Morgan State Linebacker Erick Hunter Shines at HBCU Showcase, Impresses NFL Scouts

Scouts couldn't stop talking about Erick Hunter. The Morgan State linebacker ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash, completed 16 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds, and walked off the turf at the Washington Commanders' BigBear.ai Performance Center in Ashburn, Virginia, as the consensus standout of the 2026 NFL HBCU Showcase and International Player Pathway Pro Day.

Hunter's 4.48 is a number that turns heads at any level. At the NFL Scouting Combine, it would have placed him among the fastest linebackers in the 2026 draft class, a tier that typically pushes players into late-round consideration and, at minimum, makes them priority undrafted free agent targets with immediate special-teams value. For a prospect who received no Combine invitation despite leading the MEAC in total tackles, the performance amounted to a direct rebuttal to anyone who had dismissed him on the basis of exposure.

The measurables backed him up before he ran a single drill. Hunter officially checked in at 6-foot-2 and 224 pounds, with 10 3/8-inch hands, 33 1/8-inch arms, and a 79-inch wingspan, a frame that scouts noted passed every physical threshold for a modern off-ball linebacker.

None of it surprised those who watched him play in 2025. Hunter, a Capitol Heights, Maryland, native and preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, started all 12 games for the Bears and led the conference with 102 total tackles, including 53 solo stops. He also tied for second in the MEAC with 14 tackles for loss, added four sacks, forced four fumbles, and intercepted a pass. One of the season's signature moments came against Norfolk State, when he returned a blocked kick 90 yards for a touchdown, evidence of the athleticism and football instincts his Showcase numbers later confirmed.

"Monday at the HBCU Showcase was just another opportunity to prove what I've been working on in the dark," Hunter said. "I came out there focused, fast, and physical. I want to show teams I can run, cover, and make plays sideline to sideline. I'm never satisfied."

Hunter was one of 48 prospects representing the MEAC, SWAC, CIAA, and SIAC at the three-day event, which ran March 28-30 with on-field workouts on March 30. None of those prospects received an invitation to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, leaving the Showcase as their primary platform to perform in front of professional decision-makers. Representatives from all 32 NFL clubs were expected on-site, compressing interviews, medical evaluations, and positional testing into a window that increasingly mirrors the Combine's function for players from Black college programs.

Other performers drew notice. Florida A&M offensive lineman Ashton Grable led all players with 28 bench press reps, while Jordan Smith of South Carolina State, Michael Lunz II of South Carolina State, and Travor Randle of Prairie View A&M shared the best three-cone time at 7.34 seconds. But Hunter's combination of elite speed, positional size, and a 102-tackle MEAC-leading season gave him the most complete portfolio at the event.

The 2026 Showcase broke new ground by merging the HBCU event with the NFL International Player Pathway program, giving international prospects and HBCU athletes simultaneous access to pro personnel in a format that organizers and evaluators described as an accelerant for players who have historically been under-scouted. For Hunter, the timing could not have been sharper: the 2026 NFL Draft is less than a month away.