Tag: alim mcneill

Rookie report: Wrapping up Week 14 performances from the Lions rookies

The Lions played a lot of rookies in the Week 14 loss to the Broncos. Our Max Gerber breaks down how they fared in Denver.

With so many players sitting out due to injury and illness on Sunday’s game, the Detroit Lions had to rely on several members of their 2021 rookie class.

While some were already inked into their starting roles, others were put in situations where they hadn’t played before.

On the offensive line, first-round pick Penei Sewell once again put on an elite performance. The rookie allowed no sacks and didn’t commit a single penalty despite going up against the Broncos’ stout defensive line.

Unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for undrafted rookie Ryan McCollum. McCollum was the only center remaining on the roster due to Frank Ragnow being on injured reserve and Evan Brown on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. McCollum allowed a sack on Jared Goff on the very first offensive drive for the Lions and committed a holding penalty later in the game. His snaps were never an issue, but his ability to keep the pocket clean needs a lot of work.

Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown came off a strong performance the week prior and managed to remain a sure-handed target for Goff against Denver. The rookie had eight receptions for 73 yards while aiding a very short-handed offense.

At tight end, the Lions had to rely on not one, but two, undrafted rookies. With T.J. Hockenson out, Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra took over duties at the tight end position. While both have been seen more as blocking options in the past, the two were utilized heavily in the passing game. Wright had three receptions for 20 yards. Zylstra was targeted six times but only came away with two catches. He had an unfortunate drop in the end zone at one point, but that error could be attributed more to a poor decision by Goff.

On the defensive line, third-round pick Alim McNeill came away with his first career sack and had arguably his best game as an interior pass-rusher. Levi Onwuzurike had a fairly quiet game despite being on the field for 40-percent of the defensive snaps. Both rookies came away with four tackles.

Derrick Barnes took 47 snaps on defense as an inside linebacker. The rookie struggled to defend the run and also had a rough outing in coverage, allowing a 32-yard reception at one point in the game. While he has all of the physical tools to play linebacker in the NFL, there’s still much to learn for the rookie.

In the secondary, starting cornerback Jerry Jacobs went down after five snaps after tearing his ACL due to some friendly fire by Will Harris.

Rookie running back Jermar Jefferson was active, but was kept on the bench most of the game. Head coach Dan Campbell attributed this to him missing a majority of practice due to injury and illness.

Offensive lineman Tommy Kraemer only took the field for the field goal and extra point attempt, which were both completed by fellow rookie Riley Patterson.

Lions team PFF grades vs. Broncos reflect terrible defensive outing

The Lions earned season-worst PFF grades in run defense and pass rush in the loss to Denver

The Denver Broncos ran almost at will against the Detroit Lions in Week 14. Denver rolled up 184 yards on the ground, averaging 4.7 yards per carry and picking up 14 first downs on the ground.

The injury-riddled Detroit defense just wasn’t up to the challenge of stopping Denver’s run offense. Melvin Gordon rambled for 111 yards, with Javonte Williams netting 73 more. The Pro Football Focus team grades from the game reflect just how poorly the dilapidated Detroit defense played — particularly the guys on the line.

Detroit scored its lowest game grades as a team in run defense at 33.3. And while the Broncos didn’t pass the ball for a lot of yards (174 net, 24 fewer than Jared Goff and the Lions), quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had little pressure when he dropped back. The Lions also notched their worst pass rush grade as a team (48.4) through the first 13 games.

Tackling (36.4) and overall defense (40.5) were also very close to the worst for the season, though the loss to Chicago in Week 4 represents the bottom in those two metrics.

Two rookies scored the lowest individual grades. Linebacker Derrick Barnes had a 25.7 overall score, while end Levi Onwuzurike managed a 29.9 grade. Safety Jalen Elliott contributed to the low tackling score, missing four tackles on his way to a 26.4 grade in tackling. Cornerback Amani Oruwariye, LB Charles Harris and DT Alim McNeill also notched tackling grades below 30.

