Tag: Alim McNeil

Best and worst PFF grades from Week 6 win over Buccaneers

The Lions went on the road and secured an impressive victory over the Buccaneers. PFF had plenty of interesting grades from the matchup.

The Lions went on the road and secured an impressive victory over the Buccaneers. It was seen as one of the more interesting matchups on the NFL schedule in week six but they made it look easier than most imagined.

PFF and its advanced metrics and numbers always paint a more clear picture of how things went during the game. Detroit had plenty of good grades but they also had some players who either treaded the proverbial water or underachieved.

While the most important thing is the win and being atop the division, the Lions need to keep on the uptick they are experiencing. They have done a lot of the small things well and that is reflected by the top grades by PFF for this matchup.

Lions keys to victory against the Packers in Week 4

Execute these concepts from Lions Wire’s Andrew Harbaugh and Detroit should come home with a W

Not often do the Detroit Lions play in high-stakes games to start the season, but that is exactly where they find themselves on Thursday. They head to Lambeau Field to battle Jordan Love as he looks to carve out his career as a Packer with the NFC North lead up for grabs between the two teams.

The Lions have a chance to end September with a 3-1 record if they can get a win in familiar territory to them from the end of last year. They dashed away the Packers playoff hopes with a win to end the regular season and ended the Aaron Rodgers era on a sour note.

Now the Packers will be looking for revenge while the Lions focus on going 1-0 on another week. Here are the keys to the Lions ending September on a run.

2023 NFL draft Lions film review: Western Kentucky DL Brodric Martin provides much needed help on the interior

Lions Wire’s Russell Brown breaks down the film from 3rd round pick Brodric Martin, a nose tackle from Western Kentucky

As the 3rd Round of the 2023 NFL Draft was coming to a close, it felt like the Detroit Lions were done for the night. It felt as if they were going to walk away with Hendon Hooker, Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch to make day two of the draft a success.

Shockingly, the Lions moved up to the 96th overall pick and selected Western Kentucky defensive lineman Brodric Martin. The redshirt Senior defensive lineman stands 6-foot-5 and 337 pounds. While he didn’t get an invite to the Scouting Combine, he did perform at the Western Kentucky pro day. Here’s his results from that pro day:

  • 40-Yard Dash: 5.36
  • 3-Cone Drill: 8.16
  • Shuttle: 4.94
  • Vertical Jump: 25″
  • Broad Jump: 8’4″

Not overly explosive or fast but when you put on the tape, you can see a physical defender with a motor that runs hot. Prior to playing for Western Kentucky, he played at North Alabama. After 25 games there, he transferred to the Hilltoppers where he played 28 games. Let’s dive into the film and breakdown what Martin does well and where he fits in Detroit!

Active hands and active feet 

Through the two games that I watched of Brodric Martin in the last 12 hours, it immediately stood out how he’s always got his eyes locked into the backfield. Whether it’s the quarterback or the running back, he’s searching to find a way to get back there. Due to his size, it’s difficult to move him so he’s able to maintain his gap when battling 1-on-1 against a guard or center.

Looking at the play above, you’ll see Martin aligned as a zero-shade (outside shoulder of the center). As the ball is snapped, he shrugs off the center before working his way to the guard. In the process, watch his feet move while he keeps his head up to search for the football. As the quarterback takes the designed run up the middle, you’ll see Martin quickly redirect to the quarterback to help with the tackle.

Length and power to fight pressure with pressure 

As an interior defensive lineman, it’s important to have the ability to squeeze blocks down. To accomplish this, you’ll need to create separation and fight pressure with pressure. For Martin, he saw a significant increase in total snaps played in 2022 compared to prior years. Last season, he had 500 total snaps (per PFF) played on defense and that’s well over 200+ snaps from his first season at Western Kentucky.

Watch the play above and you’ll see Martin aligned in the A-gap. As the left guard steps down, Martin does a great job staying square and uses his 34 3/8″ arms to create separation. In the process, he keeps his pad level low while using his strength to drive the guard into the small opening.

