NFC UDFA class grades

I call the UDFA free-for-all after the completion of Day 3 the “Dessert draft.” The UDFA carousel on Saturday night in essence takes care of Rounds 8-20 at warp-speed.

Undrafted players comprise roughly one-fifth of NFL rosters and provide the NFL with more value and snaps than the sixth- and seventh-rounds combined. In three-consecutive years, the Chargers found Austin Ekeler, the Broncos discovered Phillip Lindsay, and the Jaguars struck gold with James Robinson during the UDFA sweepstakes.

The list of Hall of Famers who went undrafted includes Kurt Warner, John Randle, Warren Moon and Dick “Night Train” Lane. Recent notable UDFA include Tony Romo, Doug Baldwin, James Harrison, Wes Welker, Antonio Gates, Arian Foster, Cameron Wake and Chris Harris. Current UDFAs making an impact in the NFL include Adam Thielen, Robby Anderson, Alejandro Villanueva, La’El Collins, Michael Pierce, Shaquil Barrett, Mario Addison, Cory Littleton, Malcolm Butler, J.C. Jackson, and Anthony Harris.

This year’s UDFA crop is especially intriguing. Because the NCAA’s 2020 pandemic eligibility waiver allowed graduated seniors to return to school, the 2021 NFL Draft had only 657 declared prospects. By contrast, the year before, in 2020, 1,932 prospects declared. This class, with eligibilities exhausting of players granted the extra year, we had over 2,000 declarees. That means a deeper UDFA pool.

Let’s dive into how the NFC did in this year’s “Dessert Draft.” The ranking in parenthesis following each team below indicates how each ranked overall in the NFL. Speaking of that, check back Friday for my AFC UDFA class rankings.

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1. Dallas Cowboys (1)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
iOL16	167	Alec Lindstrom	J.C. Tretter	8.35	6033	299
WR29	200	Dontario Drummond	Ron Dugans	5.7	6007	217
CB30	210	Isaac Taylor-Stuart	Eli Apple	9.61	6014	201
LB20	230	Aaron Hansford	Drue Tranquill	7.61	6025	239
S17	233	Markquese Bell	Kamu Grugier-Hill	8.95	6020	212
S19	253	Juanyeh Thomas	Darrick Forrest	8.48	6006	213
WR39	263	Ty Fryfogle	Travis Fulgham	7.2	6011	209
WR44	307	Jaquarii Roberson	Cedrick Wilson	9.02	6007	182
ED35	325	Mika Tafua	Malcolm Koonce	9.03	6027	249
iOL39	387	James Empey	Greg Mancz	2.58	6034	297
TE25	452	Peyton Hendershot	Brevin Jordan	8.4	6036	246
S38	467	La’Kendrick Van Zandt	Andrew Wingard	8.09	5114	210
CB53	474	Quandre Mosely	Derrick Baity		6016	185
ED47	493	Big Kat Bryant	Aaron Lynch	2.86	6040	254
QB36	---	Terry Wilson	Vad Lee		6022	204
RB50	---	Aaron Shampklin	Matt Breida	8.28	5093	194
RB59	---	Malik Davis	Kyle Hicks	5.95	5097	202
WR79	---	Dennis Houston	Jhajuan Seales	7.58	6011	198
OT56	---	Amon Simon		2.88	6046	303
LB73	---	Storey Jackson		6.29	6017	224
K7	---	Jonathan Garibay			6010	215

No team invests in undrafted talent like the Cowboys. This is my fourth year ranking UDFA classes for NBC. During that time, Dallas has spent more UDFA money than any other organization. Is it any wonder that the Cowboys have finished with a top-10 UDFA class all four years? The Cowboys ranked No. 9 in 2019, No. 1 in 2020, No. 2 in 2021, and have once-again assumed the top-overall spot in 2022.

This year, the Cowboys signed six prospects I had draftable grades on (top-262), as well as the highest-ranked UDFA-graded prospect on my board (Ty Fryfogle). I had a R5 grade on C Alec Lindstrom, R6 grades on WR Dontario Drummond and CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart, and R7 grades on LB Aaron Hansford, S Markquese Bell, and S Juanyeh Thomas.

I’m still surprised Lindstrom didn’t get drafted. Especially after a similar undersized pivot prospect, Drew Dalman, returned huge investment for the Falcons last year on a R4 pricetag. Like Dalman, Lindstrom is a smart, athletic, undersized interior lineman with deep NFL bloodlines running through his veins.

Drummond is a weird prospect. He’s a 215-pound slot receiver that only runs a 4.65. He was forced to go to “Last Chance U” – East Mississippi Community College – out of high school, and didn’t pop-off at Mississippi until his last year when he could play slot full-time following Elijah Moore’s departure. But he’s a sure-handed, tackle-breaking machine who gets after it blocking. Drummond also has return chops.

