coming off a serious knee injury suffered late in 2024 and was unable to find that same success he enjoyed prior to tearing his ACL.
If the Lions' defense wants to regain the form it had under former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, with Kelvin Sheppard calling the shots, having a healthy McNeill will be crucial.
This offseason, the Lions roster as a whole has seen major changes, and the same can be said about their defensive line. Last season, Sheppard relied on veteran DJ Reader and Roy Lopez while McNeill looked to rebound; both are gone, and McNeill proved ineffective.
As of now, albeit a few weeks before the draft, the Lions will rely on Tyleik Williams, a first-round pick (No. 28 overall) from 2025, to shoulder a lot of the load vacated by Reader and Lopez. There's also Levi Onwuzurike, Mekhi Wingo, and Chris Smith in the mix.
This uncertainty looms large for the Lions, who have invested considerably in the former third-round picks' overall ceiling. McNeill was rewarded with a substantial four-year contract worth $97 million, including $28 million guaranteed, a deal that makes him among the highest-paid defensive tackles in the league and ties him to Detroit through the 2028 season.
This financial commitment highlights the expectation that McNeill will anchor the defensive front and disrupt opposing offenses for years to come.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell believes that a difficult rehab is to blame for Alim McNeill's lackluster 2025 performance. Now, with a full offseason to prepare, Campbell expects the once stalwart defender to regain his form in 2026.
"Alim is only gonna be so much better from that. Alim would never say anything about that, but any player that comes off of that injury, it’s hard," Campbell said in an interview with FOX-2. "It’s hard to be back to what you were immediately after it once you’ve rehabbed. I’m not worried about Mac, Mac’s gonna come in and do well."
The numbers paint a troubling picture for Alim McNeill and the Detroit Lions.
Yet, the numbers from last season paint a more sobering picture. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), McNeill managed just nine solo tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble across ten games. His overall grade of 52.1 ranked 90th out of 134 qualified defensive tackles, and his 23 total pressures landed him 53rd, and his 523 snaps ranked 55th.
These numbers fall way short of the standards set by his contract and his pre-injury production.
Compare those numbers with his 2023 campaign, where McNeill posted an impressive 86.8 overall PFF grade. He racked up 43 tackles, six sacks, and 30 hurries, with a pass-rush grade of 78.6. That level of production from the interior is precisely what the Lions lacked last season, a disruptive force capable of collapsing the pocket and making life difficult for quarterbacks.
When McNeill is at his best, opposing teams are forced to double him, freeing up edge rushers like Aidan Hutchinson to win their one-on-one matchups on the outside.
This also hampers the opponent’s running game and prevents offensive linemen from reaching the second level on time, giving Detroit's athletic linebackers like Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes the freedom to attack downhill without being forced to shed a down block.
READ MORE: Lions don't have to settle for Teddy Bridgewater as Jared Goff's backup
While McNeill’s 2024 season remained strong, there was a noticeable dip in his numbers. PFF awarded him an overall grade of 79.6, with a pass-rush grade of 77.1 and a run-stopping grade of 64.5. He finished the year with 45 tackles, four sacks, and 38 hurries.
Ultimately, the Lions’ ability to generate interior pressure and disrupt opposing offenses hinges on McNeill's ability to return to form. Sometimes, athletes struggle to regain the same power and burst following an injury of this nature.
Hopefully, with a full, healthy offseason on the horizon, McNeill will once again find those valuable traits and return to form. If he can find it again, it will help mask some of Detroit's deficiencies in the secondary. If not, the Lions may find themselves searching for answers in the heart of their defensive line.