Detroit Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill had a breakout campaign in 2023, establishing himself as a key member of the team’s defense. But could the former third-round pick make a surprising appearance on offense in 2024? It’s something the team is contemplating.
Head coach Dan Campbell revealed ahead of the second minicamp practice on Wednesday that the Lions are considering using McNeill as a fullback, given that the team currently doesn’t have 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, according to Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit. “That’s what you’re trying to do. It forces a defense into a look you want, usually.”
Campbell continued, “Mac can do it. 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.”
Besides McNeill, Campbell mentioned that the team is also considering utilizing its tight ends in the fullback role, which would be a more conventional approach. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez is another candidate, having been used as a fullback at times during the 2023 season.
👀👀‼️ pic.twitter.com/7fv3gVB1Ot
— Alim McNeill (@AlimMcneill) September 24, 2017
“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.”
Using a defensive lineman as a fullback isn’t unheard of, and McNeill did see some action in the backfield during his high school days. However, given his primary responsibilities on defense, any offensive snaps he gets would likely be limited and situational.
