Detroit Lions Lose Promising Rookie to Patriots

The Detroit Lions knew some of their difficult roster decisions could eventually benefit another NFL team.

That has now happened with rookie linebacker Erick Hunter .

The New England Patriots officially announced Tuesday that they have signed Hunter to their 53-man active roster , ending any possibility of the Lions bringing the promising undrafted rookie back to their practice squad.

NFL reporter Aaron Wilson first reported the move Tuesday afternoon:

"Erick Hunter signed to the active roster today with the New England Patriots per a league source."

For Detroit, this is not a devastating roster loss. Hunter was waived Sunday and did not make the Lions' initial practice squad.

Hunter arrived in Detroit as an undrafted free agent out of Morgan State, where he developed into one of the most productive linebackers at the FCS level.

The 6-foot-2, 224-pound linebacker finished his college career with 298 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles and three interceptions. As a senior in 2025, Hunter piled up 102 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and four sacks while earning First-Team All-MEAC honors.

NFL.com ranked Hunter as the fifth-best undrafted linebacker available following the 2026 NFL Draft, and Detroit quickly added him to its rookie class.

He did not disappear once training camp started.

During an August scrimmage, Hunter intercepted Jared Goff in the end zone while covering Sam LaPorta, one of several plays that helped him emerge as an intriguing developmental prospect. Detroit's own Tim Twentyman specifically identified Hunter as a player to watch during the preseason because of his length and playmaking ability.

That performance put Hunter firmly into what became a crowded battle for Detroit's final linebacker positions.

We previously detailed the competition Hunter faced for a roster spot , particularly because special-teams value was going to play such a significant role in determining the final spots.

Ultimately, Detroit kept six linebackers: Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Devin White, Malcolm Rodriguez, Trevor Nowaske and rookie Jimmy Rolder.

Hunter joined Joe Bachie, Troy Reeder and Amen Ogbongbemiga among the linebackers who did not survive the final cut.

Detroit officially waived Hunter following its 25-16 preseason victory over Indianapolis .

The interesting part came the following day.

Hunter cleared waivers, meaning all 31 other teams initially passed on the opportunity to claim his rookie contract. That appeared to leave the door open for a Detroit reunion, something we noted when every waived Lions player cleared the waiver wire .

Instead, New England gave Hunter something Detroit could not: an immediate place on the active roster.

That's difficult for a young player to turn down.

A Good Opportunity for Hunter, a Small Loss for Detroit

There is a distinction worth making here.

The Lions did not lose a starting linebacker or someone they had designated for their practice squad. They made the decision that Hunter was outside their top 53 and subsequently filled their practice squad with other players.

Still, losing him removes an intriguing developmental option.

Hunter has NFL athleticism, significant college production and enough special-teams ability to potentially carve out a role while he develops defensively. At 23 years old, there was plenty of reason for Detroit to remain interested in seeing where his game could go.

For Hunter, going from undrafted rookie to an NFL active roster before Week 1 represents a pretty good outcome.

For the Lions, it is another reminder of what Dan Campbell said before final cuts: when a roster becomes deep enough, eventually you're going to release players who can help somebody else.

Erick Hunter didn't have to wait long to prove the point.