{"id":281011,"date":"2026-04-28T08:15:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:15:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=281011"},"modified":"2026-04-28T08:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:12:18","slug":"detroit-lions-signed-an-impressive-2026-udfa-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/04\/28\/detroit-lions-signed-an-impressive-2026-udfa-class\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit Lions Signed An Impressive 2026 UDFA Class"},"content":{"rendered":"

The conclusion of the NFL Draft doesn\u2019t mean the fun is over. As soon as the final pick is made, teams race to sign undrafted rookie free agents. Though not being drafted is disappointing, players who didn\u2019t hear their name called now have the benefit of choosing which NFL team they sign with. Some will even end up getting more money than they would have as a late-round pick. The Lions drafted seven players during the draft. Check out the analysis<\/a> and grades<\/a> of Detroit\u2019s picks. After the draft, the Lions had 76 players on their roster, meaning they can add up to 14 more before camp starts. Brad Holmes has put a lot of work into his UDFA signings, and it shows. This year is no different, as the Detroit Lions signed an impressive 2026 UDFA class.<\/span><\/p>\n

Detroit Lions 2026 UDFA Class<\/span><\/h2>\n

As of this writing, the Detroit Lions have signed 9 UDFAs. More may follow, and others will be invited to Detroit\u2019s rookie camp for tryouts without signing a contract. The Detroit Lions’ 2026 UDFA class is comprised of the following players:<\/span><\/p>\n

Luke Altmyer, QB, Illinois<\/span><\/p>\n

Miles Kitselman, TE, Tennessee<\/span><\/p>\n

Melvin Priestly, G, Illinois<\/span><\/p>\n

Eric O\u2019Neill, EDGE, Rutgers<\/span><\/p>\n

Anthony Lucas, EDGE, USC<\/span><\/p>\n

Aidan Keanaaina, DT, California<\/span><\/p>\n

Erick Hunter, LB, Morgan State<\/span><\/p>\n

De\u2019Shawn Rucker, CB, USF<\/span><\/p>\n

Aamaris Brown, DB, UNLV<\/span><\/p>\n

Who Stands Out?<\/span><\/h2>\n

While the overall quality of the Lions\u2019 2026 UDFA is excellent, a few players stand out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anthony Lucas, EDGE, USC<\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s quite shocking that Anthony Lucas went undrafted. The USC product went into the 2026 NFL Draft expecting to hear his name called in the middle rounds, even as high as the third round.<\/a> Lucas was a popular choice for Lions\u2019 fans who wanted the team to add an edge rusher (or two). Signing Lucas as an UDFA is a coup for the Lions.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Even after drafting Michigan EDGE Derrick Brooks with pick 44, the Lions continue to bolster the position with Lucas. Though Lucas didn\u2019t achieve much production in college (only 3 sacks), he is full of potential. With great size (6\u20195, 260 pounds), Lucas can set the edge and is solid against the run, traits the Lions demand from their defensive ends. Lucas has the upside to develop into a productive pass rusher as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Erick Hunter, LB, Morgan State<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Lions made signing Erick Hunter, a linebacker from Morgan State, one of their top priorities after the draft. The HBCU star had an amazing 2025 season, leading the MEAC with 102 total tackles,\u00a0 adding 14 TFLs, four sacks, four forced fumbles, and an interception. Hunter also wowed with a 4.48 40-yard dash and 37-inch vertical.<\/span><\/p>\n

That production earned Hunter a three-year, $3.125 million contract with the Lions,<\/a> which includes $175K guaranteed. That\u2019s a lot of money for a UDFA, proving just how highly Detroit thinks of him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aidan Keanaaina, DT, California<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Lions guaranteed even more money for California DT Aidan Keanaaina,<\/a> giving him $300K. The 6\u20193, 320-pounder is an elite run stopper and has plenty of experience lining up at both the A and B gaps.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keanaaina produced 55 total tackles in 2025, the most by a Cal DL since 2010. After transferring from Notre Dame, Keanaaina put his name on the map in 2025. He should have a real shot at making the Lions\u2019 53-man roster.<\/span><\/p>\n

Luke Altmyer, QB, Illinois<\/span><\/h3>\n

Even after bringing back Teddy Bridgewater, the Lions expressed interest in bringing in a young QB to develop behind Jared Goff. They do so by signing Luke Altmyer out of Illinois.<\/span><\/p>\n

Altmyer comes to Detroit as an experienced college QB who was a four-star recruit out of high school. After starting his collegiate career at Ole Miss, Altmyer found a home at Illinois, where he was highly productive and named a Team Captain.<\/a> Altmyer is a high-character prospect who is praised for his leadership qualities. It is easy to see why the Lions targeted Altmyer after the draft.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eric O\u2019Neill, EDGE, Rutgers\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Another prospect who easily could have been drafted, Eric O\u2019Neill, is a very intriguing addition for the Lions. After an unbelievable 2024 season<\/a> at James Madison, where he amassed 13 sacks and 18.5 TFLs, O\u2019Neill transferred to Rutgers for his final collegiate campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

While he didn\u2019t replicate his 2024 numbers, the 6\u20193, 260-pound O\u2019Neill continued to show his NFL potential and was a consistent force for Rutgers\u2019 defense. O\u2019Neill plays with relentless effort and is a disciplined and effective defender against the run. Though his sack total in 2024 is eye-popping, he will need to improve his pass-rush plan to have success in the NFL.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Will Any Of The Lions’ UDFA Class Make The Roster?<\/span><\/h2>\n

2025 was the first season in 15 years where the Detroit Lions didn\u2019t have any of their UDFAs make the initial 53-man roster. So it is a good bet that at least one will make the team after final cutdowns this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

The guaranteed money given to both Erick Hunter and Aidan Keanaaina suggests the Lions expect both to make a strong case to make the roster. The upside of Anthony Lucas, and how high he was projected to be drafted, tells me he will make the squad, possibly over former first-round pick Payton Turner, whom the Lions signed in free agency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I believe all three of Hunter, Keanaaina, and Lucas will be on the roster heading into Week 1. \u00a0Altmyer, O\u2019Neill, and Priestly seem like locks for the practice squad. Detroit is short on TE depth, making it likely that Kitselman will end up on the PS as well. The rest will have an opportunity to show their worth as the offseason continues and may prove themselves worthy of being kept around.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lions signed several players who were good enough to be drafted and could potentially make the team out of camp. It\u2019s hard to argue that the Detroit Lions signed an impressive 2026 UDFA class.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After selecting 7 players in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions also signed an impressive 2026 UDFA class.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5722,"featured_media":281096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":true,"sfio_embed_code":"<\/smartframe-embed>","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,24],"tags":[33533,34787,34790,34573,34791,34789,34497,34792,34793,34788],"class_list":["post-281011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-lions","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-aamaris-brown","tag-aidan-keanaaina","tag-anthony-lucas","tag-eric-oneill","tag-erick-hunter","tag-luke-altmyer","tag-melvin-priestly","tag-miles-kitselman","tag-shawn-rucker"],"modified_by":"Sue Levine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5722"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281011"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":281093,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281011\/revisions\/281093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}