Only one Lions defender, reserve safety C.J. Moore, topped 70 overall in PFF scores.

Detroit Lions vs. Denver Broncos: Everything we know from Week 14

Breaking down the keys to victory, stats, stars and more from the Lions Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos

The Detroit Lions traveled to Denver in Week 14 without several key pieces of the team. Injuries and a COVID-19 outbreak forced many players much higher on the depth chart than they typically are, including seven players called up from the practice squad.

For a team that already is at a talent disadvantage most weeks, being without nearly half the starting lineup after injuries to CB Jerry Jacobs and LB Alex Anzalone made winning a nearly impossible task. The Lions put up a spirited fight in the first half before the Broncos superior talent and better execution and attention to detail ran away with the victory.

Lions vs. Bears: Rookie expectations for the Thanksgiving game

What to expect from Penei Sewell, Derrick Barnes and the rest of the Lions rookie class on Thanksgiving

After a great performance by several members of the Detroit Lions’ 2021 rookie class against Cleveland, expectations for them are higher than ever for this upcoming Thanksgiving game.

Against Cleveland, some of these rookies got the start, while others were thrown into the action due to injuries. Now set to face Chicago on Thursday, many from this class could have larger roles against the Bears.

On the offensive line, first-round pick Penei Sewell held his own against Jadeveon Clowney and didn’t allow a sack for a fifth-straight game. He will start against Chicago and hope to repeat his success against their defensive line. Luckily for Sewell, Chicago’s star defensive lineman Akiem Hicks will sit out of this matchup.

Undrafted rookies Tommy Kraemer and Ryan McCollum both were thrust into their first offensive snaps due to injuries to starters Evan Brown and Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Both of them performed fairly well, especially given the circumstances. This Thanksgiving, McCollum will be the sole backup center for Brown while Kraemer is expected to start at right guard while Vaitai recovers from a concussion.

Running back Jermar Jefferson, who missed last week’s game, is questionable to appear in this week’s Thanksgiving showdown. The rookie had shown serious potential on limited snaps this season. If Jefferson is able to play on Thursday, he will serve as a backup behind D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams.

Against Cleveland, only one Lions receiver showed up in the box score — Amon-Ra St. Brown. Due to poor play from second-string quarterback Tim Boyle, St. Brown and the rest of the receiving corps weren’t given much opportunity. This week, Jared Goff should return to the helm of the offense. If he does, expect St. Brown to get his fair share of catches.

Undrafted rookie tight end Brock Wright got involved early against the Browns, catching a 12-yard pass from Boyle on the first play of the game. Though he didn’t record a stat for the rest of the game, he did help the Lions’ run game go for 168 yards and a touchdown as a blocker. He’s still the only tight end on the roster other than T.J. Hockenson, so he will see plenty of reps on Thursday.

On the defensive line, Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill both earned a good amount of snaps against Cleveland. The two have the chance to do some real damage against the Bears. Chicago has allowed the most sacks in the NFL this season and are going to be without mobile quarterback Justin Fields. Against a much less mobile Andy Dalton, they should be able to put on a significant amount of pressure up front and collapse the pocket, opening up the door for Detroit’s defense to get to the quarterback.

Linebacker Derrick Barnes is still serving as a rotational inside linebacker for Detroit. He showed some real struggles in coverage against the Browns and also had a hard time against running back Nick Chubb. Now he will have to face Chicago’s duo of Khalil Herbert and David Montgomery. With a short week to prepare, don’t expect much from this rookie.

In the secondary, there is potential for two undrafted rookies to start. Rookie AJ Parker is sitting out due to an injury, meaning fellow first-year cornerback Jerry Jacobs could be shifted in to the slot. If this happens, Mark Gilbert could be the guy on the outside for Detroit. If Will Harris is moved into the slot instead, Jacobs will start on the outside and Gilbert will be the next man up.

Rookie kicker Riley Patterson could see the field for the first time on Thursday. He was inactive last week as Detroit opted to elevate Aldrick Rosas and use him as their placekicker instead. Rosas likely has the upper hand, but don’t count out Patterson.

