Six Detroit Lions players the national media are sleeping on
By Ash Thompson
Kerry Hyder
When last we saw Kerry Hyder he was being carted off the field with a ruptured Achilles tendon. That was in the first preseason game of the 2017 season. Since then he has become a forgotten man in Detroit. That is, forgotten by the national media.
He did one thing well during the 216 season. He applied pressure off the edge. He was the team’s sack leader in Ziggy Ansah‘s lost year with eight. Hyder added nine more QB hits and 38 hurries. He was far and away the team’s most effective pass rusher.
That is likely the one thing he will be asked to do most often by Matt Patricia and the Lions coaching staff. That is the coach’s end of the “do your Job” mantra: to put their players in positions to succeed. Hyder also has experience playing on the interior of the defense, but primarily as a gap-shooting three-technique. It remains to be seen whether he can handle any two gapping responsibility.
When asking where the Lions pass rush will come from, a player coming off an Achilles injury is not the ideal answer. However, when last Hyder was on the field, he had a very useful skill set. We will find out over training camp whether or not he still has that skill set.
Next: Seven bold predictions for the Lion season
There are your six players that the national media are failing to factor in. When someone says the Lions have no reason for optimism this year, you know they’re not paying attention. The Detroit Lions will be a better team in 2018 than the past two seasons.