Wednesday afternoon kicked off the joint practice sessions featuring the Detroit Lions and the Indianapolis Colts. One of the big takeaways from nearly everyone in attendance at the Colts training facility revolved around one of the biggest players on the Lions.
Second-year defensive tackle Alim McNeill drew raves from media observers of both teams on the first day of the joint practice. Going against a good Colts offensive line, McNeill made his presence felt right off the bat.
Lions media already knows how good McNeill has looked all summer. The validation comes from the Colts media, many of whom didn’t really know about big No. 54 in the middle of the Detroit defense.
Here’s a few tidbits from Colts observers that highlight McNeill’s disruptive, impressive day in Indianapolis:
Watched Colts Off. in 1v1 and 7v7 work against Lions.
Pierce (won all three 1v1 reps) + Pittman stood out.
Granson w/ a drop but bounced back with a great catch in 7v7
Lions Dline looked to get the better of Colts front. Pryor lost a few reps;
Pinter worked by Alim McNeill.— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) August 17, 2022
During 1-on-1s, Alim McNeill also got a couple “Damn, who’s that’s?!” Very powerful player
— Jake Arthur (@JakeArthurNFL) August 17, 2022
In his practice notes at SI.com, Arthur wrote this about McNeill,
McNeill looked incredibly powerful, backing Colts blockers back into their own “zone” throughout the 1-on-1s.
Nate Atkins of the Indy Star noted the success of the interior defense, which consistently bottled up Jonathan Taylor, the NFL’s leading rusher in 2021.
The downside to the Colts offense Wednesday came up front. The Lions challenged them most on the interior, as rush lanes swallowed quickly for Jonathan Taylor.
It’s a good development for the Lions, who otherwise really struggled in slowing down the Colts offense on the first day.
