Alim McNeill made it back Week 7 (Oct. 20) last year from an ACL injury suffered late in the 2024 season. He ended up playing 10 games and finished with 14 tackles, 1.0 sack and 23 total pressures. Those totals were down from the 25 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 45 pressures he had in 14 games before the ACL injury in 2024 and the 32 tackles, 5.0 sacks and 43 pressures in 16 games in 2023.
Talking to reporters Friday after Detroit's first open OTA practice of the spring, McNeill said he finally feels like his old self again more than a full year removed from the injury. He expects a lot more production in 2026, specifically as a pass rusher, and believes he can get back to being a dominant player.
"It's just how the body works. It takes time for stuff to come back a little bit," he said. "Some stuff was just not there (last year) no matter how hard I tried to do certain stuff, it just wasn't there yet. It's here now."
McNeill said he feels like a complete player again with no limitations. A healthy and productive McNeill would be big for a defensive line that has gone through some changes this offseason, especially on the edges.
Detroit's hoping the pairing of McNeill and second-year defensive lineman Tyleik Williams can create the kind of push to consistently crush the pocket in both the pass and run game. Getting veteran Levi Onwuzurike back is big for that group too. He missed all last season with an ACL injury and will also be more than a year removed from the injury when the season begins in the fall. McNeill and Onwuzurike helped Detroit finish fourth in the NFL with 132 total pressures and 10.0 sacks from interior defensive linemen in 2024.
McNeill said it's a 'night and day difference' between how he feels right now in Phase III of the offseason training program vs. what he felt like when he returned to the field last October.
View photos from Day 3 of Detroit Lions OTA practice on Friday, May 29, 2026.
Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes (55) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tackle Blake Miller (76) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell (58) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jimmy Rolder (41) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kendrick Law (88) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Brock Wright (89) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes (55) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein (99) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher DJ Wonnum (98) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Luke Altmyer (2) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jacob Saylors (25) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Isiah Pacheco (10) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Avonte Maddox (29) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill (54) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Tyleik Williams (91) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Payton Turner (92) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher DJ Wonnum (98) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
"Overall strength," he said as one of the big differences. "Just being able to connect the mind and the body. Just my brain being able to know this leg is good and I can step and plant here."
Creating pressure from the interior is imperative to having a productive and consistent pass rush, and McNeill said that's what he plans on providing for this defense in 2026.
"If you don't have an inside rush, it doesn't matter what you do," McNeill said. "It's what I'm here to do and what I'm going to do."
