ALLEN PARK — Just a few months ago, Eric O’Neill was home in Staten Island, New York, spending time with the friends who’ve watched him develop from a depth pass rusher at the FCS level to an NFL hopeful, signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in April.
Those same friends saw O’Neill deliver a shot to star quarterback Joe Burrow in the first quarter of Detroit’s preseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Aug. 13, and they reached out to O’Neill to point out the borderline absurdity of it all.
“They were like, ‘Wow, I was just with you a couple weeks ago, and then I see you just hit Joe Burrow. That’s pretty interesting,'” O’Neill recalled Monday. “I was like, ‘Yeah.’ I didn’t even know what to say to them. I was like, ‘Yeah, it was pretty cool to me, too.'”
O’Neill, 23, beat veteran left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to knock Burrow to the turf, a hit which forced an errant throw that overshot tight end Mike Gesicki and sailed out of bounds. The play came on O’Neill’s second of 38 total defensive snaps. He finished with two tackles and an overall grade of 72.5 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked sixth among the 29 Lions defenders who participated in the exhibition.
At practice Aug. 16, O’Neill maintained his momentum with an interception returned for a touchdown. He read the play, a designed screen to wide receiver Dominic Lovett, like a book, noticing the opposing offensive tackle immediately allowing him through. “He’s not just gonna let you hit his quarterback,” explained O’Neill, who positioned himself in front of Lovett, corralled the pass from fellow UDFA Luke Altmyer and crossed the goal line right in front of Lions coach Dan Campbell.
Campbell stuck both of his arms up to signal a touchdown. Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard excitedly left his feet while putting his index finger toward the sky. O’Neill celebrated by pointing to a section of fans and chucking the ball into the air.
O’Neill’s last pick-6 came at James Madison in 2024, when he dropped into zone coverage against Ball State and snatched a pass intended for the receiver running a slant route behind him. He reached the end zone after a return of 27 yards.
“People, they think D-lineman can’t cover. But I’m telling you, if I go out there, I could guard someone,” O’Neill said with an equal sense of humor and confidence. “Maybe only for one play or two plays, but I’ll go out and cover someone. Maybe not our receivers (in Detroit), because cornerbacks in the NFL can’t really guard them. But put me against some other guys, I might showcase some cornerback skills.”
The Lions won’t be asking O’Neill, listed at 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, to match up with receivers on the outside anytime soon. But they must be encouraged by O’Neill’s recent surge, a run that, should it continue, could earn him a spot with the Lions beyond roster cutdowns, whether that be on the team’s active roster or practice squad.
O’Neill was rated by the 247Sports Composite as a three-star prospect in the Class of 2021. His first three seasons in college came at Long Island (2021-23), where he developed into an FCS All-American before he transferred to James Madison (2024) and Rutgers (2025).
He combined to post 100 pressures, 15½ sacks and 28 tackles for loss from 2024-25.
Between Aidan Hutchinson, D.J. Wonnum and Derrick Moore, the Lions have their top three “rush” ends sorted out, so O’Neill will need to maintain his level of play to prove he’s worth keeping around. His upcoming performances against the Washington Commanders on Aug. 22 and the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 29 could be pivotal.
Lucky for O’Neill, he’s already got his debut butterflies out of the way.
“I think any rookie, especially undrafted, is going to be a little nervous going into their first game,” O’Neill said. “Not worried, but almost anxious to play. … Now, it’s just being able to stack that confidence … and eventually solidify myself as a regular, every day NFL player, where it’s, you know, every day is regular to me. It’s not like, ‘Wow, I’m in the NFL,’ anymore.”
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions UDFA pass rusher Eric O’Neill heating up as NFL comfort grows
Reporting by Richard Silva, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Richard Silva, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
