Just because the draft is over doesn’t mean the work is done. Prospects who weren’t one of the 257 picks at the end of April are eligible to sign with any team as an undrafted free agent, and this is a key piece of team building.

From a simple math perspective, there are not enough picks in the draft for teams to rely on picks exclusively to fill out a 53-man roster, let alone the practice squad or expanded 90-man offseason rosters. But undrafted free agents don’t just fill in the cracks — they become key reserves, role players, starters and sometimes even stars. 

This is the latest edition of an annual column spotlighting at least one undrafted rookie from every team who has a chance to make waves, sticking around as a long-term contributor and perhaps even making the roster in Week 1. Not to toot my own horn — then again, if you don’t champion your own wins, who will? — but this piece has a strong track record of identifying quality UDFAs. Past notables include Bears QB Tyson Bagent, Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin, Vikings LB Ivan Pace Jr., Buccaneers RB Sean Tucker, Rams LB Omar Speights and Patriots S Brenden Schooler. 

Last year, there were 53 players highlighted, plus several others mentioned as bonuses. Most are still in the NFL, even if not with the team that originally signed them. Of the 53 spotlighted, 24 are still with their current team and 13 made the active roster in Week 1. The most notable hits include Patriots OLB Elijah Ponder, who had four sacks and played nearly a quarter of the snaps on defense for the AFC champions, Browns DT Adin Huntington, Vikings QB Max Brosmer and Panthers K Ryan Fitzgerald. 

Here’s a look at this year’s batch. I’ve included some helpful resources below, including all the reported or official UDFA signings we have so far and a few tools I lean on for evaluations. 

Resources:

• 2026 Undrafted Free Agent Tracker
• “The Beast” from the Athletic’s Dane Brugler
• Consensus Big Board, from Arif Hasan
• Relative Athletic Scores
• 2026 UDFA Guaranteed Money, from Spotrac
• NFLTR’s 2025 UDFA Watchlist
• NFLTR’s 2024 UDFA Watchlist
• NFLTR’s 2023 UDFA Watchlist

49ers: Penn State TE Khalil Dinkins

One of the subplots of the 2026 NFL Draft was the heightened demand for tight ends around the league, which also happened to coincide with a class that was unusually deep. The run on the position started in the second round instead of the fourth, with eight coming off the board on Day 2 and another nine taken before the end of the fifth round.

The 49ers didn’t draft a tight end but they did land a potentially interesting contributor after the draft in Dinkins. He’s a blocking specialist, which is a must for any tight end who plays for 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan. Dinkins is also well above average as an athlete, coming in with an RAS of 8.15, and while he had just 14 catches each of the past two seasons, he had a draftable grade from Brugler. San Francisco has been monitoring the last few classes at tight end to add a complement for George Kittle, and that need was only heightened with his Achilles injury casting some uncertainty about his early-season availability. There’s a path to the active roster here for Dinkins

Bears: Wyoming G Caden Barnett 

Honorable mention: Oregon State S Skyler Thomas

In the grand scheme, $277,000 guaranteed is chump change for NFL teams. For projecting impact undrafted free agents, however, it’s a notable number. All UDFAs sign standard three-year contracts, with the guaranteed amounts the only distinguishing factors. Barnett’s guarantees rank seventh so far among known UDFA deals and signal that there was competition for his services. It’s also a sign that the Bears think the odds are good that Barnett at least earns a practice squad berth. 

Barnett had a borderline fifth-round grade from Brugler, and while the level of competition at Wyoming is what it is, Barnett’s RAS of 9.53 shows he has a higher ceiling as a developmental prospect. He nearly cracked five seconds in the 40 and ran a super 4.55-second short shuttle at 6-4 and 316 pounds. There’s no magic bullets when it comes to prospect evaluations, but the short shuttle tends to correlate very well with successfull offensive linemen. Even if Barnett doesn’t crack the Week 1 roster, which is not out of the question given the Bears’ depth at guard isn’t rock solid, he has great odds to stick around for a while. 

There’s an opportunity for Thomas given how thin the Bears’ depth chart is at safety behind Coby Bryant and first-rounder Dillon Thieneman. Thomas’ 40 time at 4.6 seconds doesn’t wow, but his 6.78-second three-cone drill does, especially at nearly 6-2 and 210 pounds. He also got high character marks from scouts, per Brugler. 

Bengals: Cincinnati LB Jack Dingle

The Bengals surprisingly didn’t draft a linebacker this year, so that leaves an opportunity for one of the two undrafted rookies they signed to make an impact. Dingle was a three-year starter close to home for the Bearcats and looks the part of an NFL linebacker. At 6-4 and 232 pounds, he blazed a 4.57-second 40-yard dash and a 4.17-second short shuttle, which along with other strong testing scores gave him a RAS of 9.82. Teams tend to rely on linebackers to fill out special teams units, which is another potential path to the roster for Dingle. 