Taylor-Stuart was a top-40 overall recruit coming out of high school. He has an ideal blend of length and speed (4.42). He’s a fabulous all-around athlete who owns a second-degree blackbelt off the field. But Taylor-Stuart needs to find a position (corner or free safety?), refine his technique, and improve his instincts. If the light ever turns on, he’ll be a player.

Dallas’ UDFA class had everything: Draftable talent, depth, athleticism (nine tested in the RAS 80th-percentile or better), and well-reasoned shots at positions of need.

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2. New Orleans Saints (3)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
RB10	156	Abram Smith	Marlon Mack	6.61	5115	213
S14	171	Smoke Monday	Barry Church	6.46	6016	207
WR25	181	Dai’Jean Dixon	Andre Holmes	5.9	6030	205
CB26	201	Vincent Gray	Keenan Lewis	7.2	6020	195
CB38	277	DaMarcus Fields	Josh Lay	6.19	5115	192
S23	316	Jack Koerner	Greg Blue	9.19	6003	209
LB29	348	Nephi Sewell	Shaun Bradley	7.04	5114	224
TE22	363	Lucas Krull	Briley Moore-McKinney	9.07	6061	253
LB40	472	Isaiah Pryor	Garret Wallow	7.63	6013	220
iOL47	479	Eric Wilson	Eric Heitmann	8.68	6035	306
WR73	480	Dee Anderson	Jaleel Scott	8.15	6052	218
iOL48	485	Lewis Kidd	John Molchon	8.05	6060	311
QB42	---	Preston Haire			5111	200
WR120	---	Rashid Shaheed			5105	185
iOL68	---	Derek Schweiger			6034	314
OT50	---	Sage Doxtater			6063	350
DL50	---	Nyles Pinckney			6011	286
DL88	---	Elijah James		1.85	6042	297
ED57	---	Jacoby Jones		3.42	6023	267
LB56	---	Joel Dublanko		6.84	6025	243
LB88	---	Bryce Notree		5.63	6024	233
S86	---	CJ Holmes		1.52	5105	184
K9	---	John Parker Romo			5110	174
P6	---	Daniel Whelan			6060	215

The Saints are one of three NFL teams that have finished in the top-10 of my UDFA rankings all four years. The Saints, who check in No. 3 overall this year, finished No. 1 in 2019, No. 3 in 2020, and No. 7 in 2021. Sean Payton was notoriously aggressive on the telephone in the late-rounds recruiting UDFAs during his tenure, and the Saints kept to the same ethos this year without him.

The Saints signed four players I had draftable grades on, including two R5s (RB Abram Smith and S Smoke Monday) and two R6s (WR Dai’Jean Dixon and CB Vincent Gray).

In his only season as a full-time starting RB after shifting over from LB, Smith posted a Baylor-record 1,601 rushing yards on 6.2 YPC. Smith is a profit-taking runner that’s rarely finished behind the line. He exhibits good patience and tempo, along with crisp cuts into the hole in Baylor’s wide-zone system.

In this RB class, Smith finished top-10 last year in both overall PFF grade and yards after contact per attempt. He’s a little stiff in the lower half, remains raw as a receiver, and lacks joystick agility and high-end speed – but I think his early-down efficiency will translate to the NFL.

I was surprised Monday didn’t get picked in the draft. He’s long and athletic, and a proven playmaker in the SEC (three-straight years with a pick-6). Monday will be able to contribute on special teams immediately. He’s a willing contributor in run defense and can be played in the box. But while he has the athleticism and ball skills for coverage, Monday is a risk-taker who can leave himself susceptible to getting burned. That’ll be the primary thing New Orleans works with him on this summer.

Dixon has great size and ball skills but will need to improve as a route-runner to make a difference at the next level. Gray is blessed with length, and possesses the instincts Monday arguably lacks. But Gray lacks take-on play strength, and needs to improve his ball skills (zero career INT despite playing WR in high school).

In all, the Saints signed 12 UDFA that made my Thor500 big board. That group had an average size-adjusted RAS athletic composite slightly above the 75th-percentile. Those are the projectable developmental stabs you want to add during the Dessert Draft.

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3. Philadelphia Eagles (5)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
QB5	93	Carson Strong	Jared Goff		6033	230
CB15	118	Josh Jobe	Cordrea Tankersley		5114	189
CB23	170	Mario Goodrich	Levi Wallace	5.03	6002	191
DL17	224	Noah Elliss	Danny Shelton		6042	351
RB22	270	Kennedy Brooks	Bilal Powell	5.99	5105	209
iOL24	279	William Dunkle	Kraig Urbik	4.82	6047	347
WR50	333	Britain Covey	Braxton Berrios	5.92	5080	169
S29	398	Reed Blankenship	Daniel Sorensen	8	6006	203
iOL42	437	Josh Sills	Adam Grant	7.91	6055	322
OT40	468	Jarrid Williams	Max Scharping	7.62	6055	323
CB60	---	Josh Blackwell	Xavier Crawford	8.25	5106	183
S69	---	Jordan Happle			5116	202
S73	---	Jaylan Foster		0.47	5096	185

The third team in the NFL that has finished in the top-10 of these rankings four-years running? That would be the Eagles. Like the Cowboys and Saints, Philly prioritizes the UDFA process and is willing to pay through the nose to land players they believe should have been drafted.

