The drafted players get the glory, but the draft process doesn’t actually end with Mr. Irrelevant at pick 259.
Thousands of NFL draft prospects will go undrafted, and hundreds will sign to a team’s 90-man roster in the days following the draft. Hundreds more will receive a training camp invite and keep their dreams alive.
While most undrafted free agents won’t turn into NFL stars, every undrafted class sees at least a few notable undrafted players.
Last year, Kader Kohou from Texas A&M-Commerce was an undrafted free agent who plays a key role all season for the Dolphins.
Previous years saw future stars like Jason Peters, Antonio Gates, Adam Vinatieri, James Harrison, Tony Romo, Wes Welker, and Adam Thielen go undrafted.
The point is, you can still find value in undrafted free agency.
Having evaluated over 3000 prospects in the draft, I have a long list of potential undrafted free agent signing. I’ve condensed that into a short list of players for each position who have a chance to be great.
Best Undrafted Free Agents 2023
Overall
- Ivan Pace Jr., LB, Cincinnati
- Emil Ekiyor Jr., G, Alabama
- Bryce Ford-Wheaton, WR, West Virginia
- Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse
- Eli Ricks, CB, Alabama
- Andre Carter II, Edge, Army
- Durrell Johnson, Edge, Liberty
- Jaxson Kirkland, G, Washington
- Hunter Luepke, FB, North Dakota State
- Joey Fisher, G, Shepherd
- Matt Landers, WR, Arkansas
- Blake Whiteheart, TE, Wake Forest
- Jalen Moreno-Cropper, WR, Fresno State
- Mo Ibrahim, RB, Minnesota
- Jerrod Clark, DT, Coastal Carolina
- Rejzohn Wright, CB, Oregon State
- Shaka Heyward, LB, Duke
- Zeke Vandenburgh, LB/Edge, Illinois State
- Brandon Joseph, S, Notre Dame
- McClendon Curtis, G/T, UT-Chattanooga
Quarterback
- Malik Cunningham, Louisville
- Tim DeMorat, Fordham
- Tyson Bagent, Shepherd
- Lindsey Scott, Incarnate Word
- Holton Ahlers, East Carolina
- Tommy DeVito, Illinois
- Chase Brice, Appalachian State
- Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Malik Cunningham is a big time athlete who can break down defenses with his legs. It’s not often you can get an undrafted quarterback who will make opposing defenses genuinely scramble to put together a gameplan. He didn’t improve as much as a passer over his career as people had hoped, but he’s a unique talent with some potential if used properly.
Wide Receiver
- Bryce Ford-Wheaton, West Virginia
- Matt Landers, Arkansas
- Jalen Moreno-Cropper, Fresno State
- CJ Johnson, East Carolina
- Rakim Jarrett, Maryland
- Joseph Ngata, Clemson
- Malik Knowles, Kansas State
- Xavier Gipson, Stephen F. Austin
- Michael Jefferson, UL-Lafayette
- Shedrick Jackson, Auburn
- Jadon Haselwood, Arkansas
- Mitchell Tinsley, Penn State
- Jason Brownlee, Southern Miss
- Jacob Copeland, Maryland
- Jalen Wayne, South Alabama
- Malik Heath, Ole Miss
- Justin Marshall, Buffalo
- Keytaon Thompson, Virginia
- Dontay Demus Jr., Maryland
- Xavier Malone, Henderson State
- Shaquan Davis, South Carolina State
- David Durden, West Florida
- Daewood Davis, Western Kentucky
- Chase Cota, Oregon
- Kazmeir Allen, UCLA
- Jaray Jenkins, LSU
- Kearis Jackson, Georgia
- Ontaria Wilson, Florida State
- Jadakis Bonds, Hampton
- Nikko Remigio, Fresno State
Bryce Ford-Wheaton is still raw, but he’s a big time athlete. It’s crazy how some players were drafted in the top 100 with the same description. At 6’4″ 221 pounders, he ran a 4.38 with a 41″ vertical and 129″ broad jump.
