Thor Nystrom completes his undrafted free agents series with the AFC, ranking the teams' respective classes according to pre-draft grades.

This is Part 2 of my annual UDFA class rankings piece. If you missed the NFC UDFA class rankings earlier this week, you can check that out here: 

My ranking methodology for this piece is based exclusively on a point system using my pre-draft rankings. That matrix is juiced to reward teams for signing quality—especially prospects I saw as draftable—as opposed to quantity. The name of this game is finding long-term 53-man roster cogs on the cheap.

Not every UDFA who signed an NFL contract this process is listed in the team tables below—only those who were ranked in my position rankings (top-750). Prospects brought in for rookie camp tryouts are listed along with those who signed official contracts.

1. Miami Dolphins

Miami had the AFC’s top UDFA class by my metrics (and were No. 5 overall behind the Vikings, Falcons, Seahawks, and Eagles). That continued the Dolphins’ recent trend of success in the UDFA process. 

The Dolphins had two UDFAs make the Week 1 roster last year—CB Storm Duck (342 defensive snaps) and OL Andrew Meyer. The year before, the Dolphins had three. And the year before that, the Fins unearthed a legit UDFA gem in S Kader Kohou.

This time around, with sparse depth in the receiving room beyond Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Miami was aggressive with UDFA WRs. The Dolphins gave $135,000 guaranteed to Northwestern slot WR AJ Henning, who just missed my position rankings (and thus is not listed in the table above).

The 6-foot-4, 204-pound WR Andrew Armstrong led the SEC in receiving yardage (1,140) last season despite playing in only 11 games. He’s old, however—three years older than Luther Burden. Armstrong, who had a sparkling 3.25 receiving yards per team pass attempt in 2024, offers the starter kit of an NFL possession receiver.

If things break right for WRs Theo Wease Jr. and Sam Brown Jr., you could say that about them. Miami has been looking for a big possession receiver for the red zone and to move the chains on third down—it’s the explicit reason they signed WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.

But with bigger fish to fry during the draft, Miami didn’t get around to drafting a receiver. With an open competition for bench spots behind Miami’s starting three receivers, there’s a good chance a UDFA WR cracks the Week 1 roster.

Lastly: I think LB Eugene Asante and TE Jalin Conyers are both making this roster. Asante, a jitterbug of a linebacker, is a strong special teamer who had an eye-popping 727 special teams snaps in college. He’ll flesh out the linebacker depth while assuming a core special-teamer role out of the gate. 

I believe that TE Conyers will see some field time as a rookie. The Dolphins were weak on tight end depth behind Jonnu Smith, and Conyers, who has long arms and a deceivingly large catch radius, has interesting developmental traits.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

Historically, the Chiefs have finished well in my UDFA metrics, including the No. 1 overall class in 2024. This process, Kansas City finished No. 6 overall.

On talent alone, WR Badger was a mid-round prospect. Badger got pushed out of the draft after an odd college career. He stuck around at Arizona State too long after the recruiting scandal and played on a couple dead-end teams before going through the Graham Mertz/DJ Lagway shuffle his one year at Florida.

Florida’s shift to Lagway turned out to be a good thing for Badger—but it also relegated him to a one-trick-pony deep-ball role (which he excelled in, becoming one of five FBS WRs to average 20+ YPR while not dropping a single ball on 61 targets).

Badger, I’m told, was not aided by his interviews during the pre-draft process. But with all options open to him in free agency, he made the right call in picking Kansas City. The Chiefs are low on WR depth after several free agent defections this offseason. Badger has 4.43 speed, he’s got legitimate ball skills, and he can gobble up YAC yards quickly if you lead him into space. 

The on-field concern with the profile is Badger remains a raw route-runner despite spending five years in college. He rushes up the stem, and is undisciplined and inefficient at the break—making it easier than it should be for defensive backs to stay close. And since he didn’t play much special teams in college, Badger is going to have to make it as a receiver alone. He’s got the talent to do that, but it’s now-or-never time to polish the finer-point elements of his game that never got it in college. 

Speaking of receivers, Fresno State WR Mac Dalena is a deep-deep sleeper to monitor in camp because he’s a really good special-teamer who logged 600+ career special teams snaps in college. 

