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Alim McNeill: Partnership with D.J. Reader looks like destruction

Lions defensive tackles Alim McNeill and D.J. Reader have not taken the field together yet, but that isn’t stopping McNeill from conjuring up big thoughts about how things are going to look on defense this fall.

Reader signed with the Lions in March and has been recovering from the torn quadriceps that ended his final season with the Bengals. While that’s kept him from taking part in the team’s offseason program, McNeill said he’s been watching Reader play for years and that has left him confident about the kind of impact the two players will be able to make now that they are part of the same team.

“In my head it just looks like destruction, to me, honestly,” McNeill said, via the team’s website. “There’s no other way I can see it. Every time I close my eyes and visualize it, I just see destruction, honestly.”

The Lions ranked near the top of the league on offense while winning the NFC North in 2023. Their defense wasn’t as effective, but pairing McNeill with Reader could help create a breakout season on that side of the ball this time around.