Per Spotrac, the Eagles gave Nevada QB Carson Strong a UDFA-record $320k in guarantees. To illustrate how intense the bidding for Strong’s services must have been, consider that the previous record for guaranteed money to a UDFA was a “mere” $200k. The guaranteed money Strong received was equivalent to what the Bears gave OT Braxton Jones, a fifth-rounder taken with the No. 168 overall pick.

The Eagles were far from done. They reportedly gave out three other signing bonuses between $217k-$240k (RB Kennedy Brooks, DT Noah Ellis and CB Mario Goodrich), as well as four additional six-figure guarantees (OG Josh Sills, OG William Dunkle, CB Josh Jobe, and CB Josh Blackwell).

Expect that strategy to pay off with multiple long-term contributors. Strong was a Day 2 talent if not for questions about the health of his knee – is it degenerative, or not? – as well as maturity issues. But boy if he doesn’t have a big-league arm. He was the only top-100 player on my board that didn’t get picked… it wasn’t a surprise that there was a bidding frenzy for his services once the draft concluded.

Brooks, in contrast to some other UDFAs from blueblood schools, has always been more than the sum of his parts. He only posted a 4.59 forty, but Brooks runs with exemplary patience, tempo and vision. He’s got a real shot to crack the roster.

Goodrich is another guy that outplays his measurables – I saw some Levi Wallace in him. Jobe played through a turf toe injury last year and didn’t acquit himself well. He should have returned to school. It was still a surprise to see him go undrafted, and the price was right to see if he can return to his 2020 level of play.

Noah Ellis is an enormous interior presence that’ll be a plus against the run at the next level. Dunkle is another elephantine prospect, a collegiate tackle likely kicking inside at the next level. He would have been drafted if not for his disappointing testing.

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4. New York Giants (9)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
S16	191	Yusuf Corker	Shawn Davis	6.45	6000	199
TE15	283	Austin Allen	Gavin Escobar	8.08	6075	252
DL22	298	Christopher Hinton	Montravius Adams	5.56	6035	304
RB30	303	Jashaun Corbin	Deon Jackson	5.38	5111	203
DL27	347	Tyrone Truesdell	Frederick Jones		6017	347
iOL38	385	Josh Rivas	Braden Smith	5.48	6055	330
CB46	407	Zyon Gilbert	Blessuan Austin	8.68	6002	182
TE24	418	Jeremiah Hall	Alex Armah	2.51	6015	239
WR71	471	Daylen Baldwin	Branden Smith	4.31	6017	218
WR85	---	Jahcour Pearson	Sammie Parker	6.91	5073	178
iOL53	---	Matt Allen	T.J. Johnson	0.26	6023	303
iOL70	---	Navaughn Donaldson		0.74	6053	350
iOL75	---	Ben Adler		3.41	6037	337
OT52	---	Barry Wesley		5.34	6063	312
DL53	---	Antonio Valentino		4.73	6024	298
DL56	---	Jabari Ellis		7.55	6017	278
DL73	---	Dennis Johnson		7.23	6020	309
ED83	---	Jaylin Bannerman		2.95	6041	236
LB54	---	Tomon Fox			6023	253
CB69	---	Darren Evans		6.55	6022	179
CB92	---	Tobias Oliver		7.13	6004	204
S52	---	Trenton Thompson		4.64	6010	196
S62	---	Brandon Easterling		8.68	5106	199
S72	---	Gage Kreski		7.96	6007	209

The Giants brought in a ton of guys for tryout looks. But it’s the top of their class that snuck them into the top-10 of our UDFA rankings this year.

Corker was a team captain each of the past two years who posted 159 tackles across 24 games during that span. I love the fearlessness he plays with – he flies downhill like a bat of hell looking to de-cleat runners. The biggest question will be if he has the agility to trust in coverage at the next level.

Though Corker was the only UDFA that the Giants signed who I had a draftable grade on, New York was able to flesh out its crop with eight other prospects who made my pre-draft 500-player big board.

The two-most intriguing dart throws amongst that latter group might be TE Austin Allen and CB Zyon Gilbert – both are highly projectable. Gilbert has the height, long speed, and athleticism for any task, but will need to work on his technique to hang.

Allen nearly measured in at 6’8. Not only is he massive and long, but Allen is a very strong athlete for his size. He doesn’t run great routes – struggling to separate – but he knows how to use body to pin defenders to his back, and he spears balls outside his frame and holds on through contact.