I was one of the lowest in the media on Clemson TE Jake Briningstool, and it turns out the NFL was with me. Briningstool is a stretched-out, lengthy target who looks the part, with a big catch radius. But he’s a Quadruple-A tweener, lacking the play strength and leverage for inline work, and the athleticism to become an NFL big slot. 

WKU RB Elijah Young has a very interesting analytical profile as a receiver, a primary reason he ultimately cracked my top-500 overall board. Young probably should have picked another team—Kansas City stole one of the draft’s best receiving backs in R7 with Brashard Smith. Young isn’t beating out Smith.

OT Esa Pole could be a hidden gem. Despite not beginning his football career until 2021, Pole had developed into one of the FBS’ most-reliable pass-blocking left tackles by the time he left campus. Pole allowed zero sacks last year for Washington State and was a top-25 PFF-graded pass-blocking offensive tackle in the FBS.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

Even with the injury, I was surprised that Ohio State C Seth McLaughlin slipped out of the draft amid an extremely weak center class. McLaughlin won the Rimington Award in 2024, joining Billy Price, Pat Elflein, and LeCharles Bentley as the fourth Buckeye to do so.

McLaughlin ruptured an Achilles tendon in practice in late-November. That obviously ended his season and wiped-out his pre-draft process, And though McLaughlin has stated that he’s been told he’ll be cleared for contact in July, his availability for the start of camp is obviously in question.

All that said, this was a home run signing. McLaughlin was one of the few centers in this class with the toolset to potentially develop into a multi-year NFL starter. If there’s any setbacks with McLaughlin’s rehab, no problem, he can be stashed on IR.

McLaughlin picked a good situation, staying in-state with the Bengals. If he’s healthy for camp, McLaughlin will spend it competing with 2024 seventh-rounder Matt Lee for the spot behind Ted Karras. 

The Bengals did not take an iDL in the draft. So it wasn’t a surprise that they prioritized that position in the UDFA process, signing two of the best undrafted iDL in Howard Cross III and Eric Gregory. As long as the team ends up keeping a fifth defensive tackle, it would appear that Cross and Gregory will be competing against one-another for that gig.

I’m going to install Cross as your betting favorite heading in. Firstly because I think he’s the superior player—Cross wound up being the last player with a draftable grade on my board (No. 257 overall). 

Secondly, because Cross is reuniting with DC Al Golden, who was his DC at Notre Dame. Cross was the only Golden Domer who the Bengals added this process. Golden’s nickname for Cross is “Fast Hands Howard” because of his quick first step and active hands off the snap. Cross was a second-team All-American in 2023 under Golden.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

This is more or less a one-man class—but that prospect was good enough to propel Pittsburgh to a top-10 overall UDFA haul. The Steelers got themselves a keeper in DB Sebastian Castro. Castro is better than the Round 7 prospect that Pittsburgh drafted for nickel depth, Donte Kent.

Both acquisitions, along with the signing of Juan Thornhill, point to Pittsburgh’s clear offseason emphasis of adding two-way safeties who get after it in run defense. This feels like scar tissue from the lopsided Round 1 playoff loss to the Ravens in which the Steelers gave up 299 rushing yards. 

In that game, whenever Pittsburgh pulled a defensive back from the field to beef up the box, QB Lamar Jackson sliced them through the air. Adding run-defending safeties is a step toward not having to schematically steal from Peter to pay Paul, and not having to tip your hand as blatantly pre-snap to the offense through personnel substitutions. 

I believe Pittsburgh found a long-term roster cog in Castro, a prospect I believe had middle-round talent. Over the last three seasons, Castro was 99th-percentile in PFF coverage grade at safety, and 85th-percentile in the slot. He was also 90th-percentile for his position in run defense grade, and 99th-percentile in run stop rate. 

In addition, Castro played 348 career special teams snaps and projects to fill multiple roles on an NFL special teams unit. Castro fell out of the draft due to mediocre measurables. But he’s an instinctual, refined, versatile defensive back who will back up multiple secondary spots while adding special team value.