His path looks a little clearer than the other linebacker the Bengals signed, USC’s Eric Gentry. While Gentry is a fascinating player and developmental project, it’s not clear what he is at the NFL level. He’s got great athleticism with a 4.59 40 time and 6.76 mark in the three cone, but he’s a literal beanpole at 6-7 and 229 pounds. College blockers were able to knock him around and that figures to just get worse at the NFL. His best bet might be adding weight to move to edge rusher, especially with his freakish 36-inch arms, but if he hasn’t put on the weight yet, it’s fair to question how much he can. 

Bills: Wisconsin FB Jackson Acker

Fullbacks may be a dying breed in the NFL but a few teams still use them, including the Bills. Buffalo lost longtime FB Reggie Gilliam to the Patriots in free agency this offseason and needs a replacement. In addition to signing Acker, they also added Ben VanSumeren, a former linebacker who has dabbled at fullback. Those two will compete but VanSumeren has just 22 career snaps on offense. Acker ran a strong 40 for a fullback, hitting 4.68 seconds at 6-0 and over 240 pounds. The rest of his athletic profile is a little stiff but he was tough and productive at Wisconsin, scoring six touchdowns in five years and totaling 700 yards from scrimmage, giving him a chance to stick. 

Broncos: Texas A&M LB Taurean York

York was one of the top players on the consensus board to go undrafted, ranking 162nd which would be solidly in the fifth round. That ranking might have been boosted by the accolades he got as a true freshman starter at a big-time SEC school, which put him in the way-too-early mock drafts that come before the NFL and scouts really dig into things. He’s just 5-11 and under 230 pounds, and outside of a strong 40 time didn’t put up the kind of compensatory athletic testing numbers NFL teams would want to see from an undersized backer. However, he’s a good player as evidenced by his track record at Texas A&M. In a thin Broncos’ linebacking room, he’s got a chance to win a roster spot.

Another sleeper to watch is Iowa OT Tyler Miller, who will literally stand out at 6-9 and 326 pounds. He has similar dimensions and testing to Broncos OT Frank Crum, a previous alum from this UDFA highlight list who earned a depth role at tackle. 

Browns: Florida DE Tyreak Sapp

HM: Utah DE Logan Fano

The headliner from the Browns’ undrafted class is DE Logan Fano, the older brother of first-round OT Spencer Fano. He got the biggest reported guarantee of any undrafted free agent so far at $310,000 and has a quality RAS of 9.61, driven primarily by a 4.59-second 40 time (though he didn’t do any agility testing). However, I think Sapp could project better toward snaring a roster spot, at least as a rookie. He wasn’t able to test due to injury during the pre-draft process but he has great size as a 4-3 base end at 6-2 and 273 pounds. Sapp has what they call grown-man strength and plays with great effort. He should be more effective against the run than Fano and ranked higher than him on the consensus board by about a round. Journeyman Julian Okwara loosely holds the fourth and possibly final edge rusher roster spot for the Browns, but both Sapp and Fano should be able to give him a run for his money. 

Buccaneers: UCF OT Paul Rubelt

Rubelt will be hard to miss at training camp later this summer, as he’ll literally stand out from the rest of the crowd at an absurd 6-10. Being that tall has some challenges as a blocker but football is still a big man’s game at its core and Rubelt is a healthy 313 pounds. He has an absurd RAS score at 9.66, running an absurd 4.99 second 40-yard dash and a solid 4.68-second short shuttle. Translation: he’s not just a tree defenders will have to get around, he’s an Ent who’ll be coming after them. There was some demand for him, too, as he got $277,000 in guarantees on his deal, one of the highest known figures so far. Rubelt is likely a patience play who needs to develop but teams will always leave the light on for tackles who show a pulse of potentially being solid. Tampa Bay’s tackle depth in particular isn’t impressive, with journeyman Justin Skule and a 2025 UDFA standout, Benjamin Chukwuma, ahead of Rubelt on the depth chart right now. 

The Bucs scored a strong UDFA class with multiple potential contributors, too. LSU DE Jack Pyburn plays like he has a screw loose and the special teams coaches will love him for it. Georgia Tech WR Eric Rivers had a draftable rank on the consensus board, and the former walk-on with 4.3 speed has a shot to beat the odds again and steal a spot in the back end of Tampa Bay’s receiving corps. UNC-Charlotte S Ja’Qurious Conley is literally a top-ten most athletic safety ever per RAS. And as the Buccaneers say goodbye to longtime standout LB Lavonte David, there’s another backer from Nebraska in LB Javin Wright with a wide-open shot to grab the fifth linebacker slot if the team keeps that many through final cuts. Wright has an excellent 9.26 RAS, running a 4.6 flat at 6-4 and 232 pounds with stellar agility testing as well (4.25 short shuttle, 6.75 three cone). 

