Detroit Lions 3rd round pick NT Alim McNeill signs rookie contract

The Detroit Lions have got their first 2021 NFL Draft pick under contract. NFL Network’s Tom Peliserro is reporting that third-round pick defensive tackle Alim McNeill has signed his rookie contract, a four-year, $5.1 million deal.

Pelissero reported that McNeill maxed out his rookie contract with a $1.09 million signing bonus, which was also confirmed by Dave Birkett of the Free Press. Birkett would also supply McNeill’s base salaries over the next four years, as well as reporting the contract had a $25,000 workout bonus in each offseason.

So based on these reports, McNeill’s contract should look like this:

2021

Base Salary: $660,000
Prorated Bonus: $272,578
Workout bonus: $25,000
Cap hit: $957,578

2022

Base Salary: $868,145
Prorated Bonus: $272,578
Workout bonus: $25,000
Cap hit: $1,165,723

2023

Base Salary: $1,101,290
Prorated Bonus: $272,578
Workout bonus: $25,000
Cap hit: $1,398,868

2024

Base Salary: $1,334,435
Prorated Bonus: $272,578
Workout bonus: $25,000
Cap hit: $1,632,013

“We get players that we love,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said of McNeill. “We get players that we’re excited about. We don’t say like, ‘OK, we have to get this defensive lineman, we’ve got to get this nose tackle because those are the positions that we need.’ No. We just get football players that we’re really excited about and that we’re hot on.”

By signing his contract, McNeill will be available to participate in the Lions rookie mini-camp, which is set to kick off on Friday May 14 through Sunday the 16. Rookies are not required to have a signed contract to participate, but they are heavily encouraged to be under contract before beginning workouts, in order to protect themselves in case they are injured.

The Lions typically have all their rookies signed before they partake in rookie camp, which means we will likely be hearing about the rest of the draft class soon, save first round pick Penei Sewell, who will miss camp after testing positive for COVID-19.