Castro will stay teammates with RB Kaleb Johnson and DT Yahya Black–a pair of Hawkeyes selected by Pittsburgh during the draft–at the next level. That trio won’t even have to switch colors. In 1979, legendary Hawkeyes HC Hayden Fry asked the Steelers if Iowa could pattern a black-and-gold jersey color scheme after the Steelers’ uniforms. The Steelers said yes. 

One deep sleeper to monitor? Minnesota-Duluth OL Aiden Williams. A former zero-star recruit from Alaska, Williams entered college as a TE but ultimately gained 50 pounds to become a three-year starter on the offensive line. If he can show something in camp, Williams should earn an NFL redshirt year on the practice squad. 

5. Houston Texans

The Texans eschewed quantity for quality in the UDFA process, signing a trio of prospects I ranked top-250 overall pre-draft, and a fourth who finished within shouting distance of a draftable grade on my board.

This class is headlined by UNC nickel defender Alijah Huzzie, who went viral at the NFL Combine for a one-on-one interview he did at his podium session while all other reporters in the room flocked to Travis Hunter.

An undersized transfer from East Tennessee State, Huzzie had 14 pass breakups over two years starting at UNC. A rock-solid nickel defender, Huzzie was expected to go in the latter half of Day 3 prior to tearing his ACL at Shrine Bowl practices. Now, he’s a free lotto ticket to Houston, which won’t require a 2025 roster spot to keep—Huzzie will get a redshirt year on IR.

Houston shelled out $200,000 in contract guarantees for DT Junior Tafuna. Even after signing DT Sheldon Rankins and using a R7 pick on Rutgers DT Kyonte Hamilton, the Texans needed more depth along the interior.

The Texans also got aggressive in handing out $250,000 guaranteed to C Eli Cox. The center position was largely ignored by teams during the draft. But Cox, a two-time All-SEC team member, was one of multiple UDFA centers who entertained multiple aggressive suitors on the post-draft open market. Houston’s center two-deep of Jarrett Patterson and Jake Andrews is, to say the least, uninspiring.

WR Daniel Jackson left Minnesota No. 3 on the program’s all-time receptions leader board. He’s a shifty slot with good hands. Jackson lacks long speed, and was viewed by many NFL personnel men as a possession slot—a low-value proposition even if he hits.

This isn’t a great landing spot for Jackson. The Texans added Christian Kirk as a one-year slot solution. Long-term, they hope to get Tank Dell back to his pre-injury form. And third-rounder Jaylin Noel is good enough to potentially push the issue for immediate snaps. Either way, Jackson will get to spend another summer with former Gopher teammate OT Aireonte Ersery, Houston’s R2 pick.

6. Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders also reunited a pair of former Minnesota Gophers when they signed EDGE Jah Joyner after drafting LB Cody Lindenberg in R7. Joyner, blessed with good length and fluidity off the edge, has a shot to make this roster. There are depth concerns and jobs available behind Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce on the depth chart. Joyner had 12 sacks the past two seasons. 

CB Mello Dotson was a Third Team All-American in 2024 after picking off five balls. Dotson is an instinctual, aggressive coverman who has the length and ball skills to flip the field at the catch point. 

But for all his ball production in coverage, Dotson’s evaluation was clouded by mediocre athleticism, poor run defense, and a red-flag career 19.1% missed tackle rate. In addition, Dotson doesn’t play special teams. That means he’s going to have to make this roster on the strength of his coverage ability alone. 

LB Jalin Walker followed HC Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana and went buckwild in Bloomington, posting 82 tackles, 10 TFL, two sacks, two interceptions, eight passes defensed, and three forced fumbles in 2024. 

Walker is safety-sized, so it’s no sure thing that his game is going to work in the NFL. But he’s a fiery presence who figures to press the issue by continuing to finish reps around the ball in camp. The Raiders’ LB room is one of the NFL’s very worst, so Walker and his unorthodox game are going to get a long look in camp.

A sleeper to make the team is Old Dominion’s Pat Conroy, an H-back/fullback. Conroy had eye-opening testing numbers during the pre-draft process—posting a 9.98 RAS as the FB position while doing every test—and showed some receiving flashes in 2024. 

Conroy finished No. 8 in this TE class with 8.2 YAC. He was the only FBS TE to have two 75-plus yard receptions in 2024. Can he convince OC Chip Kelly this summer that his versatility will add more to the offense than another backup inline guy?