Cardinals: Oklahoma DT Damonic Williams

The Cardinals signed just seven rookie free agents after the draft, a slightly uninspiring haul for an organization that hasn’t had a great track record in this department the last few seasons. Of the group, Williams might have the clearest path to contribute. He has NFL strength and NFL length, hitting 30 bench press reps with over 33-inch arms at the Combine. He started as a true freshman and enters the NFL with 50 starts under his belt between TCU and Oklahoma while also being consistently productive. Williams has good odds to earn a practice squad berth and work his way into a rotational role from there.  

Chargers: Western Michigan OLB Nadame Tucker

HM: Oregon OT Isaiah World

A favorite of our in-house draft analyst, Ethan Woodie, Tucker came in at 11th in his final edge rusher rankings and drew praise for his first step off the line and knowledge of pass rushing moves. Tucker had some love from other analysts too, ranking 179th on the consensus big board before surprisingly going undrafted. He had a unique college journey, going from junior college to Houston but failing to record a sack in three seasons. Then he transferred to Western Michigan and exploded, leading the entire nation with 14.5 sacks. It’s not a coincidence that he ended up in Los Angeles with Chargers DC Chris O’Leary, who held the same role at WMU last year. The Chargers have some depth at edge rusher with Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, first-rounder Akheem Mesidor, veteran Bud Dupree and 2025 fourth-rounder Kyle Kennard, so there are some headwinds for Tucker to make the roster as a rookie. He also turns 26 years old in June (a year older than Mesidor who just turned 25). But teams will stay patient with any player who flashes pass rush potential. 

World has to be mentioned, too. A torn ACL in January during the College Football Playoff is the likely culprit behind him falling out of the draft entirely. Had he stayed healthy, he would have been vying to be a mid-round pick, as he’s concerningly unrefined for a player with nearly 50 college starts. But World has things NFL coaches can’t teach, like a 6-5, 323-pound frame with 34-inch arms. For a Chargers team that always seems to be short on offensive linemen, World is well worth the investment as a developmental project. 

Chiefs: Iowa S Xavier Nwankpa

One perk of being a team like the Chiefs that’s been so successful is that it helps provide an edge when recruiting undrafted free agents. Kansas City has regularly fared well in this column the last few years and they have a batch of notable names again, particularly on offense. Cincinnati WR Jeff Caldwell literally hit a perfect 10 on his RAS, running a 4.31-second 40 time at 6-5 and 216 pounds. Oklahoma RB Jadyn Ott looked like a future star at Cal before injuries and a baffling fall from the Sooners’ rotation. 

But I want to focus on Nwankpa, who I think has the best odds to make an impact the soonest. He was a three-year starter at Iowa and has strong measurables for a safety. At 6-2 and 208 pounds, he ran a 4.48 40 and notched a 6.94-second three cone, good for a RAS of 9.07. For me, a good three cone is often more predictive of success than a good 40 time, as the ability to change direction quickly is just as important, if not more, than the ability to outrun somone. The glaring aberration is Nwankpa’s oddly short arms, coming in around 30.75 inches. That could have impacted his ball production, as he had just seven pass breakups and three interceptions in 36 career starts. It also probably fell below the minimum thresholds a lot of teams have, which could have pushed him out of the draft. But the Chiefs have a strong history of developing defensive backs and a thin depth chart at safety. For a player with Nwankpa’s athleticism and experience, it’s setting up very well for him to make an impact. 

Colts: Arkansas DT Cameron Ball

Veteran nose tackle Grover Stewart is going on his 10th season with the Colts and has been a mainstay in the starting lineup for years. But at 33 in October, Stewart is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning. Indianapolis is likely starting to think about a succession plan, and Ball has a chance to make a bid for that job this summer. He earned a fifth-round grade from Brugler as a developmental nose tackle, with quality size at 6-3 and over 320 pounds. Ball is an above-average athlete (7.53 RAS) and Brugler notes he got high marks for his intelligence and work ethic. Indianapolis doesn’t really have a direct backup for Stewart on the roster, so it’s not out of the question Ball could make the team, but it’s more likely he ends up on the practice squad with a chance to be called up for gamedays. 

Commanders: UTSA RB Robert Henry Jr.

Henry will have some hurdles ahead to stand out in a Washington backfield that was already crowded with free agents Rachaad White and Jerome Ford joining incumbents Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols. Then the Commanders used a sixth-rounder on Penn State RB Kaytron Allen to boot. Realistically Henry is sixth on the depth chart right now at a position that teams usually carry just three to four players. But the good news for Henry is the Commanders have not invested that much in any single player ahead of him. There are fewer draft capital and salary biases for him to overcome, and the pending training camp competition has a chance to be truly based on merit, at least moreso than usual. 