Also, the Hilltoppers linebacker (#1) does great job meeting the pulling tackle into the hole to make the tackle. It helps with Martin playing in front of that linebacker as he eats up space and drives the opposition into the hole to make rushing lanes smaller.

Overall Projection 

Going into the 2023 NFL Draft, it was evident that the Detroit Lions needed to address the interior of their defensive line. It’s been nice to see Alim McNeil and Isaiah Buggs carve out roles there, but they needed more. Most importantly, they needed size. Detroit get that by selecting Brodric Martin from Western Kentucky.

His massive frame and overall strength is going to be tough to beat in the A and B-gaps. Per PFF, Martin played all over the defensive line for the Hilltoppers. He had 189 snaps aligned as a nose tackle and over 200 snaps aligned as a 4i-technique against both left and right tackles.

When watching Martin, I loved his motor. It consistently runs hot and he chases down offensive players on a consistent basis. At 337 pounds, his weight will have to be monitored, but he should provide an impact as a rotational player on early downs. There are times that he struggles against double teams and there are times that he raises his pad level when searching for the backfield. He’s an older player that will be 24 years old next month, but he adds much-needed size and depth to the Lions’ interior.

Final Browns 2021 7-round mock draft

The final Cleveland Browns 7-round mock draft for the 2021 NFL draft

The 2021 NFL draft is less than 24 hours away. We’ve almost made it to the finish line, Browns fans!

It’s time for one last stab at what Browns GM Andrew Berry his staff will do in the draft weekend. Without further ado, the final Browns Wire mock draft for 2021.

No. 26: Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota

If Bateman is off the board, and he very well could be, shift focus to Georgia CB Eric Stokes or Penn State EDGE Jayson Oweh. Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley is certainly a consideration, but without knowing how the team feels about his medical issues–he’s had two back surgeries before turning 21–it’s difficult to project him. Farley would not be a surprise but neither would passing on him.

Why Bateman?

Reflect back on Andrew Berry’s press conference last week and he talked about building long-term through the draft. Bateman can get his feet wet for a year and then take over as a starter with high-end potential in 2022 when the team has some very difficult financial decisions to make on Jarvis Landry and/or Odell Beckham Jr.

The player availability after the first 40 or so picks is very unpredictable, so I’ll just stick with players I believe are on Berry’s list of 114 draft-worthy players and the approximate range where they’re drafted.

Having said that, I do not believe Cleveland is making all these picks. I expect at least one of the third-round picks to be traded, perhaps both of them packaged together to move up. But forecasting exact trades on Day 2 and 3 is crazy, so I just made the picks as if the Browns will be making them.

Second round

Payton Turner, EDGE, Houston

Third round

Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky

Alim McNeil, DT, North Carolina State

Fourth round

Cam Bynum, CB, California

Dayo Odeyingbo, EDGE, Vanderbilt

Fifth round

Jaylon Moore, OL, Western Michigan

Sixth round

Elijah Mitchell, RB, Louisiana

Seventh round

Tyler Cole, S, Purdue

Packers meet virtually with NC State DL Alim McNeil

The Packers are among several teams that have or will met with North Carolina State defensive lineman Alim McNeil before 2021 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers are doing their homework on a run-stuffing defensive lineman with a profile similar to Kenny Clark ahead of the 2021 NFL draft.

According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Packers have met virtually with North Carolina State defensive lineman Alim McNeil.

GM Brian Gutekunst and the Packers will likely be active in gathering information on defensive line prospects during the draft process. Montravius Adams, Tyler Lancaster, Damon Harrison and Billy Winn are all free agents, and Dean Lowry could be a cap casualty.

Over three collegiate seasons, McNeil produced 17.5 tackles for losses, 10.0 sacks, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He also returned an interception for a touchdown.

Pro Football Focus named him an All-American during the 2020 season. In fact, he was the site’s highest-graded interior defender in college football last season, and one of the nation’s top-ranked run defenders overall.