Running Back
- Sean Tucker, Syracuse
- Hunter Luepke, North Dakota State (FB)
- Mo Ibrahim, Minnesota
- Deneric Prince, Tulsa
- Keaton Mitchell, East Carolina
- Xazavian Valladay, Arizona State
- Camerun Peoples, Appalachian State
- Travis Dye, USC
- Emari Demercado, TCU
- Tiyon Evans, Louisville
- Khalan Laborn, Marshall
- Christopher Brooks, BYU
- Jaleel McLaughlin, Youngstown State
- Isaiah Bowser, UCF
- Aidan Borguet, Harvard
- SaRodorick Thompson, Texas Tech
- Jordan Mims, Fresno State
- Tavion Thomas, Utah
I have no clue how Sean Tucker went undrafted. The 5’9″ 207 pound running back has a good mix of power and athleticism, while being dominant throughout his Syracuse career. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see him sneak into the top 100.
Tight End
- Blake Whiteheart, Wake Forest
- Ben Sims, Baylor
- Noah Gindorff, North Dakota State
- Daniel Barker, Michigan State
- EJ Jenkins, Georgia Tech
- Thomas Greaney, Albany
- Lachlan Pitts, William & Mary
- Jack Colletto, Oregon State (FB)
- Kemore Gamble, UCF
- Jahleel Billingsley, Texas
- Griffin Hebert, Louisiana Tech
- Dakota Allen, Eastern Kentucky
- Julian Hill, Campbell
- Travis Vokolek, Nebraska
- Christian Sims, Bowling Green
Blake Whiteheart is a smooth route runner with a similar skillset to 1st round pick Dalton Kincaid. Whiteheart looked good at the combine, and was one of the better players at the East-West Shrine Game.
Offensive Line
- Emil Ekiyor Jr., Alabama (G)
- Jaxson Kirkland, Washington (G)
- Joey Fisher, Shepherd (G)
- McClendon Curtis, UT-Chattanooga (G)
- Trevor Reid, Louisville (T)
- Earl Bostick Jr., Kansas (T)
- Brett Neilon, USC (C)
- Alex Palczewski, Illinois (T)
- Richard Gouraige, Florida (T)
- TJ Bass, Oregon (G)
- Jaylon Thomas, SMU (G)
- Alan Ali, TCU (C)
- Alfred Edwards, Utah State (T)
- Connor Galvin, Baylor (T)
- John Ojukwu, Boise State (T)
- Brent Laing, Minnesota-Duluth (G)
- Dalton Wagner, Arkansas (T)
- Jerome Carvin, Tennessee (G)
- Mark Evans II, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (G)
- Tyler Beach, Wisconsin (G)
- Luke Haggard, Indiana (T)
- Tashawn Manning, Kentucky (G)
- Trevor Downing, Iowa State (C)
- Brandon Council, Auburn (G)
- Bobby Haskins, USC (T)
- Grant Gibson, NC State (C)
- Silas Dzansi, Virginia Tech (G)
- DJ Scaife Jr., Miami-FL (G)
- Demontrey Jacobs, South Florida (T)
- Kilian Zierer, Auburn (T)
- Jarrett Horst, Michigan State (T)
Emil Ekiyor is a steady offensive lineman who played a lot of football for Alabama. He can play any interior offensive line position, and has plenty of power to step in and succeed in the NFL.
Defensive Line
- Jerrod Clark, Coastal Carolina
- Jalen Redmond, Oklahoma
- DJ Dale, Alabama
- Devonnsha Maxwell, UT-Chattanooga
- Jacob Slade, Michigan State
- Jayson Ademilola, Notre Dame
- Terrance Lang, Colorado
- Cory Durden, NC State
- TK McLendon, Eastern Kentucky
- Caleb Sanders, South Dakota State
- Taron Vincent, Ohio State
- PJ Mustipher, Penn State
- Jaxon Player, Baylor
- Spencer Waege, North Dakota State
- Trey Botts, Colorado-Pueblo
I prefer Jerrod Clark over Brodric Martin, who was a 3rd round pick. Very similar player, but quicker first step and a bit more athletic overall. He has a big body and looked like a ready-made NFL nose tackle when he was at the Senior Bowl.