That gives him a shot, and a shot is all Henry has needed to this point in his career. He carved the hard road from junior college to UTSA to the NFL, and in his final season racked up over 1,000 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on just 151 carries. He’s not overly big or fast, coming in at 5-9 and 200 pounds with a hair over 4.5 seconds in the 40, but he runs hard and can rip off chunk plays. There’s a chance for him to make his mark on the backfield in Washington and stick around past roster cuts. 

Cowboys: Baylor TE Michael Trigg

On talent alone, Trigg probably should have been part of the big run on tight ends on Day 2. He’s a powerful athlete and was a force at Baylor last year, pulling in 50 catches for nearly 700 yards and six touchdowns. Trigg is feast or famine as a player, though, in more ways than one. He finished with more drops than touchdowns in three of his five seasons, including last year. He’s capable of the spectacular one-hander in traffic through contact, then dropping a routine ball later in the game. His effort and consistency weren’t always there with his blocking and route running. Trigg played for three separate schools in his five seasons (USC, Ole Miss and Baylor) and had team-issued suspensions at two of them. Maturity was a question for him going into this spring, and it’s probably fair to say he didn’t alleviate any concerns during the pre-draft process. He opted out of working out at the Combine and elected to do only the vertical jump at Baylor’s pro day, recording an unimpressive 27.5 inches. 

Given the obvious talent (Trigg was No. 118 on the consensus board and that’s factoring in all the chatter that he’d slide), it’s clear that the character concerns for Trigg are real and substantial. But the risk for an undrafted free agent signing is practically nothing. The Cowboys are set at the top of the depth chart but there’s room on the back end for a new challenger. If Trigg screws his head on straight, he could turn into a steal for Dallas, an organization that historically hasn’t minded rolling the dice on difficult personalities. 

Dolphins: Louisville DT Rene Konga

If I were an agent representing an undrafted free agent this year, I would have tried like heck to get them to Miami where the depth chart is wide open up and down the roster. The Dolphins’ team salary cap is $308 million this year and nearly $180 million of that is dead money for players no longer on the team. They have to rely on UDFAs for big roles this year and it should not be surprising to see multiple make the team come September. 

Konga would have a strong shot to have staying power for most teams, not just the Dolphins, but landing in Miami certainly helps his odds for early playing time. The Dolphins are transitioning to a new scheme under HC Jeff Hafley that prioritizes attacking bodies up front, not so much space-eaters. That’s good news for Konga who is a terrific athlete for the defensive tackle position who also got high marks for effort. Konga is 6-4 and a shade under 300 pounds with arms that are closer to 34 inches than 33. He ran a 4.79-second 40, a 7.03-second three cone and had outstanding jumps (10-foot-2 in the broad, 37 inches vertical), all good for a RAS of 9.78. You might ask how relevant a 40-yard dash and vertical leap are to playing defensive tackle, and the answer is they show athletic explosion. Konga developed into a disruptive player in college, with four sacks and six batted passes his last two years. 

Some other players who have wide-open depth charts ahead of them and a chance to stick with the Dolphins include Wisconsin OLB Mason Reiger, Indiana S Louis Moore and Texas A&M RB Le’Veon Moss. All three were just inside the top 200 on the consensus big board and were good values for Miami as UDFAs. Reiger’s explosive enough to earn Andrew Van Ginkel comparisons thanks to the shared connections to Wisconsin and Miami. Moss runs hard. Moore is old, small and slow (relatively speaking for safeties) but has demonstrated ball skills with nine picks and four forced fumbles over three seasons at Indiana.  

Eagles: Ole Miss S Kapena Gushiken

Some classes were hard to narrow down to just a couple players. Philadelphia’s was one of the hardest. Alabama LB Deontae Lawson was the highest-ranked player on the consensus big board (117) not to be drafted. Kenyan DE Joshua Weru wasn’t quite the athletic freak that seventh-round DT Uar Bernard was, but he still tested extraordinarily well at 6-4, 244 pounds, a 4.45 second 40, a 41-inch vertical and an 11-foot-2 broad jump. The Eagles only get one international exemption so one of those two is probably ending up with another team unless they’re good enough to earn a regular practice squad or roster slot. 

However, I picked Gushiken as the highlight player for the Eagles for a few reasons. He’s a standout player in his own right, dominating all the pre-draft athletic testing en route to a 9.17 RAS despite being just 5-9 and 190 pounds (RAS was built to adjust for size, so it likes bigger players more than smaller). Some highlights include a 4.33-second 40, an 11-inch broad jump and a 6.77-second three cone drill. Gushiken was a no-star recruit who worked his way up from Saddleback Community College in California to starting at nickelback in the SEC. He’s got the “dawg” factor, both in terms of his background and his playing style on the field, and Gushiken was also productive with 20 pass breakups and four picks in three years of major college football. Finally, there’s a clear need at safety in Philadelphia. It was one of the weakest spots on the depth chart, but the Eagles didn’t draft anyone until the seventh round and then added three rookie free agents. Of the group, Gushiken is probably my favorite. 

