Lions DE Got Faster, Stronger, Leaner. Is Ready to Compete in Stacked Room

Detroit Lions second-year defensive end Ahmed Hassanein is battling hard and willing to do whatever it takes for the opportunity to change the lives of his whole family.

After a rookie NFL season that involved rehabbing from a pec injury, the former sixth-round draft pick worked with his trainer David Lawrence at Michigan Elite Conditioning for Athletes (MECA) to get faster, stronger and leaner.

"I've been working. I've been really working. I got a personal trainer. The guy that was one of the best I have ever trained with. He trains hard," said Hassanein. "He trains a lot of professional athletes. We got into, like the depth, really into it. His name is David Lawrence. Man, he changed my whole trajectory."

After it was discovered the talented defensive end was dealing with a lot of body inflammation, a plan was put into place to revamp his diet, avoiding foods that did not fit into his anti-inflammatory regime.

The results have been impactful. Hassanein is feeling the best he ever has and has put himself in the position to possibly earn a spot at big end.

"I put on a lot of muscle and dropped a lot of body fat. I had a lot of inflammation in my body. So, he reduced that all by the right supplements, by the right foods. We did a blood test. There are certain foods that I can't eat. I really dove in into my diet. I think that it's going to be a game changer for me. I've been feeling the best I ever felt. Yeah, just putting on a lot of muscle," said Hassanein. "There's a lot of things that I used to like struggle with -- like my lower back, stuff like that. It's like I didn't have that extension to power. But now, we work the crap out of my hamstrings. I got faster, I got stronger and I got leaner. Oh man, that guy literally changed everything. He's the real deal. I'm just so grateful that Aidan (Hutchinson) put me on him, and I've been training with him ever since."

Hassanein does not shy away from criticisms of his game. He even took a self-critical approach when discussing what the added strength and speed will allow him to accomplish out on the football field.

Implementing mixed martial arts into his regime was added to improve his ability to finish, when there are opportunities to sack the quarterback.

"I struggled a lot in college with just finishing sacks. So, I'm being totally honest with you, I struggled getting the quarterback down. I get to the quarterback, but there's something that happened and he goes away from me. So I just, it's also always good to work head movement, to keep that competitive drive up, to work to learn about body leverage and just to see where all the weight is," said Hassanein. "It's the same thing as an o-lineman. You see where his weight, where he's leaning, where he's kicking, like where his drop is. You're gonna see all that, and it's gonna help you a lot in the long run. So, I did a little bit of that. I actually got a stripe. I'm still a white belt."

This offseason, the team added several new defensive ends to the roster. While it may appear to be the organization having a lack of faith in his abilities, Hassanein understands the best players will suit up and welcomes the challenge of learning and battling against other defensive ends on the roster.

"I'm following my lane. It's always great. I want them to bring the best guy, because that's going to bring me, I'm going to compete when I work my ass off like I always do. And it doesn't matter," said Hassanein. "This thing is outside of my control. The difference that I'm going to do this year, things outside of my control, that I can't control, I'm not going to stress about it. All I can worry about is my effort, my mentality, how I control my emotions, and how I show up every day with a positive attitude and make the most of my opportunities.

"Give me two reps, I'll make the most out of them. They give me three reps, five reps, six reps. If I'm going, it's going to be great for me. I'm just grateful to be in this Lions organization, because the best guy is going to play. I truly want the best guys that are going to play. Going to keep going at it, we're going to compete. It's all I can control now."

Over the next month, one of the primary goals is to continue to improve his football intelligence and to truly compete for a role in Kelvin Sheppard's defense.

"Just FBI, like football intelligence. Like just getting it (football IQ) up, especially catching up with the defense. Like what is my d-tackle doing? What's my other side? If you're going to move me to a big end position, what Davenport used to play, that's what they did with me. I'll be moving to the other side. It's good for me, because now I can compete for a true spot, which that's all I want," Hassanein said. "Just to be here and compete, just work my ass off.

"This is what drives me every single day. And man, I have the opportunity to change my whole family's life," Hassanein added. "I'm going to make the most out of it, because I see what I can be, and I have the confidence in what God gives me. And I feel like I can accomplish something that is really special."

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