Four Players Who Could Become the 2026 Camp Darling at Allen Park
Training camp opens next week. The pads come on, the hype gets loud, and somewhere in Allen Park, a player you have never heard of is about to become your new favorite Lion. This happens every single year. Some undrafted guy or late-round pick puts together a few good practices, makes a handful of plays that end up on Twitter, and suddenly half the fanbase is convinced he’s the missing piece. You know the drill.
Dylan Drummond. Matt Willis. Carmen Messina. Kellen Moore. Isaiah Williams. Jackson Meeks. All of them filled that Camp Darling role at one point or another. Some stuck around. Most did not. But for a few weeks in summer, they were everything.
So who’s next? Here are four players who could capture the imagination of Lions fans this summer.
Luke Altmyer, Quarterback
Let’s start with the undrafted rookie quarterback who has already generated buzz coming out of OTAs and minicamp. Luke Altmyer has drawn comparisons to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in terms of play style, which is flattering but also the kind of thing that can get out of hand fast. You might want to temper expectations there. Purdy’s rise was lightning in a bottle. That does not happen twice.
Altmyer has a chance to make the roster as a third quarterback. Not a second. Definitely not a starter over Jared Goff. If you are already imagining some sort of quarterback controversy in Detroit, stop. That is not happening. But I can see it now. Altmyer has a good preseason game. Goff throws his first interception during the regular season. And there will be Lions fans calling for the team to bench Goff and see what the kid can do.
You know it’s going to happen.
The ceiling here is forcing the Lions to carry three quarterbacks instead of two just to keep Altmyer from going anywhere. He looks like a career backup who will be around for a long time. But looking good in OTAs and minicamp does not mean a whole lot when there is no pass rush and no pressure whatsoever. Let’s see what he does when the pads come on.
Anthony Lucas, Edge Rusher
Anthony Lucas is an edge rusher out of USC who could absolutely become a fanbase favorite this summer. He was not drafted, which is surprising. He’s big, long, and has a wide wingspan. The kind of guy who envelops players when he tackles them and wraps up well. Lions fans are going to love watching him work.
The issue with Lucas in college was consistency. Some stretches he was solid against the run but disappeared as a pass rusher. Other stretches it was the opposite. Everyone is waiting for him to put it all together. If he does that this summer at Allen Park, the hype will be real.
Right now he projects as a roster guy over seventh-round pick Tyree West and depth candidate Payton Turner. But we will see. Training camp has a way of clarifying these things fast.
Erick Hunter, Linebacker
Erick Hunter is a linebacker out of Morgan State who got a lot of attention after the draft because the Lions paid him well for an undrafted free agent in terms of guaranteed money. That tells you something. He’s a do-all type who can play the weakside role and maybe even the Sam linebacker spot. The Lions clearly see something there.
And who doesn’t love this story? Small school HBCU player comes out of nowhere and earns a spot on an NFL roster. It does not happen every day. Lions fans are going to be invested in watching where he goes and what he can do. The underdog narrative writes itself. Now he just has to back it up.
Nick Whiteside, Cornerback
Nick Whiteside actually played a game for the Lions last season against Tampa Bay. He logged 40 snaps in that game and played well, then saw just 11 snaps the rest of the season. Now he’s back, and with Terrion Arnold no longer on the roster, the cornerback room is wide open.
It’s assumed Rock Ya-Sin will be the new starting corner if Detroit doesn’t go out and find somebody else. But after that, there is a spot available. Khalil Dorsey, Whiteside, De’Shawn Rucker, and Aamaris Brown are all going to be fighting for it. Whiteside already has one real game of film on his resume. That counts for something. Lions fans are already interested in seeing if he can pull it off.
I’m not saying he can start, because I don’t think he can. But a roster spot and a rotation role? That’s in play. We’ll see what happens when the pads come on and the competition gets real.
So which one of these guys are you buying stock in before camp starts? Drop your pick below before you end up being wrong.