Falcons: Georgia RB Cash Jones

While teams and players may have hopes and dreams of unearthing quality starters in undrafted free agency, realistically the most practical path to a roster spot (and a job and a regular paycheck) is special teams, especially for rookies just starting out. Jones has been optimizing for a role on special teams for the last few years at Georgia, playing on both kick and punt coverage units for the Bulldogs. He was technically a walk-on, but with a 4.44 40 and 6.88-second three cone, he’s no slouch as an athlete. His worst position might actually be the one he’s listed at, with 52 career carries and 4.9 yards per tote. Jones was a legit weapon for Georgia out of the backfield, though, pulling in 44 catches and five touchdowns over the past two seasons. That gives him a path to at least sub-package value on offense as a third-down receiving back, which makes for an even stronger value proposition if he proves to be as skilled of an NFL special teamer as he was in college. 

Giants: Kutztown OL Ryan Schernecke

Kutztown University isn’t usually seen as a hotbed for NFL talent, though it did produce Hall of Fame WR Andre Reed and most recently Lions RB Craig Reynolds. But the Giants made a statement when they signed Schernecke by guaranteeing just over $282,000 of his salary, which ranks inside the top five of reported guarantees for all undrafted free agents so far this year. He was a clear target they wanted to make sure they landed. Schernecke may have been a Division II player but he has NFL-caliber traits at 6-7, 320 pounds, almost 34-inch arms and a quality 8.62 RAS. Depth at tackle has been a sore spot for the Giants the last several years. Even if they appear to have short and long-term answers between LT Andrew Thomas, RT Jermaine Eluemunor and first-round OL Francis Mauigoa (who will play guard as a rookie and potentially kick out to replace Eluemunor in a year or two), new HC John Harbaugh clearly wants to build more of a pipeline at the position. 

Jaguars: Penn State WR Trebor Peña

From a depth chart perspective, there’s an easier path to a roster spot at cornerback than receiver in Jacksonville. The Jaguars drafted two wideouts in the sixth and signed five after the draft, including Peña. However, I do like Peña’s chances to stand out. There are a lot of similarities between him and Jaguars WR Parker Washington beyond just shared stints at Penn State. Peña is also probably a slot-only receiver with some skills as a punt returner. As Washington’s profile on offense increases, making it harder to justify using him as a returner, that opens up a potential niche for Peña to slide into. He had a terrific season for Syacuse in 2024, vacuuming in 84 catches for 941 yards and nine touchdowns. His numbers were a lot worse this past season but Happy Valley has overtaken Chicago as the place receivers go to die. And while Peña isn’t an overwhelming athlete at just 5-10 and 187 pounds, his marks in the 40 (4.51), three cone (6.9) and short shuttle (4.11) all pass the threshold for success. 

Jets: BYU CB Mory Bamba

The Jets hit BYU hard after the draft, double-tapping specialists by snaring LS Garrison Grimes and K Will Ferrin. Both could conceivably start if they beat out veteran competitors. They also added to the secondary by snagging Bamba, who is one of the most athletic corners in this entire class. A former track athlete, Bamba ran a 4.29 40-yard dash at 6-2 and 193 pounds. In terms of size/speed traits, it’s hard to get much better at corner. His agility testing and length didn’t quite live up to that elite standard but it’s well worth the bet to see if HC Aaron Glenn and his defensive staff can mold Bamba into a decent zone corner. 

Lions: Tennessee TE Miles Kitselman

HM: USC DE Anthony Lucas, Morgan State LB Erick Hunter

With the NFL pushing tight ends up the board this year, there’s value for the teams that can mine the same value in a deep class later on, including undrafted free agency. Kitselman had decent production at Tennessee for a college tight end, but his strength is blocking and that’s where he’ll make his money in the NFL. The Lions need help to round out a depth chart that includes Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright and Tyler Conklin, especially with new OC Drew Petzing who loves to lean on multiple tight end formations. Kitselman’s blue-collar work ethic and background, hailing from rural small-town Kansas and working his way up from junior college, fit right in with the ethos of the Lions. 

Two other players stand out. Hunter was one of the few HBCU players to get a shot in the NFL this year and none were drafted. He’s a standout athlete, running a 4.45 40 at 6-2 and 223 pounds in addition to some other strong numbers. While that weight would be a touch undersized, Hunter does have really good length with over 33-inch arms. He absolutely stuffed the stat sheet in his final year at Morgan State with 14 tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles, a pick, a safety and three pass breakups. There’s a clear path to a practice squad berth and the Lions are thin enough at linebacker that an active roster spot isn’t out of the question. 

