See why national analysts think Detroit Lions DT Alim Mcneill could be headed for a MONSTER 2024 season.

A few weeks, Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim Mcneill joined the “Green Light” podcast hosted by former NFL veteran defensive lineman Chris Long. It was a long-spanning interview that showed off McNeill’s unique personality.

But some of the best content came in the reaction to that interview. To start, Beau Allen—former NFL nose tackle and part of the “Green Light” podcast family—went to the film room. Allen posted a phenomenal 22-minute breakdown of McNeill’s performance in the NFC Championship Game.

If you, like me, have avoided re-watching that game for the past two months, you may have forgotten just how dominant McNeill was that afternoon. While the box score only shows a modest performance (two tackles, 1.0 sack, 2 QB hits), his PFF scores (71.6, including an 81.6 pass rush grade) are a little more emblematic of his impact. Allen does an excellent job breaking down all facets of McNeill’s game, and concludes with a very optimistic view of the 23-year-old’s future.

“He’s a really good player,” Allen concludes. “Love hearing his story about how productive he’s been in 2023 (since) changing his body type, taking the game of football very seriously. I think he plays with really good technique. He’s very, very twitchy as a pass rusher, super active hands. I think he has really good technique in the run game as well. I thought he played really well in the NFC Championship game against the 49ers.

“I’m a big fan of Alim McNeill. Jealous that my boy C-Long got to interview him, because he seems like a really cool guy, too. Gotta give those nose guards some love! Thanks for tuning into another ‘Butter Breakdown,’ looking forward to a big 2024 out of Alim McNeill.”

Allen isn’t the only one who sees huge potential for McNeill this upcoming season. NFL Network analyst Ben Fennell, seemingly unprompted, looked at the Lions’ situation, and believes McNeill is headed to a monster year and a subsequent monster contract.

The addition of DJ Reader is certainly a massive one to potentially help free up McNeill. Reader, himself, mentioned how impressed he has been of McNeill’s game and is excited to collaborate with him.

“I watch him all the time on film, so I’m excited to just get around him and be able to pick his brain, what he likes about the position,” Reader said. “Every guy’s got different things they like about playing d-tackle. I got my own things I enjoy about playing defensive tackle. So I just want to talk to him about it, and pick his brain and see what he’s got going on, and what our future holds.”

McNeill is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and through three years, he has certainly been a strong player who has steadily been on the rise. Defensive tackle salaries have also been on the rise as of late, with 11 players (Chris Jones, Christian Wilkins, Justin Madubuike, Derrick Brown, Quinnen Williams, Jeffery Simmons, Daron Payne, Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, DeForest Buckner, Javon Hargrave) earning an average per year of at least $20 million.

Could McNeill join that list in 2025?