Redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson leads the NC State defense in tackles (and interceptions, go figure) and graduate student defensive end Daniel Joseph leads the unit in sacks through six games. While both players have had stellar seasons so far, there’s a chance they’re not even the Wolfpack’s best players on the defensive side of the ball.
Wolfpack fans know just how good of a player junior defensive tackle Alim McNeill is. His work in the trenches goes unnoticed by some columns of the stat sheet, so he gets less shine. With McNeill anchoring the defensive line, the rest of the defense can benefit from his play.
Let’s start with McNeill’s 6-foot-2, 320-pound frame. As NC State’s best defensive tackle, he gets a lot of attention from opposing offensive lines. It’s safe to say he’s hard to miss, even when you’re watching him on the TV screen or you’re in the stands, so imagine how massive he looks if you have to line up against him.
McNeill almost never gets covered by just one guy, and the fact that he registers any stats at all against double teams is a minor miracle. With the extra attention given to McNeill, players like Joseph and redshirt freshman defensive end Terrell Dawkins now have just one offensive lineman to worry about.
McNeill has racked up 12 tackles, one sack, one interception and a defensive touchdown. On the one hand, those aren’t the kind of stats that a so-called best player on the defense would have. On the other hand, it proves the point that McNeill’s impact is felt in a way that doesn’t show up on the statsheet, with one glaring exception.
That’s right, while McNeill isn’t the leader in tackles, sacks or interceptions, he does lead the defense in touchdowns. Against Virginia, McNeill batted a ball into the air, caught it and ran it in for a score. And he didn’t just run over dudes en route for the touchdown either, the big man displayed some outstanding quickness, or at least as much quickness you can display on a 20-yard scamper. If you combine that with his sub-five second 40-yard time, maybe offensive coordinator Tim Beck may consider borrowing McNeill from the defense to use as a fullback.
At the end of the day, whether he’s in the spotlight or not, McNeill helps NC State win football games. With his big build, McNeill is the prototypical run-stopper that so many football teams want, making sure opposing teams can’t run the ball. Wake Forest averaged a paltry 3 yards per carry against NC State, with Pittsburgh at 2.5, Virginia at 2.8 and Duke at 3.1.
While NC State showed off its ability to stop the run, the more important stat is that the Wolfpack won all those games. Case in point: When McNeill plays well, NC State is in prime position to get a win.
While it’s Wilson and sophomore linebacker Drake Thomas who rack up the tackle stats and have stopped opposing running backs so far, their jobs would be a lot harder without the presence of McNeill.
He’s got the kind of presence that will make it likely he’ll join Larrell Murchison, James Smith-Williams and other great NC State defensive linemen from the last couple of years in hearing his name called at the NFL draft. He might not have the eyes of the sports world on him now, but he will soon enough.
