Getty Alim McNeill makes a tackle on Najee Harris during a 2021 game in Pittsburgh.
The Detroit Lions have been seeing their young players develop well on the field late in 2021, and perhaps a bit too well for the NFL’s liking.
On both offense and defense, the team has witnessed the breakthrough of several young studs this season not the least of which is defensive lineman Alim McNeill. Known mostly as a plugger in the interior coming into the year, McNeill has started to step up and provide some amazing speed and moves in terms of sacking the quarterback, something he did once again in Week 16.
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After a solid game in which McNeill piled up 1 tackle and 1 sack, he revealed the league came after him for a PED test bright and early on Monday morning.
Bruh I just knew I had a PED test today. Just had that feeling. Sure enough, I walk in and my name at the top of the list 😂.
“Bruh I just knew I had a PED test today. Just had that feeling. Sure enough, I walk in and my name at the top of the list,” McNeill tweeted with a face of laughter.
At this point, all anyone can do is laugh considering the Lions players are doing this with their own power. McNeill had another big day on the field and managed to pick up this impressive sack by bursting through the Atlanta line and overpowering on his way to the quarterback:
An early sack for the rook, @AlimMcneill‼️
#DETvsATL | 📺 FOX
It’s sack 2 for McNeill on the season, and clearly, the league was all-eyes considering what the lineman has done to close out his year.
McNeill Joins Amon-Ra St. Brown for ‘Random’ Drug Tests
The Lions have some young players stepping up and defying expectations, which apparently means the league has no choice but to investigate them for potential wrongdoing. Not only did McNeill get flagged by the league for a test after his big day, but the same thing happened to wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown a few weeks back. Following a big performance, St. Brown tweeted about having to deal with a random drug test the very next week as well. It was something St. Brown also said he found funny on Twitter:
It’s clear the league is paying close attention to what the Lions’ young stars are doing on the field. After all, if they weren’t, the team wouldn’t keep seeing these guys get popped for drug tests after their big days that many folks might not expect.
McNeill’s College Stats & Highlights
Entering his first season in the NFL, McNeill is bringing production with him to the big league. 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:
The Lions are hoping the athleticism that is shown in these clips shines through to help him become a star at the next level. With his play and his positive mindset showing through late in the season, it’s more than possible that can become the case in the end.
Though McNeill himself is clean and developing well, his big days certainly didn’t prevent some folks in league circles from wondering.
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