7. Tennessee Titans

Cam Ward loves throwing to slot WR Xavier Restrepo, so it was notable to see the Titans sign Restrepo as the crown jewel of their UDFA haul. Restrepo, Miami’s all-time leader in receptions (207), functioned as the ultra-reliable slot receiver in Miami’s high-powered offense last year.

Poor measurables pushed Restrepo out of the draft. But he knows how to run a route, and he’s got reliable hands, with no drops over 95 targets in 2024. Ward trusts Restrepo on quick timing concepts and delivers the ball on-schedule into space when he’s got it, allowing Restrepo to access his slippery YAC ability.

DT Cam Horsley, a four-year starter in the ACC, is a north/south power tackle who mucks things up against the run. His game lacks the nuance and pass-rushing chops (3.5 career sacks) to be an NFL standout, but Horsley’s appetite for dirty work might allow him to hang around as an early-down rotational tackle. He’s aided by proven versatility in both three- and four-man fronts.

The Titans have poor depth at OT behind Dan Moore Jr. and JC Latham. This gives OT Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson a strong chance to make the Week 1 roster. The $245,000 that Crenshaw-Dickson got in guarantees tells you the Titans like his chances heading in.

Crenshaw-Dickson’s ceiling is capped by poor athleticism, but he has a prototypical frame with supreme length. The effect of the latter is played up by the heavy hands he throws. Crenshaw-Dickson reunites in Tennessee with Florida teammate WR Chimere Dike, the Titans' fourth-round pick.

Speaking of reunions, Penn State CB Jalen Kimber heads to Tennessee from Happy Valley alongside third-rounder S Kevin Winston Jr., while Texas LB David Gbenda will remain teammates with R4 TE Gunnar Helm.

8. Denver Broncos

An undrafted free agent has made Denver’s Week 1 roster out of camp in 20 of the last 21 seasons. That’s definitely happening again. The Broncos’ 2025 class was headlined by two offensive linemen whom I had draftable grades on, OG Clay Webb and OT Xavier Truss. They’re former teammates at Georgia.

Webb is a former five-star recruit who blossomed after leaving the Bulldogs for Jacksonville State in the portal. A strong run-blocking guard, Webb was a dream in Rich Rodriguez’s up-tempo, run-heavy system. Webb practiced at center at the Senior Bowl, proving to the NFL that he can handle all three interior positions.

As for Truss—a former four-star who spent his entire career at Georgia— he provides OG/OT versatility. Truss is blessed with length, and he’s a decent athlete. But he lacks play strength and plays naturally high—bully-ball power interior defenders give him fits. 

That’s the issue with the guard projection. The issue with the tackle projection is Truss doesn’t have especially quick feet—speed rushers in the SEC who could counter stole his lunch money on the boundary.

One of Webb and Truss is going to make this roster—and there’s a chance that both do. Webb’s argument is aided by Denver’s sore-spot center position. But the Broncos also lack overall interior offensive line depth—currently consisting of the uninspiring trio of Alex Forsyth, Nick Gargiulo, and Calvin Throckmorton. 

Another area where Denver badly needed to shore up its depth was linebacker. You saw an aggressive strategy with that in the UDFA process, with a big push to sign Utah LB Karene Reid, one of the draft’s top undrafted linebackers. 

It seems clear that Denver believes it will be rostering a UDFA linebacker. The team also gave guaranteed money to Kansas LB JB Brown, and former Wisconsin/Michigan State LB Jordan Turner turned down several tryout offers from around the NFL to accept Denver’s.

Turner is more intriguing than your typical rookie camp invite because he was recruited to Wisconsin by former DC Jim Leonhard, now the assistant HC for the Broncos (Leonard on Turner on Signing Day 2020: “Jordan Turner is a dynamic player. I love what he can do physically and he is a great leader on his team. He makes plays all over the field.”). Turner was PFF’s top-graded run-defending FBS linebacker last season, and he can play special teams.

9. Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore’s list of UDFAs is so extensive because the organization typically invites more unsigned UDFA to rookie camp for tryouts than other teams. The Ravens did so again this process.

