No. 72 overall pick Alim McNeill is expected to immediately slide in as the Lions’ starting nose tackle.
Lions GM Brad Holmes has raved about McNeill’s surprising athleticism. NC State’s McNeil (6'2/320) earned freshman All-American recognition from 247Sports while registering 20 pressures, 19 stops and 3.0 sacks in just 410 part-time snaps. He bulked up from 280 pounds to 320 to handle nose tackle duties and responded by recording 5.5 sacks and 28 tackles. His counting stats weren’t as impressive in 2020, but McNeil instead played the role of an interior block-eater, clogging up run lanes, as his pristine 92.1 PFF run grade indicates. He could use more nuance as a pass rusher and is a bit too stout to be an immediate heads-up starter. With more polish and a couple of tools to draw upon, McNeil could be a valuable gap filler and a menacing run defender at the NFL level. He compares favorably to B.J. Raji.