Detroit Lions rookie UDFA edge rusher Eric O’Neill was a bit of a surprise player to make the 53-man roster. The Rutgers defender was added to a room that had quite a few other additions.
However, General Manager Brad Holmes admitted that O’Neill was a player they had eyes on and prioritized in the UDFA cycle.
Brad Holmes Targeted Detroit Lions UDFA Eric O’Neill in Free Agency
“Eric O’Neil, look, there’s always when you get into undrafted free agency, there’s always a handful of guys that you know that you want to make sure you really get, um, for various type of reasons, and Eric O’Neill was one of those guys,” admitted Holmes.
Holmes outlined how the team was able to sign him amongst the chaos of undrafted free agency.
“As much as the chaos was going around because undrafted free agency is always a little bit of controlled chaos to a degree, said Holmes. “But I never forget Brian Hudspeth was on the phone with him, and like as much chaos as was going on, I’m got my ear right next to Hudspeth because I knew he was on the phone with him like, ‘ Let’s make sure we get this done.”
Holmes highlighted why he felt O’Neill slipped through the cracks and what makes him such a great fit with the Lions.
“He’s just a very, he’s a very high-motor player,” said Holmes. “He’s very instinctive. He’s a better athlete than his numbers may indicate. He gets the most out of himself, and he’s just one of those guys that we knew that he was going to fit right in here in terms of, what we’re about from a culture standpoint, and he took advantage of his opportunities, and it worked out well for him.”
O’Neill was the only Lions UDFA to make the roster. Quarterback Luke Altmyer, Edge rusher Anthony Lucas, and cornerback Aamaris Brown were the only rookie UDFAs to make the practice squad. Even seventh-round rookie Tyre West was released and signed back to the practice squad.
O’Neill Earned Roster Spot With Lions
O’Neill joined Aidan Hutchinson, Tyler Lacy, Derrick Moore, DJ Wonnum, and Ahmed Hassanein as the sixth edge rusher. So, the team did not need to keep him, they only did so out because he earned the spot.
O’Neill played in 82 snaps over three preseason games for the Lions. Of those, 53 were pass rushing with two in coverage, and 27 were run defense, while He had six pressures and three run stops.
Overall, he posted an 85.2 grade on defense, per PFF. That was with a 74.7 run defense grade and a 77.5 pass rush grade. More than that, O’Neill had 19 special teams snaps. That is what is going to get him active on game days.
As of now, he will remain the sixth rusher in the rotation, so barring injury, he will be depth on defense. However, if he can stay on special teams he can stay active, and that gets him closer to the field.
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