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5. Atlanta Falcons (10)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
OT15	154	Dare Rosenthal	Bruce Campbell	7.67	6066	290
LB22	241	Nate Landman	Josey Jewell	6.41	6024	238
WR46	318	Stanley Berryhill III	Whop Philyor	5.85	5096	182
DL29	361	Derrick Tangelo	Neville Gallimore	7.49	6017	296
OT30	367	Tyler Vrabel	Sam Tevi	7.6	6056	315
S30	404	Brad Hawkins	Jaquiski Tartt	7.65	6004	207
WR61	412	Tyshaun James	Kristian Wilkerson	9.55	6022	214
WR69	453	Jared Bernhardt	Chris Hogan	7.32	6011	189
CB55	488	Matt Hankins	Harlan Miller	1.25	6001	181
TE58	---	Leroy Watson		4.36	6045	270
iOL59	---	Ryan Johnson		5.06	6057	314
iOL64	---	Tyler Witt		4.29	6021	304
OT44	---	Ja’Chai Baker			6056	321
DL44	---	Timmy Horne			6042	323
DL48	---	Kobie Whiteside		3.56	6004	317
DL61	---	Bryce Rodgers		2.33	6023	309
DL84	---	Tucker Fisk		5.71	6034	287
LB43	---	Kuony Deng	Akeem Ayers	4.93	6053	244
S53	---	Will Adams		6.64	6007	186
S55	---	Tre Webb		7.95	6007	200

The two names to watch here are Dare Rosenthal and Nate Landman. Rosenthal would have been drafted if not for questions about his maturity. He signed with LSU as a defensive lineman but quickly transitioned to the offensive line, where he contributed following his redshirt campaign.

But Rosenthal’s next two seasons were filled with disciplinary issues. He fled to Kentucky for his final year. He played LT along a very strong UK offensive line, finishing No. 21 in PFF grade last year and No. 20 in run-blocking amongst this OT class.

Landman is a fearless gap-plugger who triggers downhill quickly and arrives with a thud. Colorado’s defense cratered whenever he was off the field. He lacks speed (4.82 forty), but had 72nd-percentile or better showings in the 3-cone, vertical jump and broad jump. Landman could turn into an early-down tone-setter against the run if everything breaks right and his body doesn’t betray him – he’s got a physical game heavy on violent collisions.

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6. San Francisco 49ers (11)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
iOL14	124	Dohnovan West	Isaac Seumalo	7.01	6033	309
S18	245	Leon O’Neal Jr.	Kenny Vaccaro	6.07	6005	204
WR51	336	Calvin Turner Jr.	Tavon Austin	7.06	5113	197
WR52	341	Tay Martin	Isaiah Ford	6.45	6014	184
WR54	354	Taysir Mack	Tre Nixon	7.69	6017	200
iOL33	356	Jason Poe	Kyle Hinton	9.47	6005	300
LB30	368	Jeremiah Gemmel	Cole Holcomb		6006	225
RB48	469	Jordan Mason	Alfred Morris	7.13	5111	223
S39	477	Marcelino McCrary-Ball	Rudy Ford	9.04	5116	212
RB69	---	Cyrus Habibi-Likio	Kenny Hilliard	1.9	5117	219
TE56	---	Garrett Walston		1.36	6042	241
OT46	---	Sam Schlueter			6060	309
DL57	---	Kevin Atkins			6022	314
LB58	---	Segun Olubi		8.14	6001	225
S45	---	Tayler Hawkins		6.08	6000	203
S50	---	Qwuantrezz Knight		3.72	5106	195

Dohnovan West was one of two Arizona State offensive linemen who shockingly went undrafted (Kellen Diesch was the other). I’m a big fan of West’s. He started immediately at ASU, and ended up manning three different positions during his three-year career, both guard spots and center.

West moves well but lacks bulk and play strength. He’s a perfect-fit for a zone-blocking team, and he found a match in signing with the 49ers. The 49ers have Alex Mack as a one-year plan at center. After that, it wouldn’t surprise me if West impressed enough to put himself in serious contention for the 2023 starting lineup.

Expect at least one of the 49ers’ three UDFA receiver signings to make the Week 1 roster. It’ll be interesting to see if San Francisco’s offensive brain trust can make something out of Hawaii OW Calvin Turner. Turner was moved all over the place by Hawaii – backfield, slot, out wide, and as a Wildcat QB – and also has extensive special-teams experience.

