Allen Park — Not only did Luke Altmyer expect it, he felt as if he’d earned it.
Altmyer, after three seasons, 23 wins and 69 total touchdowns as the starting quarterback at Illinois, waited and waited on the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft, hoping to answer his phone and hear a general manager congratulating him on becoming a draft pick.
The call never came. Six quarterbacks came off the board that day. None were Altmyer, who later signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent.
“That Saturday, man, it was a big one for me, and it hurt,” Altmyer said Thursday of draft weekend. “It was very painful. It was almost tortuous at times to see the picks go off the board (when you’re) expecting to get picked. It was difficult … because I dreamed about it all my life and I worked hard for it and I knew I deserved it and kind of earned it. It didn’t happen, but I know it’s going to be for the good of me.
“It’s molded me, and it’s grown my character.”
Altmyer has since left positive early impressions on coaches through the first few weeks of his tenure in Detroit. Dan Campbell noted Altmyer’s confidence and praised the former four-star recruit out of Mississippi for being able to retain information. Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing shared similar sentiments, describing Altmyer as “unflappable.”
“I think there are, especially with some young quarterbacks, you can see some nerves in the way that they call plays or get out of the huddle or act post-snap. Whereas with him, I think he has a ton of confidence in his ability, and you feel that in the way he just goes in and out of the huddle and plays the game,” Petzing said.
An advantage Altmyer has enjoyed through OTAs is being around a couple of veteran quarterbacks. Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater have 216 starts and nearly 15,000 snaps between them, providing Altmyer with a wealth of knowledge to extract both on the practice field and in the meeting room.
Another plus: Goff, 31, and Bridgewater, 33, don’t need a bunch of practice reps during the offseason at this point in their careers. That’s opened the door for Altmyer to receive “a lot of work.” The Lions on Thursday completed their sixth OTA session of the offseason. They’ll have three more OTA practices next week, and mandatory minicamp is set for June 16-17. Training camp will start later this summer.
Asked about his goals for the remainder of the offseason, Altmyer said he simply wants to consistently stack days of improvement. He’s confident in his ability to stick in the league, so long as he continues to grow. He admitted to not always being comfortable, but added, “thank God it’s not (always comfortable), it’ll pay off in the future.”
Altmyer, who said his faith is why he plays the game — “I just want to be a faithful and wise steward of what God’s given me,” he said — is ultimately appreciative for how the draft process played out. He’s part of an offense that’s ranked among the league’s elite for each of the last three seasons; he’s receiving plenty of opportunity; and he’s around a familiar face in offensive assistant Marques Tuiasosopo, who coached Altmyer and other quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl in January.
Being snubbed in the draft didn’t quite create a chip on Altmyer’s shoulder like it did for someone like Amon-Ra St. Brown, who slipped to the fourth round and can still recite the names of every receiver drafted ahead of him in 2021. But it did present Altmyer an opportunity for growth, an opportunity he’s seemingly been making the most of.
“Sure, I was resentful in the moment, in that draft process. Bitter a little bit. I was upset,” Altmyer said. “But as you reflect back on it now, I’m on a team just like some of these other late-round quarterbacks in this league. They’re getting reps just like I am.
“When I’m on that field, I’m not thinking about that draft process at all. I’m thinking about, ‘How can I do my job well?’ … I’ll continue to be thankful for that whole draft process because it’s molded my character and my faith substantially to new heights, and I needed that. Golly, I needed that.”
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: ‘Unflappable’ Lions QB Luke Altmyer embraces draft snub: ‘I needed that’
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
