One Detroit Lions star is being overlooked, and training camp could change everything
We have moved on way too fast from a Lions defensive starter after a down year, and his rehab really shows that it’s time to stop sleeping on him.
This week, our NFC North writers got together to form an All-NFC North defensive line, and it occurred to me that everyone has been writing off Detroit Lions’ defensive tackle Alim McNeill this summer. The Lions’ interior defensive lineman posted elite production across the 2023 and 2024 seasons before tearing his ACL, and writing him off feels premature given what we know about modern recoveries and what he’s shown in rehab.
Let me break it down. McNeill graded out as the 8th-highest-rated interior defensive lineman in 2023 and the 10th in 2024, per Pro Football Focus. He recorded 40-plus pressures and five-plus sacks in both seasons while grading in the 70s as a run defender. That’s proven, consistent production from a guy who was one of the better interior linemen in the NFL before the injury.
McNeill’s rehab should change the conversation
McNeill has admitted he came back too early after tearing his ACL at the end of the 2024 season. He pressed coach Dan Campbell to get him on the field faster than he should have and has acknowledged he didn’t take the recovery as seriously as necessary. That honesty matters because the approach has clearly shifted.
The rehab McNeill has been going through looks unlike anything he’s done before. He’s incorporated Pilates and other training methods he never used previously, and by all accounts, he’s become a better athlete through the process.
Here’s the thing. If this were 1994, you could make a case that the ACL tear might end a career. But it’s 2026, and we see players come back from ACL injuries at a high level routinely. McNeill isn’t some massive, immobile nose tackle either. He’s not DJ Reader’s size or Vince Wilfork’s size. He’s an athlete in good shape who moves well for his position. The physical profile supports a strong recovery.
The alternatives aren’t as proven as you think
The part that bothers me is how quickly people have moved on to other options without acknowledging what McNeill has put on film. With Gervon Dexter, we’re talking about the idea of what he could become. With Devonta Wyatt, we’re talking about one good year after he’s been developing for a while. I do agree Wyatt is a good defensive tackle, but he doesn’t have the track record McNeill built over two elite seasons.
Jalen Redmond played well last season, but the notion that he’s just inherited a starting spot on an All-NFC North team without McNeill factoring into the equation doesn’t sit right. McNeill has more proven production than any of these guys, and the Lions’ defensive line depth chart should reflect that.
You have to understand what McNeill was before the injury. He wasn’t a rotational piece. He was one of the 10 best interior defenders in football. Detroit’s interior line is a strength of this roster, and McNeill returning to form only makes it deeper and more dangerous. He should absolutely have one of those spots when the season starts.
Let’s see how training camp plays out, but I wouldn’t be shocked if McNeill reminds a lot of people why he was so valuable in the first place.
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