Baldinger Praises Morgan State LB Erick Hunter After American Bowl Week

NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger put a spotlight on Morgan State linebacker Erick Hunter after American Bowl week, calling him a standout HBCU prospect and urging scouts to "remember the name." Hunter backed the praise with on-field production during practices, recording an interception on Day 1 and a pass breakup on Day 2 while working in front of NFL personnel.

Listed at approximately 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, Hunter mixed size, physicality and instincts in drills and team periods during the inaugural American Bowl and the FCS Showcase. Multiple scouts in attendance described Hunter as "tall, long and a solid mover," and sources tracking pre-draft activity say he met with representatives from as many as 25 NFL teams across the week of events. Those meetings and practice reps give Hunter rare exposure for an HBCU defender in the current pre-draft circuit.

Hunter's college résumé gives context to the buzz. Over 45 career games he compiled roughly 298 tackles, 35 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, while adding three interceptions and multiple forced fumbles. His on-field body of work earned HBCU All-American honors and a Buck Buchanan Award finalist nod, signaling sustained production against FCS competition.

The American Bowl week functions as a showcase and audition, and Hunter used it to demonstrate traits that translate to the next level. Scouts and analysts prioritized physical traits that fit modern NFL schemes: length to disrupt passing lanes, the ability to close on runners, and enough fluidity to operate in space. Hunter's interception and pass breakup provided concrete tape to pair with measurable size, while his history of tackles for loss and sacks points to competence in both run support and pass rush opportunities from linebacker alignments.

The business side is also evident. Meeting with upward of 25 teams does more than create conversations; it increases the likelihood of private workouts, combine invites and pro day traffic. For HBCU prospects, those connections can make the difference between a late-round pick, priority undrafted free agent status, or lingering on the periphery of draft boards.

For NFL talent evaluators, Erick Hunter's combination of production, physical profile and strong showings in front of pro scouts moves him from a regional name to a national prospect. As the draft process continues toward pro day season and the NFL Combine window, Hunter's challenge will be to convert attention into measurable testing numbers and continued positional polish. For Morgan State and HBCU football, Hunter's week in the spotlight is both a recruiting and visibility win that keeps the institutional pipeline on NFL radars.