Detroit Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard on his confidence level that Alim McNeill gets back to a HIGH LEVEL
“As CONFIDENT as I’ve ever been…”
ALIM MCNEILL IS BACK 🍿
Getty
The Detroit Lions released their new uniforms in a video with defensive tackle Alim McNeill telling off a leaker.
The Detroit Lions believe they are about to get the best out of Alim McNeil after 2025 was arguably his worst. McNeil was recovering from an injury, but now that he has time off to heal, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard sees a different player from the year prior. Sheppard said that he is as confident as he has ever been in McNeil and that he was always physically capable of being dominant, but this offseason was focused on getting himself back into the game mentally.
Detroit Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard on his confidence level that Alim McNeill gets back to a HIGH LEVEL
“As CONFIDENT as I’ve ever been…”
ALIM MCNEILL IS BACK 🍿
McNeil tore his ACL late in the 2024 season. So, it was impressive that he was able to get back on the field for the 2025 season at all. Still, after working all offseason to get back, McNeil did not quite feel up to the same level of play. Sheppard said that McNeil admitted as much this offseason.
It is hard to trust your body after an injury, especially in the case of McNeil, where he came back as soon as he did. It is not a surprise that it took him some time away to trust his body again. Still, Sheppard is now optimistic that he will be the same player he always has been.
GettyAlim McNeill #54 of the Detroit Lions.
McNeil played sparingly as a rookie, but had two sacks on ten pressures. In his second season, he played a career-high 779 snaps. He only had one sack, but added 29 pressures.
McNeil did not play as much in 2023, but he recorded five sacks on 34 pressures. In 2024, he posted just 3.5 sacks, but had a career-high 45 pressures before his ACL injury. So, things were trending up before the injury. In 2025, he had just one sack and 23 pressures. He played about the same number of snaps as he did in 2023, so the impact per snap was not nearly the same.
If the Lions can get the 2023 or 2024 version of McNeil, their defensive front could be significantly better than a year prior. McNeil was on the field but not impactful. Meanwhile, Levi Onwuzurike missed the entire year with an ACL. He appears to be back and healthy this year.
With those two missing times, the team leaned into rookie Tyleik Williams. He was up-and-down, which makes sense for a rookie. Still, he appears focused on growing and showing more in his second-year.
Not only is there a good chance that Williams improves on his own, but his life could get a lot easier if Onwuzurike is healthy and McNeil is playing at a higher level.
On top of that, the Lions signed Jay Tufele in free agency and then drafted both Skyler Howard-Gill and Tyre West. Tufele is just a depth piece, and those two were day three selections. Still, they already have the starting talent coming back, so now the room is much deeper than it has been.
The expectation is for the Lions’ defense to be much improved in 2026. The defensive line should be a major catalyst leading that charge.
Parker Hurley Parker Hurley covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also covers the Chicago Bears, and San Francisco 49ers on various outlets. A veteran NFL writer and editor, his work has also appeared at FanSided, Full Press Coverage, Last Word on Sports, USA Today, and Sports Illustrated affiliates. More about Parker Hurley
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