The Detroit Lions have doubled up on defensive tackles to start Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft.
After selecting Washington defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike in Round 2, Lions general manager Brad Holmes went right back to the well for more defensive interior help in Round 3 by taking NC State defensive tackle Alim McNeill.
A two-year starter at NC State, McNeill was the nose tackle in the Wolfpack's 3-3-5 scheme, lining up primarily head up over the center in the zero technique.
A linebacker and running back in high school, McNeill transitioned to defensive tackle for the Wolfpack and made Bruce Feldman's Freaks List due to his extreme athleticism. He bench presses 445 pounds and squats 640 pounds.
"After about a week of college football and camp I was able to catch onto it pretty quick," McNeill said Friday of the transition to defensive line. "Me being able to use my athleticism was really what pushed me over the edge being able to make moves on guards that I was a lot quicker than. That's what really helped me and kind of gave me an edge over guys while playing in games."
He was a First-Team All-ACC performer this past season with 26 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one pass defended, one interception and one touchdown. He had 7.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks in 2019.
McNeill said his decline in sacks this past season was due to the fact that he faced double teams on every play in 2020 after a monster 2019 season.
"It's a very key position," McNeill said of playing nose tackle. "But you have to have the mindset that I'm here to plug gaps and I'm going to create havoc and I'm going to destroy blocks and make plays in the backfield, while also doing my job. Nose tackle is a very important position, so that's the mindset you have to have."
Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell seem to have targeted the interior of their defensive line as a need heading into this draft.
The Lions have now gone big with their first three picks, drafting an offensive tackle and two defensive tackles.
"The games, they're won and started in the trenches," McNeill said. "I feel like that's where (the Lions) wanted to go at."
View photos of the Lions' 3rd round pick, Alim McNeill, DT - North Carolina State.
Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims (10) escapes from North Carolina State defensive tackle Alim McNeill (29) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP, Pool)
Florida State running back Khalan Laborn (4) charges ahead as he's brought down by North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson (11), defensive tackle Alim McNeill (29) and defensive tackle Larrell Murchison (92) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Tallahassee, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser)
North Carolina State's Alim McNeill (29) grasps North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell (7) for a sack during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Syracuse's Tommy DeVito (13) avoids the rush of North Carolina State's Alim McNeill (29) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
North Carolina State's Alim McNeill (29) ties up Syracuse's Abdul Adams (23) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Players including N.C. State defensive tackle Alim McNeill (29) and defensive lineman Alec Neugent (94) head onto the field to warmup before N.C. State's game against Georgia Tech at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP, Pool)
North Carolina State defensive tackle Alim McNeill (29) celebrates a sack against North Carolina during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
North Carolina State's Alim McNeill (29) sacks North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell (7) for a loss during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims (10) escapes from North Carolina State defensive tackle Alim McNeill (29) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP, Pool)
North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren hugs defensive tackle Alim McNeill (29) after the team's 23-13 victory over Georgia Tech in an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP, Pool)
