Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard made it clear that he is more excited to see defensive tackle Alim McNeill than any other player when Week 1 rolls around.
“I’m so excited for that player; when I say it’s almost emotional,” Sheppard said when discussing McNeill this year. “I cannot wait to see number 54.”
McNeill is coming off of a down year, but Sheppard made it clear that he is expecting big things this year. Sheppard added that McNeill was not healthy last year, but he was pushing through it to help his team. That type of player instills confidence that he will be at his best when healthy.
“I know what he wanted to be last year, and he just couldn’t,” said Sheppard about how McNeill played. “A lot of that tape, he couldn’t even put his foot in the ground and plant, but he was still out there for his brothers.”
McNeill is expected to join a strong Lions defensive front as they take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.
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The Lions should be improved across the board. McNeill is much healthier this year, and the team has high expectations for him. He will be surrounded by Tyleik Williams, who is a former first-round pick.
His rookie year was strong, and he will now enter his second season in the NFL with the chance to take a step forward. Levi Onwuzurike will join the group. He missed the entirety of the 2025 season with an ACL injury.
Even rookie sixth-round pick Skyler Gil-Howard has been one of the more impressive players in training camp. All four players could provide an upgrade from the group that rotated in a year prior.
Lions Expecting a Healthier Alim McNeill
McNeill was a third-round pick and was drafted 72nd overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. He started in six games during his rookie season and recorded two sacks.
From there, he became a full-time starter. McNeill started in all 17 games, but only recorded one sack. Still, he was a trusted player.
By his third year, he had five sacks in 13 games. The Lions responded by extending him. Unfortunately, after 3.5 sacks in 14 games in the following season, he tore his ACL.
McNeill came back for the 2025 season and only missed seven games. However, as Sheppard noted, he was not nearly the same player. After just one sack in 2025, the team is looking for him to bounce back this year.
McNeill himself noted that he was not healthy and was pushing himself to get out there. However, it was not helping the team. Now, he has had a full offseason to recover. He is still just 26 years old. He should be back to the player the Lions saw in 2023 and 2024.
It makes sense why Sheppard would be so excited about what McNeill can do.
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