Detroit Lions 2026 Player Profile: Alim McNeil
· Yahoo Sports
With Detroit Lions training camp less than a week away, the countdown to football is almost over. Fans hoping to attend practice should be ready because free training camp tickets go on sale tomorrow, July 21, at 10 a.m. ET, and they are expected to disappear quickly. Before camp officially begins, my 2026 Detroit Lions player profile series continues by shifting back to the defensive line. Today, we take a closer look at defensive tackle Alim McNeill, a player who appears primed for a bounce-back season after battling through injuries.
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McNeill enters his sixth NFL season with Detroit and remains one of the most important pieces of the Lions’ defense. At 320 pounds, staying healthy has been one of the biggest challenges of his career. He has played 15 or more games just once and has already missed 14 games over five seasons. Now, nearly a year removed from the ACL injury that ended his 2024 year, McNeill has an opportunity to remind everyone why he is considered one of the league’s most disruptive defensive lineman.
For his career, McNeill has totaled 151 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and four pass breakups. While those numbers are solid, they don’t fully capture the impact he can have when he is healthy and playing at his best.
That was evident during the 2023 season when McNeill looked like a All Pro-caliber defensive tackle. He finished the year with five sacks, six tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits while consistently creating pressure from the inside. His performance earned him an 88.5 overall Pro Football Focus defensive grade, the sixth-highest among qualifying interior defensive linemen. He also posted a 79.3 run-defense grade, fourth best at the position, and recorded 34 total pressures and 24 quarterback hurries across 559 defensive snaps.
Unfortunately, last season was a different story.
Still working his way back from injury, McNeill never looked like the dominant player Detroit had grown accustomed to seeing. He finished the 2025 season with a 52.1 overall PFF grade, ranking 90th out of 134 qualifying interior defensive linemen. His 61.3 pass-rush grade ranked 72nd, while his 47.2 run-defense grade ranked 91st. McNeill generated 23 total pressures, including 21 quarterback hurries and two quarterback hits, but failed to record a sack. He also finished with nine solo tackles against the run.
The statistics show the decline, but context matters. Returning from a major knee injury is never easy, especially for a player whose game relies on explosiveness and power. Another full offseason to recover should put McNeill in a much better position entering training camp.
His impact also extends beyond his own stat sheet. Early in the 2024 season, before injuries derailed Detroit’s defense, McNeill was playing at an All-Pro level. His ability to collapse the pocket from the inside created favorable one-on-one opportunities for Aidan Hutchinson, who exploded for 7.5 sacks through the first five games. Once Hutchinson suffered his broken leg in Week 5 and McNeill later tore his ACL, the Lions lost the duo that powered their pass rush.
McNeill remains one of the most valuable defenders on Detroit’s roster because of his ability to disrupt both the run and the pass. If he can return to the level he displayed in 2023, a five-sack season is well within reach, along with double-digit quarterback hurries. I believe McNeill bounces back in a big way and earns his first Pro Bowl selection in 2026.