Lucas looks like an NFL player getting off the bus at 6-5, nearly 260 pounds and with 34 and 3/8-inch arms. He ranked 160th on the consensus big board and was widely expected to be a mid-round selection. But he wasn’t able to do any athletic testing during the pre-draft process, and combined with just three career sacks, that was too much for teams to overlook in a deep edge rusher class. That could benefit the Lions because Lucas got A+ marks for his football character and he has the skills to be a solid rotational piece. It’s not a glamorous comparison, but there are parallels to former Panthers DE Wes Horton, who carved out a seven-year career and signed multiple contracts for his abilities as a rotational pass rusher. Horton also attended USC.  

Packers: Illinois G Josh Gesky

HM: Florida WR J Michael Sturdivant

No team develops offensive linemen quite as well as the Packers. They have a type that they target in the middle rounds and undrafted free agency, looking for players who are athletic and have some experience at tackle who can either stick there or slide inside. From there, they do a good job coaching them up and building a pipeline of depth that more often than not moves into the starting lineup. Gesky played his entire career at guard but he had a phenomenal pro day, running a 5.03 40 at 6-5 and nearly 330 pounds while throwing up 30 reps on the bench press and notching some impressive jumps. His agility scores weren’t great but he showed a lot of power and explosiveness which is backed up by his tape. If he were to lose weight and improve his fluidity a little bit, he has the length to stay at tackle, but more than likely the Packers see him as a potential long-term depth piece inside. 

Sturdivant is worth highlighting as well because the Packers didn’t draft a receiver after losing both Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs this offseason. They had plenty of depth, so there’s not necessarily an obvious 53-man roster spot, but Green Bay is a developmentally minded organization and will be looking for a receiver or two to keep around. Sturdivant is an impressive athlete at 6-3 and 207 pounds, running an excellent 4.4 flat at that size. He bounced around in college a bit, but his best year was actually his redshirt freshman year at Cal when he had 65 catches for 755 yards and seven touchdowns. Sturdivant struggled to come close to those over the following three years at UCLA and Florida, but there’s some potential here for the Packers to tap back into. Interestingly enough, two other receivers highlighted in last year’s UDFA column, Isaiah Neyor and Jakobie Keeney-James, are also on the Packers’ roster and will be competing for jobs this summer. 

Panthers: Duke DT Aaron Hall

There’s a lot to like about Hall on and off the field. On the field, he worked his way into the starting lineup at Duke and was a mainstay the past two seasons. In that span, he had a productive 85 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and six sacks. At 6-4 and around 300 pounds, he is a quality athlete with a 9.67 RAS, highlighted by some really good marks in terms of quickness and explosion. Off the field, he was voted as a team captain each of the past two years. While Carolina has made some big investments in the defensive line the last two years between free agency and the draft, there’s still room for some depth players to seize roles in the rotation. Hall is one to watch for that. 

Patriots: UCF RB Myles Montgomery

The top of the depth chart at running back is settled for New England with a 1-2 punch (in whatever order) between TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson. The third spot is far less settled and the Patriots spent a big chunk of last year churning the bottom of the roster to try and find a layer of insurance behind Henderson and Stevenson. They drafted Alabama RB Jam Miller in the seventh but I actually think Montgomery is a sneaky better bet if the Patriots don’t just defer to Miller’s draft capital. He ran a great 40 time, two-tenths of a second faster than Montgomery, but Miller is a long strider and needs a runway to get up to top speed. Meanwhile Montgomery is far burstier, more agile in and out of cuts, a more explosive player overall, better in the receiving game and has far better vision. He was mired in a time share his two years at UCF and faces an uphill battle in New England for a roster spot, but I’m betting he’ll start making it hard for the coaches to keep him off the field in August. If he can return kickoffs, that would be a big boost to his chances.  

Raiders: Arkansas LB Xavian Sorey Jr.

I liked Sorey’s odds of making the team when I was first sketching out this article. In between outlining and publishing, the Raiders emptied out a chunk of their depth chart at linebacker, giving Sorey an even clearer potential path to the 53. Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean have the two starting spots locked up, but it’s pretty wide open behind them. Sorey started the past two years at Arkansas and has NFL-caliber size and athleticism. He’s a run-and-hit linebacker who plays with an edge, one that should help him carve out a role on special teams sooner than later. How well he refines the rest of his game will determine his ceiling, including modulating his aggression to avoid missed tackles. 

Rams: Alabama LB Nikhai Hill-Green

HM: Syracuse TE Dan Villari

Hill-Green wasn’t a full-time starter for the Crimson Tide this past year, instead working in a rotational role. His measurements are more solid than good, as he’s a touch undersized at 6-1 and 223 pounds. His speed is good, not great, at 4.65 seconds, and you could say the same for his three-cone. But every time I watched Alabama, No. 41 was popping on the screen as a playmaker. He was fourth on the team with 60 tackles despite splitting time and stuffed the stat sheet with five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and three pass breakups. Crucially, he’s also landing with a Rams team that has one of the lightest depth charts in football at linebacker. Nathan Landman and Omar Speights are the starters and Grant Stuard is a roster lock who was signed for his special teams proficiency this offseason. After that, it’s Shaun Dolac, a UDFA last year who the team liked but only played four percent of the snaps on defense, Elias Neal and Hill-Green. 