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7. Green Bay Packers (12)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
RB13	190	Tyler Goodson	Chase Edmonds	9.55	5093	202
LB26	278	Ellis Brooks	Akeem Davis-Gaither	5.54	6013	226
OT36	427	Caleb Jones	Trey Adams	1.9	6087	370
RB45	428	B.J. Baylor	Mike Gillislee	6.07	5100	202
OT37	434	George Moore	K.C. McDermott	5.37	6056	312
WR65	436	Keke Chism	Jamal Custis	5.52	6041	209
CB51	445	Raleigh Texada	Shaun Prater	8.22	5102	191
ED43	448	Ryder Anderson	Jashon Cornell	7.6	6062	276
S41	497	Tre Sterling	Josh Bullocks	4.55	5115	205
QB37	---	Max Bortenschlager	Zach Smith	0.57	6031	207
WR78	---	Danny Davis III	Cam Phillips	2.44	6003	188
WR124	---	Anthony Turner			6031	218
TE35	---	Sean Dykes	Cethan Carter	4.97	6001	234
TE54	---	Carson Terrell		4.42	6047	248
iOL55	---	Cole Schneider			6031	309
iOL83	---	Will Ulmer		7.12	6041	310
OT43	---	Jahmir Johnson			6043	290
DL47	---	Akial Byers		0.32	6026	308
DL80	---	Hauati Pututau			6031	306
ED55	---	Chauncey Manac		3.64	6027	246
LB89	---	Caliph Brice		7.2	6014	233
CB103	---	Zafir Kelly		3.92	5112	178
S68	---	Xavior Williams		7.97	5114	195
S92	---	Kendall Karcz			6000	185
S95	---	Alex Spillum		5.88	6017	188

The gem of this class is Iowa’s Tyler “Spin Shady” Goodson, a sweet-footed air back with joystick agility. Goodson is a fabulous receiver who gives effort in pass-pro. But he lacks play strength and goes down on first contact – which was a bad fit behind Iowa’s offensive line last year, which had its worst crop of guards and tackles of the past 20 years.

Goodson also was done no favors by Iowa’s lethargic passing attack, which encouraged opponents to cheat up in an attempt to stop him. Goodson’s down 2021 season is the reason he didn’t get drafted – but his pre-2021 work, athletic profile, and on-field skills all screamed middle-round pick.

The rest of Green Bay’s class prioritized quantity over quality. While Goodson was the only Packers UDFA I had a draftable grade on, the Packers were able to snatch up eight additional prospects on my 500 board.

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8. Detroit Lions (15)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
OT14	143	Obinna Eze	Jaryd Jones-Smith	5.36	6064	328
WR35	240	Josh Johnson	Damonte Coxie	3.72	5104	179
WR48	323	Corey Sutton	Geronimo Allison		6015	208
WR49	327	Kalil Pimpleton	Dri Archer	6.55	5075	172
RB37	371	Greg Bell	Brian Calhoun	4.4	5104	201
CB45	399	Jermaine Waller	Johnthan Banks	3.83	6003	180
TE26	486	Derrick Deese Jr.	Pharaoh Brown	3.73	6032	244
TE63	---	Nolan Givan			6030	260
iOL50	---	Kevin Jarvis	Beau Benzschawel	6.66	6051	317
OT53	---	Zein Obeid		8.53	6042	309
ED53	---	Demetrius Taylor		6.5	6001	289
CB73	---	Cedric Boswell		3.02	5103	185
S82	---	Najee Reams		4.71	6005	195

The Lions have fared better than this year’s middle-of-the-pack UDFA finish in recent years. I wonder if that was in part a result of NFL agents recognizing the rising tide of talent on Detroit’s roster following three successful drafts in a row.

My favorite prospect that Detroit added outside the draft was Obinna Eze. The NFL seemed to throw up its hands at the OG/OT tweener who spent his first four seasons at Memphis. But Eze was a four-star recruit coming out of high school who had offers from a who’s-who of bluebloods. He started his last 37 collegiate games.

Eze lacks height, but he has verifiably freakish length, with a wingspan of 7’2. He gets his hands on you first and they arrive like defibrillators. But Eze will need to improve his lower-body strength for his presumed move to OG in the NFL, and he’s going to need to cut down on the penalties.

Outside of that, Detroit made a concerted effort to attack UDFA receivers, bringing in three that I ranked inside the top-377. Expect at least one of them to hang on the active roster, and perhaps even two.

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9. Seattle Seahawks (17)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
QB12	260	Kaleb Eleby	David Fales	1.69	6006	206
S21	289	Bubba Bolden	Chris Conte	8.12	6021	209
S24	320	Scott Nelson	Troy Apke	9.69	6020	203
CB43	372	MyKael Wright	K’Waun Williams	2.97	5104	181
S35	440	Joey Blount	Sean Davis	9.62	6010	201
LB39	458	Avery Roberts	Michael Clay	3.3	5113	221
QB23	465	Levi Lewis	B.J. Daniels	3.24	5084	187
ED46	489	Joshua Onujiogu	Peppi Zellner		6030	250
RB78	---	Jace Jordan			5100	200
WR82	---	John Mitchell	Boo Williams	8.22	6037	235
WR83	---	Demetris Robertson	Stacy Coley	4.93	5116	183
WR98	---	Jaylon Redd			5090	170
WR101	---	Rodney Coates		5.62	6015	193
WR109	---	Jake Herslow			5114	181
TE44	---	Cade Brewer		2.7	6023	237
iOL58	---	Keenan Forbes		6.27	6023	333
iOL86	---	Shamarious Gilmore		8.2	6026	301
OT45	---	Liam Ryan			6047	305
DL83	---	Matthew Gotel		3.46	6016	341
LB62	---	Vi Jones		8.86	6026	225
CB83	---	Elijah Jones		6.74	6007	188
S89	---	Tyrese Dedmon		4.57	6002	195
S90	---	Deontai Williams		6.51	5111	203
P8	---	Race Porter			6030	190

