Alim

McNeill

ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the season-ending injury. The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise after head coach Dan Campbell hinted around this in yesterday’s post-game presser, but the team confirmed the worst on Monday. It’s yet another brutal blow to a Lions defense that will add an eighth defensive lineman to their injured reserve list once they make things official with McNeill. McNeill signed a four-year, $97 million extension in October and ends his year with 25 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a career-high seven TFLs.

The Lions currently have seven defensive linemen on injured reserve and McNeill will evidently be the eighth. The talented three-down player ranks second on the team in both NFL sacks (3.5) and quarterback pressures (44) and fourth in tackles for loss or no gain (four). This is a significant loss for the Super Bowl-hopeful Lions. The 24-year-old defensive lineman is under contract through 2028.

McNeil limped off the field in the 3rd quarter and was visibly in distress, slamming his helmet into the bench. He was later carted to the locker room and ruled out for the game. This Lions defensive line has already endured a few crucial injuries, and McNeil is another massive one to have to overcome. The 24-year-old had to leave Week 14 with a concussion but was able to make it back in time for this crucial matchup against the Bills.

Technically, the recently-extended McNeill is out with a “head” injury, but we aren’t sure what it could be other than a concussion. It’s a brutal blow for an already severely-undermanned defensive line. The only good news is that McNeill has 10 days to get cleared for Week 15 against the Bills.

According to McNeill’s agent, Mike McCartney, the Lions agreed to a four-year extension with McNeill. The former third-round pick has 10.5 sacks in 52 games through four seasons with the Lions. Currently starting on the team’s defensive line, McNeill has three tackles for loss through five games this season. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports it is a four-year, $97 million deal, including $55 million guaranteed. The Lions lock up their big nose tackle for four more years before he hits free agency.

McNeill is a key cog along the Lions’ defensive line, and totaled 32 tackles, six TFLs, and five sacks for them last season. After suffering a shoulder injury in Sunday’s win, the lineman is expected to miss little to now time with the day-to-day designation. We’ll see how things unfold in the coming days when the Lions release their first injury report on Wednesday.

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.

The last thing that NC State needed heading into this matchup was to be without key starters on either side of the football. The Wolfpack will be down four defensive starters, a list that includes players who rank first (Wilson), fourth (Thomas) and ninth (Ingle) on the team in total tackles. Three of the four have started at least ten games this season, with Ingle (seven) being the exception.

McNeill (6'2/299) signed on with NC State as a four-star recruit in the 2018 class and immediately went about making good on his prep hype. Playing as a true freshman last season, he registered 24 tackles (5.5 for loss), 3.5 sacks, three passes defensed and a forced fumble. That all came in a backup role. He is expected to work as starter for the coming campaign. Clark writes that “the sky’s the limit,” here.

McNeill was an Army All-American, and ranked 10th among defensive tackles on 247 Sports list for the 2018 class. He was also considering Michigan, Virginia and Clemson -- to name a select few -- with offers from the majority of the big-name schools. NC State has produced plenty of NFL defensive lineman in the past decade. McNeill appears to have the talent to be one of the next Wolfpack interior defenders to play on Sundays.