Getty Alim McNeill celebrates a big play for the Lions in a 2021 game.
In the minds of many fans, the Detroit Lions are far away from being a team that one could ever consider a legit Super Bowl contender. The exact opposite could be true for the players themselves.
Detroit’s team is very clearly full of young and hungry players, and guys who want to get to the next level and drag their team there through nothing but hard work. As the calendar has flipped to 2022 and another offseason is set to get underway, it’s becoming clear that the mindset in Detroit is all about finding a way to build for the big game in the future.
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Defensive tackle Alim McNeill was highly-motivated by what he saw on the field during the game. As he was watching the Super Bowl, he took time out to hop on Twitter and share the fact that he wants badly to play in the same game himself one day.
I gotta play in this game bro 😭
“I gotta play in this game bro,” McNeill tweeted with a crying emoji.
That’s a feeling that is likely summed up by generations of Lions fans all of whom are starved to see the team have success on the field. Most have given up on the dream completely so much so that they were reduced to cheering for their former quarterback Matthew Stafford as if he was still a member of the team.
McNeill’s words, though, show that there is a serious side to this rookie class that is motivated to try and shift the narrative about the franchise once and for all.
Rookie Lions Already Dreaming Big
The 2021 NFL draft class could end up being a banner one for the Lions, assuming the players continue to turn out and lay the foundation for the team’s future success. If there’s anything the last few days have taught, it’s the fact that the young Lions seem more determined than ever to bring a Super Bowl back to Detroit and help the team shed their long-held loser label.
Wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, who is also in McNeill’s rookie class, recently spotted the Lombardi Trophy at an event in California and snapped a picture. As he opined, he thinks the Lions can crack the Super Bowl in a year’s time. It might seem like an ambitious goal for some, but the good news for the Lions is the fact that the players are openly expecting and talking about contending for titles and winning them.
Nothing good comes from a situation where players are settling or just simply hoping to be relevant. The rookie class seems to be extremely
McNeill’s Career Stats & Highlights
Entering his first season in the NFL, McNeill brought some production with him to the big leagues from college. While playing for N.C. State, McNeill collected 77 tackles, 17.5 tackles for-loss, 10 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 5 passes defended. He also scored 1 touchdown in his career. Obviously, those are the type of numbers that point to a guy who can move around and make a lot of plays along a front, which is just what he will be asked to do with the Lions and their very needy defensive line no matter what role he plays.
Here’s a look at some highlights of McNeill getting after it in college:
Once McNeill got to the pros, he managed to show some of the same major talents on the field statistically and otherwise. As a rookie, McNeill managed to put up 2 sacks, 39 tackles and 1 pass defended to go with 3 quarterback hits. McNeill managed to become one of the bigger young forces in the league in a short time, which lends itself to the notion that he can get to the point where he and the team are both elite together.
It’s nice to see McNeill stepping up and showing his motivation for the future, and good to hear that he is motivated by the goal of a title and the big game.
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