While the class was bulked-up on quantity, Baltimore mostly stayed away from UDFA bidding wars on sought-after prospects after using an NFL-high 11 draft picks. That, along with the kick-the-tires-on-everyone UDFA strategy, is part-and-parcel of Baltimore’s amateur talent acquisition strategy under GM Eric DeCosta. DeCosta recently broke that philosophy down in fascinating but concise depth.

LB Jay Higgins was easily the top prospect that Baltimore signed. Higgins utterly lacks measurables and went undrafted for that reason. Just based on tape, Higgins has mid-round skill. Higgins earned consensus All-American honors in 2024, the second-straight year he earned All-American recognition. He was the only FBS defender to have at least 100 tackles and four interceptions in 2024.

Higgins is an instinctual, lunch-pail presence in the middle of a defense. He fills run gaps on time with clockwork reliability, and he’s always in perfect positioning in his designated area with eyes on the quarterback in zone coverage. He doesn’t have a ton of range, but his instincts gave him access to all of it.

I wouldn’t bet on Nebraska DT Nash Hutmacher making the Week 1 active roster. But if the Ravens don’t drag a wrestling mat to the front of the auditorium during the rookie talent show in camp this summer for Hutchmeier to take on starting C Tyler Linderbaum, then we’ve all lost. 

In high school, Hutchmacher went 166-0 as a wrestler and was the nation’s No. 1-ranked heavyweight. At Nebraska, Hutchmacher wrestled and played football—he’d drop 40 pounds to get beneath the NCAA’s 285-pound weight limit, then gain it back for football. 

Let’s see how he does on the gridiron when he doesn’t have to radically change his body composition twice per year. But let’s also see him on the mat one last time, in an unregulated, unweighted scrap with Linderbaum. 

Linderbaum was a vaunted high school heavyweight in Iowa who won 122 matches his last three years while finishing top-5 in the state as a junior and senior. Linderbaum’s most famous match was a 2017 upset of the guy who’d go on to win Iowa’s heavyweight state title later that month—that kid’s name is Tristan Wirfs.

Joining Linderbaum in the OL room this summer is Northern Iowa’s Jared Penning. Penning is the younger brother of Saints 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning. Jared Penning brings guard/tackle versatility with him to camp in his bid to win a roster spot.

10. Los Angeles Chargers

All spring, we talked about how there were going to be multiple typically draftable running backs who were going to go undrafted because they found themselves stuck in this potentially historic RB class. 

South Carolina RB Rocket Sanders is a great example of this. If Rocket had been allowed to declare after his true sophomore season in 2022 at Arkansas—1,714 scrimmage yards on 7 yards per touch—he would have been a Day 2 pick. In last year’s bad RB draft, I believe Sanders would have been a fifth-rounder.

But Sanders couldn’t declare for that draft because his 2023 season was wrecked by injuries. Last year at South Carolina, Rocket was more steady than difference-making. Sanders has 4.4s speed in a 225-pound package. He’s looking to get on a straight-line path to hit the jets. He doesn’t have much shake, but Sanders can make the first man miss in the hole with his one-cut ability. 

Sanders has durability concerns, and his skillset has limitations. But he’s got more than enough talent to hang in the NFL. This sets up for a fun three-man RB3 camp Battle Royale—between Rocket, Kimani Vidal, and Hassan Haskins—for HC Jim Harbaugh to preside over. 

Speaking of Harbaugh, he’s finally going to get his shot to coach EDGE Garmon Randolph. Harbaugh’s Wolverines lost out to Baylor for Randolph’s services on the recruiting trail in 2019. Randolph has always had fascinating physical dimensions—6-foot-6 ½, 265 pounds with a wingspan one inch south of seven feet. 

Randolph is also a high-octane athlete, posting a 91st-percentile RAS over the full gamut of pre-draft tests. But even after six years at Baylor, Randolph remains raw at the finer points of his craft, an amalgamation of plus-plus traits that haven’t been put together yet. That’s where it becomes interesting with Randolph’s decision to rewrite history and entrust Harbaugh and friends with his pro development.