Lions vs. Steelers: Best and worst PFF grades from Week 10

Here are this week’s PFF best and worst performances for the Detroit Lions week 10 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers

It wasn’t exactly the performance the Detroit Lions were hoping for coming out their bye. Still, after one of the most unappealing, uncompetitive games you will ever watch, the Lions mustered out a 16-16 tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If there was ever a game where neither team deserved to claim victory, it was most certainly this one where each team was doing everything in their power to lose this week. The Lions offense became predictable real quick, and once the Steelers were able to solve that issue, it was all over for them. On the flip side of the defense, they did put in a solid effort, but when you are facing Mason Rudolph on the other side, it can be difficult to judge how well the players are performing.

The performances speak for themselves, and with the latest PFF grades from this matchup, it almost lines up with how you would anticipate from this week.

Lions vs. Rams: Best and worst PFF grades from Week 7

The Detroit Lions best and worst performers in PFF grades from their Week 7 loss against the Los Angeles Rams

Amongst their luggage, the Detroit Lions brought their bag of tricks against the Los Angeles Rams. It wasn’t enough to overcome the high-powered Rams as the Lions lost their seventh straight this season to a 28-19 defeat.

The majority of the populous did not give the Lions a shot at even competing with a potential Super Bowl contender, figuring they would get embarrassed out of Los Angeles. However, with two fake punts and a successful onside kick, the Lions were able to steal processions away and gave them a shot at potentially stealing this game away from the Rams. Unfortunately, the Lions were not able to capitalize on those efforts due to untimely mistakes but let me tell you, that is probably the most entertaining Lions game in quite some time.

Considering how often the Lions have been set as major underdogs this season, they have held tight against tough teams, giving some hope that the Lions are heading in the right direction. You can see the improvements the players are making and the coaching staff taking each loss as a lesson learned and applying for future matchups.

With this week’s top PFF performers, who can see the massive steps forward taken amongst the player, the bottom players are trying to find their footing.

What we learned from the Lions 34-11 loss to the Bengals

Lessons on Goff, penalties, promising youngsters on defense and using the Bengals rebuilding blueprint

It was not a happy Sunday in Ford Field for the Detroit Lions or their faithful fans in the stands. The Lions meekly fell to the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, 34-11, in a game that was the worst display of the young Dan Campbell coaching era.

There were no moral victories in this one, no “if we just did this one thing” hypotheticals. This was a game about hard lessons of the reality of being the last winless team in the NFL, and playing like they will stay there longer than anyone hopes.

Here are a few of the lessons we learned from the beatdown by the Bengals in Week 6.

Lions PFF grades: Best and worst players against the Bears from Week 4

The Detroit Lions PFF grades reflect the continued struggles in the secondary and average showing from the offense against the Chicago Bears

The Detroit Lions seemed to be on the up and up competing against the top-tier teams this season. Heading into Week 4, you had to believe they were feeling good against the Chicago Bears team that gave up nine sacks the previous week. The only kicker was they competing against the Bears and themselves, turning to be their downfall.

With poor execution, sub-par defensive play, and the constant shot footing, the Lions could not get anything figured out until it was too late. Also, to add injury to insult, the Lions lost their best defensive player, Romeo Okwara, for the season, making a poor defense much weaker in the long run.

There weren’t too many stellar players this week, and it reflected in this week’s PFF grades for the Lions.

Lions PFF grades: Best and worst players against the Ravens

The Detroit Lions PFF grades are in and here are the best and worst performers against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.

The Detroit Lions were in the midst of nailing their first victory of the season until Justin Tucker did some nailing of his own, hitting a record-setting 66-yard field goal to give the Baltimore Ravens a 19-17 victory over the Lions. Even with the controversy surrounding the game, the Lions were able to contain a dangerous Ravens offense for the most part and seemed up to the battle against a potential Super Bowl contender.

Heading into Week 4 against division rival, the Chicago Bears, the Lions will look to build upon the foundations and mend the potential cracks before they get out of control.