According to his draft profile at The Draft Network, McNeil is a “powerful interior defender” who has created “positive flashes of gap-penetration skills” but has an “underdeveloped” variety and pass-rush plan.

The final line: “For a team in need of a short-yardage and early-down run stuffer that has a ceiling to develop into a more effective pass rusher, McNeill is a terrific mid-round option.”

PFF currently ranks McNeil as the site’s 46th best prospect and No. 2 interior defender in the 2021 NFL draft.

From PFF: “McNeil has the potential to be the holy grail – a nose tackle who can rush the passer. He’s got one of the best first steps in the entire draft class even though he weighs 320 pounds. He earned grades of 80.8 and 77.5 as a pass-rusher the past two seasons – mostly from a true 0-tech alignment.”

The Packers once struck gold with a similar player: Clark, a first-round pick in 2016 who has developed into arguably the game’s best nose tackle.

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Report: Jags have met with early-round DT prospect Alim McNeill

The Jags have communicated with DT prospect Alim McNeill, who could help bolster their struggling run defense.

With a new defensive scheme in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ future that could be similar to that of the Baltimore Ravens, it’s expected that the team will add some beef through the draft. That’s exactly why fans should get to know the name of North Carolina State defensive lineman Alim McNeill.

According to Justin Melo of the Draft Network, the Jags are one of several teams McNeill has spoken with in addition to the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, and Indianapolis Colts. He’s also scheduled to meet with the New Orleans Saints as well.

The Jags, who named a mostly new staff under new coach Urban Meyer, will have a new defensive coordinator in former Ravens defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who is making his second stop in Duval. When asked what type of scheme the Jags would run, he hinted that the team would show more variety and would cater to what talent is on the roster.

“We are still evaluating our current roster and I’ve been [in the NFL] for 14 years – eight years we were a 4-3 scheme and six years, we were a 3-4 scheme when we were multiple,” said Cullen. “It is all tailored to the personnel that you have and in both schemes, you have the flexibility to do both.”

McNeill would be a great fit as a nose tackle, although many feel 2020 third-round pick DaVon Hamilton could handle those duties as a starter for the Jags. In a scenario where they do draft McNeill, both players could see time on the field together, which could be a scary thought.

Per Pro Football Focus, McNeill played 87% of his total snaps at heads-up nose tackle in 2020. They also stated that he acquired the second-highest grade from that position since 2014, with only Jeffery Simmons of the Tennessee Titans registering a better figure.

McNeill played 87% of his total snaps at heads-up nose tackle this year, making his production nothing short of incredible. Only one player since 2014 has produced a higher PFF grade at 0-technique than McNeil’s 90.5 this season (former Mississippi State Bulldog and current Tennessee Titan Jeffery Simmons in 2017).

McNeill won 10% of his pass-rush snaps at nose tackle, an impressive figure in its own right, but the reason for his success is all due to his run defense. He was a constant disruptor and fully deserved the 92.1 run-defense grade on the year.

McNeill’s grade against the run explains why the Jags could be interested as they were 30th against the rush in 2020, allowing an average of 153.3 yards a game. His 10% success figure on pass-rush snaps is also rather intriguing as that would indicate that McNeill can help them in more than one way.

Several sites on the internet have McNeill being taken late in the second round to the early part of the third round. While the Jags have the first pick in the second round and a pick in the middle of it, their third round pick (No. 65) might be an area where they would select McNeill.

Cardinals 3-round mock draft simulation nets OL, DL, TE

See what the results of this simulation from Pro Football Focus gives us.

Now that the regular season is over, the long offseason for Arizona Cardinals fans has begun. Part of this long journey includes mock drafts, which for some give them an idea of who the Cardinals could draft.

Many sites offer some form of a mock draft machine. Pro Football Focus is one of those and theirs is quite robust – offering trades and a variety of lengths to use.

Today we will go through a three-round mock draft for Arizona with PFF’s mock draft engine.