Morgan State's Erick Hunter Shines at 2026 NFL HBCU Showcase with Elite Testing Numbers

Erick Hunter arrived at the Washington Commanders' practice facility in Ashburn, Virginia, having already connected with 28 of 32 NFL teams. He left having given every one of them reason to upgrade their interest.

The Morgan State linebacker posted a 4.48 40-yard dash, a 37-inch vertical jump, and a 10-foot-10 broad jump at Monday's HBCU Showcase and International Player Pathway Pro Day at the BigBear.ai Performance Center at Commanders Park, establishing himself as one of the day's premier performers among the 48 HBCU prospects who competed in front of scouts and executives representing all 32 clubs.

At 6-foot-2 and 224 pounds, Hunter's testing sheet did exactly what elite showcase performances are built to do: confirm what the film already shows. He led the MEAC in total tackles last season with 102, added 14 tackles for loss, four sacks, four forced fumbles, and an interception while starting all 12 games. That combination of sub-4.5 speed and a broad jump north of 10 feet signals the kind of change-of-direction capacity NFL evaluators demand from linebackers asked to cover tight ends and running backs in space.

Hunter's credentials entering the workout were already substantial. He earned Stats Perform FCS Second-Team All-American honors, a Phil Steele FCS Third-Team All-American nod, and FCS Football Central All-American recognition, along with All-MEAC First Team selection and a Buck Buchanan Award finalist designation. He also competed in The American Bowl, college football's inaugural all-star game, which only added to his pre-draft exposure.

Hunter was not the only prospect to make noise at Commanders Park. Jackson State running back Donerio Davenport also drew attention during the offensive workouts, adding to the SWAC program's recent pipeline of NFL draft talent.

The showcase, held over three days from March 28-30 and presented by Microsoft Copilot, has cemented its place on the pre-draft calendar. This year's field included 11 International Player Pathway prospects alongside the HBCU contingent, giving scouts a broader comparison set when ranking late-round and undrafted free-agent targets. With the 2026 NFL Draft less than a month away, Monday's workout served as a final formal checkpoint for personnel departments evaluating HBCU prospects against the full draft class.

For Hunter, a Capitol Heights, Maryland, native known as "E40," the day was less a discovery moment than a closing argument. The production already existed; Monday's numbers put it in a language every NFL front office understands.