DB Nikko Reed was a valued starter at Oregon the past two seasons, collecting 15 breakups in coverage. He’s also flashed as a kick returner. Reed, an undersized nickel defender with poor measurables, will have to overcome physical limitations to make it.

WR Luke Grimm is a whip-smart slot who’s always open against zone coverage. Physical limitations give him a tiny-house ceiling, but the floor isn’t far beneath it. He enters camp as the underdog to Derius Davis, but if Grimm can spring that upset, he’s a poor man’s Ladd McConkey working behind the Real McCoy.

11. Jacksonville Jaguars

The aggression that the Liam Coen/James Gladstone/Tony Boselli trio showed during the draft was not as apparent during the UDFA period.

CB Jabbar Muhammad was an interesting signing in that he was a very good collegiate cornerback who utterly lacks measureables. Muhammad may not be physically gifted, but he’s an extremely skilled cover man who is difficult to shake in the intermediate area. 

Over the last two seasons at Oregon, Muhammad accumulated 26 pass breakups. Muhammad has the feet, fluidity, and know-how to stick in the NFL—he simply needs to prove this summer that his physical profile is not nullifying of an NFL future.

Memphis QB Seth Henigan will take on John Wofford for QB3 duties behind Trevor Lawrence and Nick Mullens. Henigan is the all-time AAC career leader in both passing yards (14,266) and passing TDs (104).

In the post-draft presser, with news of Henigan’s signing fresh, HC Liam Coen responded to a Henigan question with this: “A coach's kid, right? He's got a ton of production. Does have a natural stroke and seems like he's a great kid.” 

Not listed in the table above is Oregon TE Patrick Herbert, who missed the cut in my position rankings. Herbert is the younger brother of Chargers QB Justin Herbert. Also of note: The Jaguars signed Colorado teammates EDGE BJ Green and S Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig, keeping them with No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter.

12. New England Patriots

TE CJ Dippre has projectable traits as an inline tight end. His physical gifts have not yet translated to consistency as a tight end—he doesn’t win down the field, and he’s not rock-solid reliable short or intermediate. As a blocker, he wins reps with angles and movement, but is consistently stymied by power.

All that said, I’m pretty confident in saying that Dippre will make this roster. That’ll be because he projects as a core special-teamer. Dippre has extensive experience on special teams, with 529 collegiate special teams snaps. I like his odds to make the team much better than fellow UDFA TE Gee Scott Jr, a WR/TE tweener.

The Patriots won what a source told me was a spirited bidding war for FCS RB Lan Larison, one of the better receiving backs in this class. Larrison is a discount version of Raiders 2024 R5 pick Dylan Laube. The Patriots also shelled out a big guarantee for OG Jack Conley. Conley has a shot to hang in lieu of the team’s shoddy offensive line depth.

WR Efton Chism III was destined to sign with the Patriots. He’s a slot receiver who plays and looks exactly like you’re thinking in your head. The Patriots WR room is wide-open—if Chism impresses in camp, he’s going to steal a job and fulfill the next phase of his destiny.

13. New York Jets

The Jets had a spray-the-board UDFA strategy. New York strayed from bidding wars for this year’s top-rated undrafted prospects, but ended up collecting nine UDFAs on my pre-draft 500 board.

RB Donovan Edwards spent his Michigan career as the 1B back behind Blake Corum and then Kalel Mullings. He’s well-known, thanks to his huge 2023 national championship performance and subsequent appearance on the cover of the CFB25 video game.

Edwards is a good athlete, but he lacks vision and feel—hence my comp of “Skinny Kalen Ballage.” Ballage ran a 4.46 at 6-1/228 coming out of Arizona State. Between that and his receiving utility, Ballage drew plenty of pre-draft hype. But Ballage’s tape was littered with missed opportunities, running into the backs of his offensive linemen and missing holes. Edwards’ film was the same frustrating exercise. 

Edwards only gets to use his long speed when holes open on-time where they’re supposed to. He’s a one-cut-and-go type runner, but his game lacks the decisiveness and creativity you want from that style. Edwards doesn’t run with much power, and he doesn’t make defenders miss. He runs upright, and doesn’t fluidly change directions. The past two years, Edwards posted elusive ratings of 35.9 and 45.0, two of the worst single-season marks in this entire class.

