Detroit Lions 2025 fall-offs: Which were real and which were fake for Alim McNeil, DJ Reed, and Christian Mahogany
Detroit Lions saw several important players regress in 2025. Not every decline means the same thing, though. We break down which fall-offs look fake and which one could still be a concern heading into camp.
The Detroit Lions had several key players take steps backward during the 2025 season, and the question now is whether those fall-offs were legitimate concerns or products of circumstance. Inspired by ESPN’s Ben Solak, who recently wrote about the biggest breakouts and fall-offs of the 2025 NFL season, we already broke down which Lions breakouts were real and fake. Now it’s time to look at the other side. Which Detroit fall-offs should Lions fans actually worry about heading into 2026?
Alim McNeil’s fall-off was not real
Let’s start with defensive tackle Alim McNeill. This was a player good enough to earn a major extension during the 2024 season, only to tear his ACL right after Thanksgiving and miss the rest of that year. That meant he also missed training camp in 2025 and a significant chunk of the regular season. McNeill didn’t return until right before bye week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and you could see immediately that he was not himself.
The numbers tell the story. In 523 snaps, McNeill managed just 23 total pressures and zero sacks. For a guy who had been getting at least five sacks per year while also stuffing the run at a high level, those numbers were ugly. Probably the worst season of his entire career, including his rookie year.
But here’s the thing. When you have a 315-pound defensive tackle coming back from a torn ACL, of course he’s not going to look like himself right away. Even with nearly a year of rehab and doing everything right, you’re never getting that guy back to 100% immediately. He needs time. He needs reps. There were games where McNeill looked solid, too. The Thanksgiving game against Green Bay was one, even though nobody was getting home because Jordan Love was getting the ball out at lightning speed. The Week 12 game against the New York Giants was another.
McNeill has spent this offseason putting in serious work. Pilates, extensive cardio, everything he can do to get his body back to where it was and beyond. I have a lot of faith in what he’s been doing, and I absolutely think you’re going to see a much better, more athletic McNeill in 2026 than the version Detroit got in 2025.
D.J. Reed’s fall-off was not real
A lot of people look at cornerback DJ Reed and think he was a bust for the Lions. I just do not think that is true. Before his injury, Reed was balling out. We’re talking Pro Football Focus scores in the 70s and even the 80s. He was playing at a high level.
Then he got hurt. When he came back in Week 12, you could see that the injury was still affecting him. He had a rough game against the Los Angeles Rams, but beyond that, he was still grading out in the high 60s and near 70 per PFF. That’s not bad at all for a guy clearly not at full strength.
Reed’s fall-off was not real. This was a player coming back from an injury who was visibly hampered by it. Once he gets a full training camp and gets his body right, I think you’re going to see a much better version of him in 2026. Detroit needs that, too, because the secondary was decimated by injuries last season. The Lions might have even brought Reed back a little earlier than they should have, which only made things worse.
Christian Mahogany’s fall-off might be real
Now, Mahogany’s situation is similar to Reed’s in some ways. He spent the first half of the season starting and playing fairly well before getting hurt. When he came back, you could see the injury was still hampering him.
I’m kind of in the middle with Mahogany at this point. The pass blocking was a problem, and it wasn’t limited to the second half of the season. It was a full-season issue. He allowed six sacks and 27 pressures, and that’s a concern. His run blocking, on the other hand, was good and sometimes elite.
The question is whether that’s enough for the Lions. Do they want a guard who can dominate in the run game but struggle in pass protection? Or do they need someone who can do both? That’s why I think Mahogany has a real chance of losing his starting left guard job this year. Ben Bartch has a shot. Miles Frazier could win it. Juice Scruggs could win it. Right now, I lean toward the fall-off being real with Mahogany.
We’ll see what happens when pads go on at training camp. Maybe a full offseason of health and more NFL experience under his belt will make a difference. Maybe Mahogany comes out and looks like a completely different player in pass protection. Let’s see how it plays out.
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