Everyone Forgot About Alim McNeill and That Needs to Stop
We need to talk about Alim McNeill. No, really. Because somewhere between the ACL tear and the offseason hype train, everyone decided to just write off one of the best interior defensive linemen this franchise has had in years.
McNeill graded out as the 8th-highest-rated interior defensive lineman in 2023 and 10th in 2024, per Pro Football Focus. He posted 40-plus pressures and five-plus sacks in back-to-back seasons while grading in the 70s as a run defender. That is proven, elite production from a guy who was legitimately one of the better interior linemen in the NFL before the injury.
And yet here we are, acting like he does not exist anymore.
The Rehab Tells You Everything You Need to Know
McNeill has been honest about what went wrong. He came back too early after tearing his ACL at the end of the 2024 season. He pressed Dan Campbell to get him on the field faster than he should have. He did not take the recovery as seriously as he needed to.
That honesty matters. Because the approach has clearly shifted.
The rehab McNeill has been going through looks nothing like what he did before. He incorporated Pilates. He is using training methods he never touched previously. By all accounts, he has become a better athlete through the process.
And look, if this were 1994 you could make the case that an ACL tear might end a career. But it is not. We see players come back from ACL injuries at a high level all the time now. McNeill is not some massive, immobile nose tackle either. He is not DJ Reader’s size or Vince Wilfork’s size. He is an athlete in good shape who moves well for his position.
The physical profile supports a strong recovery. The work supports it. The honesty about what went wrong the first time supports it.
Stop Acting Like the Alternatives Are Better
This is the part that gets me. People have moved on to other options without acknowledging what McNeill has actually put on film.
With Gervon Dexter, we are talking about the idea of what he could become. With Devonta Wyatt, we are talking about one good year after he has been developing for a while. Wyatt is a good defensive tackle, sure, but he does not have the track record McNeill built over two elite seasons.
Jalen Redmond played well last season. But the notion that he just inherited a starting spot without McNeill factoring into the equation does not sit right. McNeill has more proven production than any of these guys.
You have to understand what McNeill was before the injury. He was not 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.
Let training camp play out. But do not be shocked if McNeill reminds a lot of people why he was so valuable in the first place.
Think McNeill reclaims his spot or are we all getting our hopes up again for no reason? Drop your take below.