Linebacker
- Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati
- Shaka Heyward, Duke
- Zeke Vandenburgh, Illinois State
- Jeremy Banks, Tennessee
- Anfernee Orji, Vanderbilt
- Ben VanSumeren, Michigan State
- Aubrey Miller Jr., Jackson State
- Mohamoud Diabate, Utah
- Isaiah Moore, NC State
- Drake Thomas, NC State
- Charlie Thomas, Georgia Tech
- Jordan Wright, Kentucky
- Cam Jones, Indiana
- Jaylen Moody, Alabama
- Mikel Jones, Syracuse
- Cam Bright, Washington
- Austin Ajiake, UNLV
- Troy Brown, Ole Miss
- Micah Baskerville, LSU
- Bumper Pool, Arkansas
- Kyle Soelle, Arizona State
- KD Davis, North Texas
- Seth Benson, Iowa
- Caleb Johnson, Miami (FL)
- Liam Anderson, Holy Cross
How Ivan Pace went undrafted is beyond me. He was a unanimous 1st team All-American, and easily the most productive linebacker in college football this past year. He went to the combine and to the Senior Bowl, where he was the fastest linebacker per on-field GPS tracking. He’ll be one of the top 100 players in this class when we look back.
Safety
- Brandon Joseph, Notre Dame
- Ronnie Hickman, Ohio State
- Quindell Johnson, Memphis
- Kaevon Merriweather, Iowa
- AJ Finley, Ole Miss
- Trey Dean, III Florida
- Bennett Williams, Oregon
- Christian Young, Arizona
- Macon Clark, Tulane
- Christian Morgan, Baylor
- Jalen Green, Mississippi State
- Nico Bolden, Kent State
- Latavious Brini, Arkansas
- Ty Okada, Montana State
- Ja’von Hicks, Cincinnati
- Morgan Vest, Northern Arizona
- Benny Sapp III, Northern Iowa
- Tyreque Jones, Boise State
Brandon Joseph was an All-American at Northwestern, who transferred to Notre Dame and was significantly less effective. He is great at ranging deep with a lot of production earlier in his career. The athleticism isn’t elite, but he’s got enough instincts to stick in the NFL.
Cornerback
- Eli Ricks, Alabama
- Rejzohn Wright, Oregon State
- Starling Thomas V, UAB
- Mekhi Garner, LSU
- Kaleb Hayes, BYU
- Alex Austin, Oregon State
- Steven Jones Jr., Appalachian State
- Myles Brooks, Louisiana Tech
- Keidron Smith, Kentucky
- Cameron Brown, Ohio State
- Art Green, Houston
- Lance Boykin, Coastal Carolina
- Ekow Boye-Doe, Kansas State
- D’Shawn Jamison, Texas
- Anthony Johnson, Virginia
- Corey Mayfield Jr., UTSA
- Arquon Bush, Cincinnati
- Steven Gilmore, Marshall
- Kahlef Hailassie, Western Kentucky
Eli Ricks was a 5 star recruit and a freshman All-American at LSU. After transferring to Alabama, he barely saw the field. He compounded that with lackluster athletic testing. But there’s a reason he was so good to start his career, and a team might be able to untap that.
Specialists
- Adam Korsak, Rutgers (P)
- Michael Turk, Oklahoma (P)
- Alex Ward, UCF (LS)
- Chris Stoll, Penn State (LS)
- Jack Podlesny, Georgia (K)
- Robert Soderholm III, VMI (LS)
- Gavin Baechle, UTEP (K)
- Andre Szmyt, Syracuse (K)
Adam Korsak was my favorite remaining specialist. He was the best punter in college football, but will need to transition away from the Aussie style of punting. Style aside, Korsak has elite accuracy and is the king of pinning the ball inside the 5 yard line.
