It’s been a banner season for NC State junior defensive tackle Alim McNeill.

As he heads off to pursue his NFL dreams in April, McNeill, who has already announced his intention to leave early, will depart as a first-team All-American, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).

They wrote:

“McNeil played 87% of his total snaps at heads-up nose tackle this year, making his production nothing short of incredible. Only one player since 2014 has produced a higher PFF grade at 0-technique than McNeil’s 90.5 this season (former Mississippi State Bulldog and current Tennessee Titan Jeffery Simmons in 2017).

“McNeil won 10% of his pass-rush snaps at nose tackle, an impressive figure in its own right, but the reason for his success is all due to his run defense. He was a constant disruptor and fully deserved the 92.1 run-defense grade on the year.”

McNeill had 26 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and a sack, a forced fumble and fumble recovery and one memorable pick six at Virginia during the season.

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