NC State’s Alim McNeill drafted by Detroit Lions

Raleigh’s Alim McNeill, who played at Sanderson High School and N.C. State, was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions on Friday night.

McNeill (6-2, 317) became the seventh defensive lineman to be drafted to the NFL in the Dave Doeren era.

The junior defensive lineman was an All-ACC selection in 2020, recording 26 tackles his final year, giving him 78 for his career. The 2020 campaign was his first as a full-time starter. McNeill appeared in 35 games in three seasons coming out of Sanderson.

On Oct. 10 at Virginia, McNeill had a game changing pick-six that gave the Wolfpack some separation from the Cavaliers. He faced double teams almost every week, but had two four-tackle games (Miami and Liberty).

McNeill was known for his run stopping ability, but he had one sack against Duke, and finished with 10 sacks in his career.

After his freshman season, McNeill was named a freshman All-American by 247Sports after playing in all 13 games. As a sophomore he started six games at defensive tackle (28 tackles) and was an All-ACC selection by Pro Football Focus.

This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 10:03 PM.