The Rams are a big reason for the multiple-tight-end trend that hit this offseason. They already have an apparent five roster locks at the position, so it’s tough to find room for Villari. But he’s the kind of player I think they’re going to try hard to keep. He’s a pretty well-rounded player who was a three-star quarterback recruit at one point, changed positions and finished his career at Syracuse with four rushing touchdowns (one more than he had receiving scores). 

Ravens: Ole Miss OT Diego Pounds

HM: Penn State C Nick Dawkins, UNC-Charlotte LB Reid Williford

The Ravens haven’t been around as long as most other teams but they have a long and proud tradition of mining useful players out of undrafted free agency. Pounds is my headliner in a group that I expect to have multiple notable contributors. Coming in at 175th on the consensus board, it’s a surprise that the leaguewide demand for tackles did not push Pounds into the top 257 selections. Brugler gave him a fourth-round grade and loved his pass blocking prowess at 6-6 and 330 pounds with 33.75-inch arms. Pounds tested pretty well too at that size, and didn’t have any obvious medical or character red flags that would explain his fall. It works to the benefit of the Ravens, who don’t have great depth at tackle. I would give Pounds great odds of sticking on the roster through cutdown day as the fourth tackle at this point. 

Baltimore kept up the focus on the offensive line by adding Dawkins, another experienced lineman from a big program. Brugler noted that Penn State’s coaching staff could not rave enough about all the intangibles Dawkins brought to the team, from leadership to work ethic. He does need some development and is probably not an immediate answer to the team’s glaring need at center but could work into a depth role long-term. Dawkins is on the big side for a center at 6-4 and 310 pounds, which suits the smashmouth style the Ravens want to play with. 

Williford is a phenomenal athlete, notching a 9.46 RAS thanks to a blazing 4.51-second 40 time and a superb 6.77-second three cone. He started the past two years at a UNCC program that’s still finding its way off the ground, and there’s a good opportunity for him in Baltimore. The Ravens love finding undrafted linebackers and the position is a little thin right now. Roquan Smith, Teddye Buchanan and Trenton Simpson top the depth chart but Buchanan is coming off a torn ACL from the second half of last season that could limit him in 2026. Behind those three is a collection of current and former UDFAs, so the fourth and fifth spots are completely up for grabs for a player like Williford. 

Saints: Central Michigan DE Michael Heldman

Brugler dubbed Heldman a “MAC-level Nick Bosa,” which is a lofty but potentially apt comparison. He had a monster season in 2025 with 10.5 sacks in 13 games, plus a pair of forced fumbles and four batted passes to boot. This past spring, he tested like a dominant athlete, compiling a RAS of 9.9 thanks to high-end numbers in almost every drill while measuring 6-4 and 270 pounds. Saints DC Brandon Staley coached the other Bosa brother with the Chargers and I can imagine that he was salivating at the prospect of getting a ball of clay like this to mold with the goal of getting a third Bosa brother, at least in spirit. The Saints aren’t hurting for edge rusher depth, adding Tyree Wilson and Anfernee Jennings recently to round out the room behind Chase Young and Carl Granderson. But if Heldman shows even a glimpse of promise during the preseason, the Saints will make room for him on the roster. 

Seahawks: Wisconsin TE Lance Mason

When you’re the champs, it’s usually harder for undrafted free agents to make the roster, and that was reflected in Seattle inking just a seven-man UDFA class. Mason is the one to know here. A former no-star recruit who started as a true freshman at Missouri State, Mason parlayed a productive 2024 season into a transfer opportunity to a bigger program in Wisconsin, where he stepped up to the level of the competition and earned second-team All-Big 10. He’s not an overwhelming athlete by tight end standards, coming in at 6-3 and 243 pounds with an average RAS. He’s got enough athletic ability to stick around as a developmental player, however, as teams keep collecting tight ends like Infinity Stones.  

Steelers: Syracuse DT Kevin Jobity Jr.

Another team with a small UDFA class (just six players), the standout of the group for me is Jobity. He’s a big dude at 6-4 and nearly 310 pounds with long, 33.5-inch arms. He tested pretty well too with a RAS of 8.87, and was productive both from the jump and over the course of his four years at Syracuse. Jobity finished his college career with 20.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks, with five of those quarterback takedowns coming in his final year. Pittsburgh has a lot of numbers in its defensive line room right now with 12 players but I do think Jobity profiles as someone the Steelers will want to keep working with and developing. 

