The Athletic’s one bold prediction for the Detroit Lions this season lands on defensive tackle Alim McNeill, and it is not a small one: a Pro Bowl. Detroit is coming off a 9-8 finish that ended in last place in the NFC North with no playoff berth.

The 2026 setup is friendlier. Warren Sharp’s annual strength-of-schedule study, built on Vegas win totals, ranks Detroit’s slate the easiest in the league against a projected total of 10.5 wins, and plenty of analysts have the Lions back in the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. The offense is expected to bounce back, with Brad Holmes reworking the receiver room over the summer.

The defense is the swing factor. Detroit has to find pressure from somewhere other than Aidan Hutchinson, and the interior of the line is the obvious place to look.

The Athletic Predicts Alim McNeill to Be a Pro Bowler

The Athletic’s staff wrote one bold prediction for all 32 teams ahead of the season. Lions writer Colton Pouncy took McNeill.

“The last time we saw Alim McNeill at full strength, in 2024, he was playing at a Pro Bowl level,” Pouncy wrote. “McNeill finished top 15 that season among qualified defensive tackles in pass-rush win rate and pressures before a torn ACL ended his season in December.”

Pouncy noted that McNeill came back in October 2025 still overthinking on the field and rebuilding trust in the knee, and that he now believes the injury is behind him. “Dan Campbell has raved about him, and offensive linemen say they can tell he’s looking himself again,” Pouncy wrote.

Alim McNeill Lost Most of 2025

McNeill played only 10 games last season and finished with 14 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one pass deflection. He tore the ACL in December 2024 and did not make his 2025 debut until Week 7 against Tampa Bay. Getting to the Pro Bowl in the NFC means a jump off that line, not a step.

The Interior Line Decides Detroit’s Defense

McNeill projects as a starter on a defensive line that has to be the anchor of this unit. If Hutchinson finally gets real help inside, the Lions become a much harder team to game plan against, and Dan Campbell’s staff has far more to work with than it did a year ago.