Seattle didn’t take a quarterback in the NFL Draft, and HC Pete Carroll stated in its aftermath that he isn’t expecting a trade for a signal-caller. If Seattle doesn’t add another one, Kaleb Eleby is going to have a shot to crack the Week 1 roster behind Drew Lock and Geno Smith.

Eleby is short and non-athletic, but he’s got a live arm and uses it to attack the intermediate and deep sectors. He posted a 45/11 TD/INT in college. Eleby is going to have to overcome a tendency to stare-down his primary target if he’s going to hang in the NFL – his margins are too thin to overcome that bugaboo otherwise.

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10. Chicago Bears (21)

LB19	222	Jack Sanborn	Monty Rice	7.35	6014	239
OT27	300	Jean Delance	Charles Leno	6.77	6042	303
TE21	353	Chase Allen	Cameron Brate	7.33	6061	247
CB54	476	Allie Green IV	Jamal Peters	2.55	6024	203
DL38	449	Mike Greene	Cedric Woodard	5.45	6023	281
QB40	---	Drew Plitt	Brogan Roback		6022	206
RB53	---	De’Montre Tuggle	Reggie Corbin	6.88	5084	206
RB62	---	Maurice Burkley	Maurice Morris	9.56	5110	212
RB77	---	Demario McCall		5.86	5093	179
WR87	---	Kevin Shaa			5096	166
WR100	---	Luke Little			6033	220
TE37	---	Braden Galloway	Nick Eubanks	7.17	6041	239
TE40	---	Jake Tonges	Jacob Hollister	7.57	6043	240
TE53	---	Brandon Chapman		6.96	6047	243
TE62	---	Johnny Huntley		1.28	6023	235
OT69	---	Tristen Taylor		9.52	6050	315
DL49	---	Kainoa Fuiava			6027	316
DL59	---	Ralph Holley		6.83	6006	297
DL68	---	Micah Dew-Treadway		2.64	6040	308
ED80	---	Josh Black			6025	284
LB52	---	Christian Albright		7.83	6022	226
LB61	---	CJ Avery		7.28	5117	230
LB69	---	Ezekiel Barnett			6017	228
LB95	---	Jamal Brooks		5.35	6002	234
CB58	---	Dishon McNary	Deshon Elliott		6003	190
CB102	---	Coney Durr		2.29	5092	194
CB104	---	Derick Bush		5.53	5112	194
CB106	---	Roy Baker		7.13	6015	200
CB110	---	Tre Bugg		5.1	5111	189
S48	---	Jaylon Jones		9.18	5106	190
S61	---	Bydarrius Knighten		2.89	5116	198
S87	---	Jon Alexander		3.88	6020	217

I was a little puzzled by the Bears draft. And if I’m being honest, I was a bit surprised – and underwhelmed – by their showing in the UDFA sweepstakes as well. It wasn’t an issue of legwork. Chicago cast an enormous net and brought in a league-high amount of UDFA either on contracts or tryouts.

The issue, instead, is squandering the one advantage that having a poor roster should give you – a leg-up when pitching to agents during the UDFA free-for-all. Each NFL agent has intricate diagrams of every NFL depth chart. During the latter-stages of Day 3 on Saturday, when teams start calling prospects that have fallen through the cracks, agents are always eying the most advantageous situation (in addition to bartering for the highest-possible amount of guaranteed money).

The Bears should have been in the catbird seat during those discussions – there aren’t many other rosters in the NFL where UDFA could have felt better about potentially cracking the opening-day roster.

So how does Chicago leave the UDFA process – following an underwhelming draft where they didn’t have a R1 pick – with only one prospect I had a draftable grade on? I’m all about bringing in waves of prospects for tryouts to see if you can find something that other teams missed during the scouting process.

But if you’re Chicago, how do you not invest more heavily during this process? Handfuls of prospects who went undrafted would have had a shot to not only crack Chicago’s roster, but play early. Instead of ponying up, the Bears skimped. Missed opportunity.