Texans: Illinois State WR Daniel Sobkowicz

On paper, the Texans have a receiving corps that would be difficult for a newcomer to crack, with top-end talent, recent high draft picks and veterans the coaching staff loves because they’re reliable and fill specific roles. Sobkowicz is a rookie free agent making the transition from the Missouri Valley Football Conference to the NFL, and he’s slow with just a 4.6-second 40 time. A deeper look shows an intriguing player, though. He was a prolific receiver in college, breaking out as a redshirt sophomore with 68 receptions, 933 yards and 10 touchdowns. He went over 80 catches and 1,100 yards each of the next two seasons and scored 28 touchdowns in that same span. As you’d expect, his tape shows plenty of wins with his routes and great hands. But the slow 40 masks an otherwise exceptional athletic profile. Sobkowicz has a RAS of 9.46 thanks to his size at 6-2 and 193 pounds, great 10-yard and 20-yard splits on his 40 and outstanding agility times, including a buttery 6.61-second three cone drill. Cooper Kupp is an overused comparison for bigger white slot receivers with a slow 40 but great agility times. In this case, Sobkowicz is actually a much better athlete, and time will tell if he can build upon some of the other parallels the two have in their games. 

Titans: Houston CB Latrell McCutchin Jr.

HM: N.C. State LB Sean Brown, Notre Dame OT Aamil Wagner, USC S Bishop Fitzgerald

Rookie free agency is a sneaky way for a new coach to put his stamp on the team, especially one who’s a proven teacher and developer of defensive players like Titans HC Robert Saleh. His defenses were always a bright spot in his New York tenure as fast, physical units who flowed to the ball with bad intentions. He’s got a ways to go to get the Titans there but they’re looking to make a big step in Year 1. Tennessee revamped almost the entire cornerback room in March with a couple of big free agent signings but the Titans still need to round out the room. Getting McCutchin, who Brugler tagged with a 4th/5th-round grade, is a coup that could help in a hurry. McCutchin has prototypical size and speed for the position at 6-2, over 190 pounds and a 4.43 40. His agility times were strong, too, giving him an overall RAS of 9.5, and he’s a fierce competitor who was a mainstay on Houston’s special teams units despite also starting. The biggest knock on him is that he didn’t intercept a pass his entire college career but he had 10 pass breakups in his final season, so he’s not incapable of finding the football. 

Wagner and Fitzgerald both came in as sixth-round values on the consensus big board before slipping out of the draft. Fitzgerald is a little undersized but not outrageously so for a safety, and hits the thresholds for athleticism and production especially (10 picks, 24 pass breakups in three years of DI football) that teams want to see. It’s a big surprise he and McCutchin went undrafted and I would hardly be shocked to see both on the Week 1 roster for the Titans. Wagner looks the part at tackle, but his tape had more rough moments. At 6-6, over 300 pounds and 35-inch arms at his pro day, Wagner has traits worth betting on in a developmental role for the Titans.  

Brown will probably fly under the radar because he’s undersized for the position at 5-11 and 221 pounds, and because he played just five games last year. But in those five games, Brown already had 44 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss, building on a strong season the year before with 96 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. The year before that, he was a safety, and that athleticism remains. He ran a 4.64 40 and had great agility times to build an 8.11 RAS despite being undersized. Saleh has some history with converting safeties to linebackers, so Brown is a sleeper to hang around the back end of the roster and eventually become a contributor down the road. 

Vikings: James Madison S Jacob Thomas

HM: Georgia P Brett Thorson, North Carolina CB Marcus Allen

After taking S Jakobe Thomas in the third round out of Miami, the Vikings circled back after the draft and landed another safety with an almost identical name. Both could be relevant pieces to the defense sooner rather than later. The two Thomas’s are about the same size, in the neighborhood of 6-0 and 215 pounds. The lesser-heralded Thomas is a dramatically better athlete, however, with an RAS of 9.19 compared to 7.52. The JMU Thomas is faster (4.44 seconds in the 40), more explosive (36.5 in the vert, 10-foot-1 in the broad) and more agile (6.84 three cone and 4.21 shuttle). He played at a lower level of competition and does not have quite the track record of ball production that Jakobe Thomas does, with five interceptions in four years compared to five just last season for the Miami product. Jacob Thomas is strong close to the line of scrimmage, though, with 12 tackles for loss in the past two years. Jakobe Thomas will probably start at some point this year but with how much Vikings DC Brian Flores leans on his safety room, Jacob Thomas could crack the Week 1 roster if he’s a quick study. 

Thorson had some buzz that looks silly in hindsight but he did seem to have some draftable grades from coaches. Vikings P Johnny Hekker is a big name brand but the production hasn’t matched and there’s a reason he’s on his third team in three seasons. Allen is big, physical, experienced and is a good fit in press man coverage. I’d say the Vikings only have four roster locks at corner at the moment, leaving room for someone to crash the party.