Detroit Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill had a breakout campaign in 2023 and was a key member of the team's defense. But could the former third-round pick get a look on offense in 2024?
That's something the team is apparently considering, as head coach Dan Campbell revealed ahead of the second minicamp practice on Wednesday that the team is considering using him as a fullback with the team not having one on the roster.
“We like a fullback, if it makes sense and it’s somebody we know can help us at that position and can dictate to the defense,” Campbell said, per Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit. “That’s what you’re trying to do. It forces a defense into a look you want, usually.”
"Mac can do it," Campbell added. "It's just a matter of do you want to do that? He can do it. It's just, alright how many plays did he just play on this last drive you know? Was this a ten play drive? Does he got his energy back to run out there at fullback? We've talked about it for a while so you never know, we could throw him in there."
Along with McNeill, Campbell said the team is also considering using its tight ends in that role, which would be a much more normal approach. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez is also an option after being used as a fullback some in 2023.
“Rodrigo is playing, he’s at the linebacker position competing. We’ve got a stable full of tight ends that we’re working with a little bit. So that (fullback) could be a tight end, it could be one of those guys.”
👀👀‼️ pic.twitter.com/7fv3gVB1Ot
— Alim McNeill (@AlimMcneill) September 24, 2017
Using a defensive lineman as a fullback certainly isn't unheard of, and McNeill did get some work in the backfield during his high school days. But because of his defensive responsibilities, he's likely to be used sparingly, at most.