Here are the Lions best and worst players from their Week 3 matchup against the Ravens.

Lions’ Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill rank high among rookie defensive linemen

The Detroit Lions doubled down on defensive tackles, Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill, in the draft and looks to be paying early dividends

When General Manager Brad Holmes decided to double down on defensive tackles with back-to-back picks in the 2021 NFL draft with the selections of Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill, it was a head-scratching moment for everyone. The Detroit Lions clearly had other weak areas that needed addressing (i.e., wide receiver and safety). This seemed more like a luxury selection instead of allocating assets to more than one position.

So far, it looks like Holmes has the last laugh. Through the preseason, Onwuzurike and McNeill rank in the top 5 in PFF’s overall defensive grading amongst defensive line rookies with a 90.5 grade and 74.6 grade, respectively. To add context, Onwuzurike has only played 17 snaps through one game, and McNeill has 23 snaps through two games, which rank as second and third lowest, respectively, among that same class. Either way, you can see the talent surrounding these two players and how much they will look to make an impact now and in the future for the Lions.

If you could pick one player who exceeded all expectations through training camp and preseason, you don’t have to look any further than “Mr. Twinkle Toes” himself. McNeill was expected to compete with John Penisini as the team’s starting nose tackle throughout camp. Still, with Penisini’s injuries keeping him out, McNeill took over the reins with star-studded fashion. His superior athleticism and discipline give him the versatility to be equally effective anywhere on the interior defensive line as a pass rusher and run defender.

Even his defensive line coach, Todd Wash, was taken back by how he adapted so quickly.

“He’s better than I thought when we drafted him, to be honest. I think we would all say that. We knew he was a heck of a run defender. He’s stout at the point, but he’s a lot better athlete than he showed on tape, which for us was unbelievable. He’s not just an A-gap to A-gap player, so if he can continue to get better—we got to keep a thumb on him—I think he can be an exceptional nose guard in this league in time.”

The opportunities going up against one of the best centers in the NFL in Frank Ragnow consistently has allowed McNeill to grow as a player and quickly develop the tools that will allow him to be a disruptive force on the defensive line. At this point, expectations are high for McNeill from the coaches and himself in hopes that he continues this dominance through the regular season and wreck opposing offenses.

As for Onwuzurike, the coaches were cautious with the second-round selection with a lingering back injury, so we didn’t get to see him make the immediate impact as McNeill did. This led some people to think he wouldn’t be ready to start the regular season playing catch-up and getting acclimated to NFL speed. However, he was able to put that rest real quick and in a hurry with an impressive showing in camp where it seemed he spend all day in the backfield disrupting play after play releasing all the energy like a wound toy up waiting to be released.

He continued that dominance against the Pittsburgh Steelers, wreaking havoc whenever he got the chance to, recording two pressures on ten pass-rushing snaps, and added a run stop in for good measure. He might’ve not flashed on the stat sheet, but he was a force in the interior, making the Steeler offensive line miserable to contain him. Being this was his first taste of football in over a year with his 2020 opt-out, most would say he performed very well, but being his own critic, he knows he still has some kinks to overcome.

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“I think I did solid, not where I wanted to be 100%. I didn’t play to my standard. Obviously, getting back to the things from feeling tired on the field. But I think a solid day, nothing crucial. I feel like I am ready for it. I think today was something real good to get in, feel good, you know, fill your body out, take double teams, feel all that, so it usually only takes one game. Obviously, this next upcoming preseason game will be huge for that, but I think we’re good.”

We know coach Campbell will not be playing most of his starters in the preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts; it’ll be interesting to see what kind of action Onwuzurike and McNeill get. He wants to get the reps in for the young players, but you don’t want to run the risk with players you know will be leaning on throughout the season.

Nevertheless, the development for these two players has risen above most expectations heading in training camp and preseason. It is a breath of fresh light to see the players grow and make an almost immediate impact right from the jump, especially the debacles from last season. With the regular season right around the corner, surely these two are ready to be the disruptive forces they are meant to be and help elevate the Lions defense.