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11. Carolina Panthers (23)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
WR31	216	Charleston Rambo	Gary Jennings	5.82	6005	177
DL23	312	Marquan McCall	Benito Jones	1.03	6025	354
LB33	401	Isaiah Graham-Mobley	Dylan Moses	6.21	6010	229
WR64	424	Andrew Parchment	DaMarkus Lodge	4.28	6020	191
WR70	461	Ra’Shaun Henry	Tiquan Underwood	9.4	6015	185
QB27	---	Davis Cheek	Matt Flynn	5.63	6020	216
QB31	---	Anthony Russo	Elijah Sindelar	3.9	6030	239
RB61	---	John Lovett	Reuben Droughns	4.57	5114	215
WR97	---	Talolo Limu-Jones		6.01	6040	225
WR112	---	Derek Wright		8.79	6006	193
TE33	---	Josh Babicz	Antony Auclair	8.14	6057	255
TE60	---	Jovani Haskins		6.26	6044	252
ED52	---	Arron Mosby			6030	250
ED69	---	Carson Taylor		7.04	6034	241
LB50	---	Khalan Tolson		6.6	5110	231
LB79	---	DeJaun Cooper		7.65	6026	229
S44	---	Drew Hartlaub	Nick Scott	9.1	5111	170

Carolina targeted the wide receiver position during the UDFA free-for-all. Of the five they signed, it would be stunning if at least one didn’t make the roster.

The best bet for that is Rambo, who surprisingly went undrafted after popping off for a 79-1172-7 line in his only season at Miami. Rambo is an adept route-runner blessed with good length and play speed. And what better mentor for him than former UDFA Robby Anderson?

Parchment has good size and has shown refined skills on the field despite being caught in poor passing offenses for the duration of his career (NIU, Kansas, FSU). But he’s a below-average athlete who may not have NFL juice.

Opposite story for Henry, who only played two years in the FBS after transferring up. He’s a raw prospect with dynamic athleticism. At nearly 6’2, Henry ran a 4.46 with 90th-percentile or better showings in the vertical jump, broad jump, and 3-cone. Henry averaged nearly 20 yards per catch on his 48 grabs at Virginia.

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12. Los Angeles Rams (24)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
K2	267	Cameron Dicker	Ryan Succop		6007	220
DL31	373	Dion Novil	JorDan Phillips	3.43	6012	300
iOL37	381	Jack Snyder	Chandon Herring	9.5	6050	306
ED40	394	Brayden Thomas	Wyatt Huber	6.72	6030	258
LB35	425	Jake Hummel	Matt Milano	9.47	6017	225
WR88	---	Lance McCutcheon			6030	202
TE39	---	Jamal Pettigrew	Coby Fleener	9.38	6064	244
TE41	---	Roger Carter	Charlie Taumoepeau	8.11	6020	256
DL86	---	Elijah Garcia		8.87	6053	290
ED50	---	Benton Whitley	Ogbonnia Okoronkwo		6025	257
ED72	---	Keir Thomas		2.59	6012	255
LB67	---	Andrzej Hughes-Murray			6020	244
CB62	---	TJ Carter	Darnay Holmes	3.62	5092	189
CB71	---	Duron Lowe		4.32	5096	186
CB86	---	Caesar Williams			6001	190
S66	---	Jairon McVea		5.58	5090	182
S96	---	Daniel Isom			5100	191

The Rams signed the best UDFA kicker – Dicker the Kicker – and didn’t do much of note outside of that. But Dicker will be given a fair shot to compete with Matt Gay, who bounced around a bit before, among other things, eliminating his former team the Buccaneers from the 2021 playoffs with a game-winning kick.

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13. Tampa Bay Bucs (25)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
WR37	257	Jerreth Sterns	Lance Moore	5.53	5073	183
WR45	313	Deven Thompkins	Brandon Banks	7.17	5067	167
QB19	360	Aqeel Glass	Landry Jones	1.11	6036	231
S28	377	Nolan Turner	Andrew Sendejo	7.73	6007	202
CB48	416	Kyler McMichael	Brandon Facyson	5.08	6001	201
WR72	478	Kaylon Geiger	Eddie Royal	4.22	5100	180
WR113	---	Kameron Brown		2.57	6023	218
TE55	---	Ben Beise		8.82	6027	247
iOL65	---	Curtis Blackwell		8.06	6052	302
iOL72	---	Keegan Cryder			6044	306
iOL91	---	Devontay Love-Taylor		0.46	6033	301
OT54	---	Dylan Cook		6.75	6064	308
DL71	---	Keyshon Camp		8.17	6027	283
ED85	---	Bronson Massie		0.69	6022	259
LB48	---	Olakunle Fatukasi		7.53	6012	234
LB59	---	JJ Russell		6.43	6003	227
LB85	---	Jordan Young		3.57	6014	231
CB84	---	Don Gardner		8.1	6004	189
K6	---	Parker White			6040	203

Weird UDFA strategy for the Bucs. The team has Russell Gage starting in the slot, backed up by Tyler Johnson, Jaelon Dardon and Scotty Miller – yet three of Tampa Bay’s six consequential UDFA signings are slot receivers.

That said, I’m a fan of Jerreth Sterns, who led the NCAA in receiving last season before shockingly getting spurned by the NFL Combine. Sterns is small and lacks athleticism, but he’s an awesome route-runner with ball skills.

