Toward the end of last season, three players caught the eye of Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. He's expecting them to pop even more this season.
The first was defensive tackle Alim McNeill, who became more of a presence in the opposition's backfield when the Lions began featuring more four-man fronts. The 2021 third-round pick produced both his sacks in the season's final five games. With Detroit's defense switching to a 4-3 base in 2022, McNeill will have more opportunites to blow through offensive lines.
"We couldn’t change the whole scheme at that point, but we started putting Alim in positions where he could attack and you saw how disruptive he was," Glenn said Thursday.
Then he pivoted to cornerback Amani Oruwariye, who finished third in the NFL in interceptions and posted a career-high 11 passes defended in 14 games. When targeted, he held quarterbacks to a passer rating of 74.1. The former fifth-round pick is Detroit's No. 1 corner entering this season.
"Amani made great strides," said Glenn. "Great strides. And my mindset now with Amani is, I understand his strengths and I understand his weaknesses. You keep throwing at him, he’s going to get one. That’s good for us to have because it’s confidence, and we want to make sure that player knows we’re confident in him. They might catch a couple balls on you, I got it, but if they keep throwing at you, you’re going to make plays."
"And then obviously," said Glenn, "Charles Harris, man."
No kidding. A reclamation project who arrived in Detroit as a first-round bust, Harris wound up leading the Lions in sacks (7.5), QB pressures (34) and tackles for loss (10). He had the game of his life in the club's Week 15 upset of the Cardinals and earned a two-year, $13 million deal this offseason.
And Harris is hitting the ground running in 2022.
"I tell you what, you just watch him right now, he is on-tilt every freaking play," Glenn said. "I can expect a lot more from that player this year. I’m excited about what he’s bringing to the table and I’m going to make sure we allow him to do exactly what we feel like he can do going into this season."
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