Fortunately, Edwards is a good receiver. He knows how to run a route, and he has strong hands. You can deploy him out of the slot and outside. But due to his ineffectiveness as a pass blocker and his lack of vision as a runner, Edwards is going to need to be a receiving specialist to stick. 

It was a dubious choice for Edwards—who had options—to choose to compete for a job with the Breece Hall-Braelon Allen-Isaiah Davis trio. On the other hand, it will likely speed-up Edwards’ ultimate destiny of joining Ballage as faces of the UFL.

14. Buffalo Bills

It’s fitting that the Bills—our closest team to the Canadian border—took the flier on QB Taylor Elgersma, the first-ever Canadian collegiate quarterback to participate in the Senior Bowl. Elgersma got the Mobile callup after receiving rave reviews at the College Gridiron Showcase.

Elgersma won the Hec Crighton Trophy—Canada’s Heisman—last season. He participated in CFL training camps the last three years thanks to the CFL's quarterback internship program. Elgersma is raw as can be, but he has an NFL frame and a legitimate big-league arm that generates velocity. 

The deep-sleeper flier of Buffalo’s that I most appreciated was New Hampshire S Wande Owens. Owens is a freakish athlete with a thick build who played 2,626 defensive snaps and 506 special teams snaps as a standout four-year starter in the FCS (he spent the three previous seasons at Yale). 

15. Indianapolis Colts

This is the third-consecutive process that the Colts have finished No. 22 or lower in my UDFA class rankings. Indianapolis’ ownership doesn’t invest in this phase—the most guaranteed money that the Colts reportedly paid a UDFA this process was the $30,000 pittance promised to UTSA DT Joe Evans. The price of doing business for sought-after UDFAs is nearly 10-times higher than that in guarantees. Evans enters camp as NT4 and faces an uphill climb.

If you’re shopping in the UDFA clearance aisle, Troy WR Landon Parker is the archetype of the profile you’re looking for. Parker is a ludicrous athlete. His 9.97 RAS this process came over the full-gamut of tests, including a 4.40 40 at 211 pounds. Parker’s athletic profile at the receiver position ranked No. 14 out of 3,815 WR prospects in the RAS system to test during the pre-draft process since 1987.

Indianapolis’ projected starting trio of WRs Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce is locked in, as is 2024 R2 pick Adonai Mitchell. It would appear WR Ashton Dulin is close to that status as well after getting $3 million in guarantees to re-sign this offseason. 

That likely means that we have a heads-up battle for WR6 in camp between Anthony Gould—a fifth-round pick out of Oregon State last year —and Parker. Going for Gould: More draft capital invested, far better college player, one year experience on the roster, and a natural stylistic backup slot behind Josh Downs. 

Going for Parker: The measurables Gould can only dream of. Parker is going to need to legitimately flash as a pass catcher, because he played only 33 special teams snaps in college, and Dulin and Gould are special-teamers. But Gould struggled last year—getting pulled from punt-returning duties and never establishing a role with the offense—opening the door for the uber-raw Parker.

16. Cleveland Browns

The Browns finished No. 29 overall (ahead of the NFC’s Cardinals, Bears, and Lions). This is the second-consecutive process where Cleveland’s UDFA class finished No. 29 overall in my metrics.

The Browns didn’t sign a player in my pre-draft top-400. But they did sign five from my 500 board, including three defensive backs. That’s notable because Cleveland has had success with UDFA safeties in particular in recent years, with D’Anthony Bell, Ronnie Hickman, and Chris Edmonds.

The favorite to add his name to that list is Pitt S Donovan McMillon. He had back-to-back 100-plus tackle seasons the last two years at Pitt. McMillon has all the physical tools and aggressiveness that he needs to enjoy a long NFL career, and he’s a special-teamer. 

McMillon’s post-snap play recognition is the area he needs to show progress on this summer in order to stick. He doesn’t quickly decipher passing concepts, and he gets late downhill jumps against the run. In both phases, he misses too many tackles.

All of which makes him at present an uneasy fit at both free safety and in the box. If the right coach can get through to him, McMillon could prove to be a diamond-in-the-rough. If these issues in his game aren’t addressed, he’ll be finding a new vocation soon.

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