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14. Washington Commanders (27)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
QB10	229	Cole Kelley	Paxton Lynch	2.4	6075	249
TE16	292	Curtis Hodges	C.J. Fiedorowicz	7.39	6077	258
WR56	366	Jequez Ezzard	Reggie Bell	6.91	5090	204
iOL35	369	Tyrese Robinson	Shane Lemieux	3.05	6031	319
ED45	484	Jacub Panasiuk	Kenny Willekes	3.5	6033	253
RB90	---	Dejoun Lee		7.29	5060	173
WR91	---	Jonathan Johnson		6.77	6025	196
WR114	---	Kyric McGowan		3.83	5105	200
TE28	---	Armani Rogers	Tyree Jackson		6053	230
ED76	---	Deionte Knight		6.52	6031	280
LB51	---	Tre Walker		1.8	6002	235
LB53	---	Drew White		5.9	6002	228
LB60	---	Ferrod Gardner			6002	216
CB79	---	Nijuel Hill		3.81	5087	180
CB89	---	De’Vante Cross			6003	216
CB100	---	Josh Drayden		1.49	5095	184
CB107	---	Devin Taylor		1.47	5115	191

The NFL never seemed to warm up to Cole Kelley, coming off a pair of incredible seasons in the FCS after he transferred down from Arkansas. Kelley is a jumbo-sized quarterback with short-yardage battering-ram rushing chops. He doesn’t have a big arm, but he’s accurate short and intermediate.

Kelley wouldn’t seem to have a great shot of cracking this roster – he enters camp behind Carson Wentz, Taylor Heinicke, and Sam Howell – but may latch on elsewhere if he shows something in the preseason. If not, Washington is assuredly earmarking one of its practice squad slots for his development.

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15. Arizona Cardinals (28)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
RB32	310	Ronnie Rivers	Jaret Patterson	5.97	5074	198
CB40	335	Darrell Baker Jr.	Derrek Thomas	9.1	6007	190
RB39	383	T.J. Pledger	Lavon Coleman	4.11	5082	192
DL36	433	LaRon Stokes	Ed Stinson	5.25	6036	278
QB22	459	Jarrett Guarantano	K.J. Costello	4.1	6027	219
WR74	490	Changa Hodge	Demetrius Byrd	4.52	6004	196
WR89	---	Jontre Kirklin		6.08	5115	184
WR92	---	JaVonta Payton		3.35	6003	175
WR105	---	Stephon Robinson Jr.		2.61	5091	181
iOL66	---	Cole Bentley		6.97	6033	310
DL51	---	Keonte Schad		7.3	6022	284
ED61	---	Manny Jones		8.14	6025	280
ED67	---	Will Miles		7.35	6050	279
S67	---	Kekaula Kaniho		2.29	5102	186
S99	---	Alonzo Addae		2.44	5103	184

Baker has a shot to crack the roster and was worth the investment on measurables alone. The rest of this crop is uninspiring.

The pair of running backs were the other big investment, but both are extreme long-shots to crack the roster. Ronnie Rivers will enter camp as RB5, and Pledger is likely entering as RB7.

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16. Minnesota Vikings (32)

Pos	Rank	Name	Comp	RAS	HT	WT
RB36	359	Bryant Koback	Ty Johnson	9.72	5106	209
K3	362	Gabe Brkic	Zane Gonzalez		6020	197
ED39	388	Luiji Vilain	Jonathon Greenard	8.83	6035	255
WR99	---	Thomas Hennigan		2.69	6011	210
iOL89	---	Josh Sokol		7.55	6020	309
DL63	---	Tyarise Stevenson		1.24	6020	352
LB44	---	Zach McCloud	Samuel Ebukam	6.44	6017	246
S83	---	Mike Brown		7.57	6005	218

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and crew struggled to get their footing in the post-draft UDFA sweepstakes, but did bring in a few prospects who’ll be given chances to hang.

Koback is a big-play runner with plenty of athleticism. He ran for more than 4,000 yards over four years in school while displaying soft hands as a receiver (54 catches the past two years). But he’s merely a dump-off outlet guy – doesn’t run routes – and he doesn’t pass-block. Assuredly the Vikings will always have someone more capable for passing-down work. Koback isn’t likely to beat out either Kene Nwangwu or Ty Chandler for a roster spot, but is absolutely worth a practice squad spot.

Brkic will have a real chance to unseat Greg Joseph this summer. The other signing of note was Luiji Vilain, an undersized, athletic edge defender. Vilain drew rave reviews out of rookie camp. The Vikings have a ton of bodies to compete for backup OLB spots in the new 3-4 defense. But it wouldn’t be a surprise if Vilain climbed his way up the depth chart to the Week 1 active roster, especially if early reports are to be believed.

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Coming Friday: AFC UDFA class grades