Dave BirkettDetroit Free Press
The newest Detroit Lions defensive lineman is looking forward to playing with some of the team’s holdovers up front — and mentoring at least one of them, too.
New Lions defensive tackle D.J. Reader said he’s eager to join forces with Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill on what should be an improved Lions defensive line this fall.
Hutchinson led the Lions with 11.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl in his second NFL season in 2023. McNeill had a career-high five sacks in 13 games.
Reader and McNeill are expected to start at the defensive tackle positions, and the Lions return their top three ends — Hutchinson, John Cominsky and Josh Paschal — and added Marcus Davenport in free agency.
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“I’m super excited,” Reader said of playing with McNeill. “He’s a young player who has a lot, a lot of talent. … I’m excited to pair with him, see the things that he does well. I watch him all the time on film, so I’m excited to just get around him and just be around and be able to pick his brain about what he likes about the position.”
McNeill indicated the feeling was mutual, responding to a video clip of Reader talking about the pairing on the social media site X with the post, “It’s finna get uggglyyyyyyyy.”
Reader and McNeill give the Lions 630 pounds of beef in the middle of their defensive line, and two of the best run-stopping tackles in the league. McNeill was the eighth highest-ranked defensive tackle against the run last season, according to Pro Football Focus, while Reader was 10th.
Reader also had 10 quarterback pressures last season, the second most of his career.
“Every guy’s got different things they enjoy about playing D-tackle,” Reader said. “I got my own things that I enjoy, so I want to just talk to him about it and just be able to pick his brain, see what he’s got going on and see what our future holds.”
Asked what he enjoys most about the position, Reader said “the physicality of it.”
As for Hutchinson, Reader said the two should benefit from playing alongside one another.
“Aidan’s one of the most unique edge rushers we have in the league right now,” Reader said. “I mean, one, you don’t have too many people that size, who can bend the edge like he can, who’s pretty relentless in the rush like he is. He gets hot. He’s like a hot shooter. You watch him during the playoffs, those games when he has like multiple sacks or catches a pick or those things, he gets hot and he’s feeling it. You can tell he’s feeling it. That’s always fun to play beside.”
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In Cincinnati last year, Reader played next to Trey Hendrickson, who tied for second in the league with 17.5 sacks.
“You find a player who gets hot like that and you can help push the pocket, maybe things a little bit easier for him that way he can really run the edge, you don’t got to counter inside, those things,” Reader said. “But when you got a guy like that who’s got pretty much every move in his bag and can do whatever, you just try to be able to be a good teammate, man. I’m just trying to be there and motivate him. I know how hot he gets. I want to be on that sideline giving him — like when he is hot, I want to be hyping him up. Be his biggest cheerleader on the sideline and when he isn’t, I want to get him in that zone. So it’s fun. It’ll be fun to be able to tap into that young talent.”
One other young talent the Lions are counting on Reader tapping into is second-year nose tackle Brodric Martin.
Martin played sparingly as a rookie — just 28 defensive snaps in three games — but could play a rotational role in 2024.
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Reader said he benefitted from having good mentors early in his career in Vince Wilfork and J.J. Watt with the Houston Texans and hopes to be the same to Martin with the Lions.
“He’s a young pup, he’s running around, trying to figure things out so I can’t wait to get my hands on him and just talk to him, talk to him about ball, how to play this position, especially that nose guard position,” Reader said. “It’s a unique position and there’s a right way to do it and there’s a wrong way to do it and there’s just things you can learn that’ll help you out. Especially I think you can be asked to take double teams on all the time, so hopefully I can help him a lot.
"And I’m going to be in his ear about it. Whether he want to hear it or not, I’m going to be in his ear and just trying to help and push him to be better cause you want your team to be in a great spot, so I want him to be the best he can and hopefully he pushes me to be the best I can and we can all elevate this whole group.”
Contact Dave Birkett atdbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@davebirkett.
Feeling a draft?
What:2024 NFL draft.
Where:Detroit.
The schedule:Round 1 — 8 p.m. April 25; Rounds 2-3 — 7 p.m. April 26; Rounds 4-7 — Noon.
TV:ABC, ESPN, NFL Network.
Lions’ picks (with overall pick in parentheses):Round 1 — No. 29 (29); Round 2 — No. 29 (61); Round 3 — No. 9 (73); Round 5 — No. 29 (164); Round 6 — No. 25 (201); Round 7 — No. 29 (249).
