Detroit Lions: pass rusher Kerry Hyder Jr. enjoying breakout season

The Detroit Lions are witnessing a breakout season from defensive end Kerry Hyder Jr., who has come out of the shoots strong this season…

Who in the world is Kerry Hyder Jr.?

The Detroit Lions have found themselves a heck of a player on the defensive line in the former Texas Tech Red Raider, a guy that has started the season with four sacks in three games.

He’s also provided us with this phenomenal Tweet:

I love an underdog story like this. Hyder has come out of almost nowhere to make his mark on this league early on, but it’s not just that he’s been a flash in the pan. Hyder showed out in this year’s preseason with more pressures than any other pass rusher in the league:

His preseason wasn’t just limited to ‘pressuring’ the quarterback either. He was credited with four sacks in the team’s final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, and the Lions simply had no choice but to put him on the roster.

So where did he come from?

The former Texas Tech defensive tackle came into the NFL as an undrafted player and made the New York Jets’ practice squad, was released, signed to a futures deal in Detroit, signed onto the practice squad, and was signed to the active roster at the end of last season.

The Lions weren’t about to let him get away.

After watching what he did in week one to the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive line, I wouldn’t have either:

As you’ll hear on that broadcast, the Lions had Hyder lose some weight so he could play out wide at defensive end, and it has paid off in a big way. He is quick, strong, aggressive, and he knows how to finish off the quarterback. There’s nothing spectacular about his game, but when you can get pressure on the quarterback consistently like that, there’s always a home for you in the NFL.

The Lions are pretty deep along the defensive line, and this guy is a major reason why. It’s going to be exciting to see how long he can keep it up.