I affectionately refer to the UDFA carousel – after the completion of the NFL Draft’s Day 3 on the last Saturday night of April – as the “Dessert Draft.” In essence, the few hours immediately following the announcement of Mr. Irrelevant are where Rounds 8-20 take place at warp-speed behind closed doors. And every year, I break down all of the UDFA rookie signings and create class rankings for all 32 NFL teams.

This process has different rules than the draft, and it does not receive anywhere near the attention. But it is nonetheless crucially important for roster-building. In 2022, undrafted free agents made up nearly one-fourth of the NFL’s Week 1 rosters.

Historically, UDFA provide the NFL with more aggregate value and snaps-played than sixth- and seventh-round prospects combined. The list of UDFA Hall of Famers includes Kurt Warner, John Randle, Warren Moon and Dick “Night Train” Lane. Austin Ekeler, Adam Thielen, and La’el Collins are among a large list of UDFA-made-good stories currently in the NFL.

Let’s take a look at how each NFL team fared in this year’s edition of the “Dessert Draft.”

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UDFA Rookie Signings & Class Rankings

Note: UDFAs listed in the team tables below are isolated to players who were ranked on my pre-draft 500-player big board. My grading methodology for ranking the UDFA classes focuses on the acquisition of these players in particular – those who have the best chance to not only make a practice squad or Week 1 roster, but to hang around long-term.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

I’ve been doing UDFA class rankings for five years. Only once in that time did the Chiefs finish outside the top-10. Last year, Kansas City ranked No. 4. Very few organizations in the NFL scout as deeply and invest as aggressively on the margins as Kansas City.

The Chiefs’ efforts in that area shone through with top billing in this year’s rankings – narrowly edging the second-place Jets (there was a gap after those two). The Chiefs have a UDFA process that mirrors how I would do it.

Every year, they have a small handful of priority targets that they’re willing to pony up for to win post-draft bidding wars – prospects they ardently believe should have been drafted. After that, Kansas City takes well-reasoned, calculated shots on physical traits or on-field skills.

Kansas City’s two big prizes were FSU DL Fabien Lovett and Penn State LB Curtis Jacobs.

Lovett was my No. 1 overall UDFA. The NFL ignored him because he doesn’t have a huge ceiling to dream on, an average athlete who isn’t super disruptive as a pass-rusher. But that ignores his strengths – I saw a high-floor prospect who sticks around for years. Lovett is a very good run defender, blessed with long arms and a rugged style. Every roster needs at least one of those. And fortunately for Lovett, the Chiefs in particular did – expect to see him on the Week 1 roster.

LB Jacobs has experience and projectable traits in spades. A three-year starter on strong PSU defenses, Jacobs is, like Lovett, a very skilled run defender. He gets downhill quickly to fill gaps and meet running backs in the hole. Jacobs will have to prove he’s usable on passing downs – he’s an unproven blitzer, and he may need to be hidden in coverage – but he should chip in early-down and special team utility.

2. New York Jets

I may not have been in love with the Jets’ decisions during the draft itself, but boy did they slaughter the UDFA process. New York signed three prospects inside my pre-draft top-153, and a fourth who I gave a draftable grade. They were edged out by the Chiefs for top UDFA class in my metrics by the slimmest of fractional margins.

I am most bullish on EDGE Eric Watts, who started three-of-four active seasons at UConn (the Huskies canceled their 2020 season due to COVID). Watts is not a finished product – but he has measurables that portend to NFL success, and his tape is dotted with flash plays both as a defender and as a special-teamer.

He posted 22.5 TFL over the last three seasons, and, over the last two campaigns, had nine sacks, two blocked field goals, and a blocked punt. On the measurable side, Watts was close to tops in the EDGE class in three very important categories: 40, vertical, and arm length.

DT Leonard Taylor III was forwarded as a likely second-rounder earlier in the process. That was rich. Still, the NFL may have ben overly punitive in not drafting him at all. Time will tell if the Jets can profit off that.

A former top-10 overall recruit, Taylor III was extremely inconsistent at Miami. That’s because his game hasn’t advanced beyond north-south bully tactics. He could overpower most ACC interior linemen, but the high pad level he played with at Miami with the same lack of refinement will send him into the wood-chipper at the next level if he doesn’t develop ancillary attack plans.

Pad-level and game nuance are the two primary areas the Jets must work with him on initially – the overall talent package is there, however. Last year, Taylor was 95th-percentile or higher in PFF pass rush grade, true pass set pass rush grade, and pass rush win rate.

EDGE Braiden McGregor is a former hockey player, as was his QB at Michigan, JJ McCarthy. Though McGregor did not live up to expectations in Ann Arbor, he was the top recruit in Michigan’s 2020 class, he has a prototype NFL frame, and he was a starter on last year’s title-winning team (his only campaign a a starter).

WR Tyler Harrell is a speed demon who averaged a ludicrous 29.1 YPC in 2021 at Louisville while taking one-third of his receptions to the house. But transfer-portal stops at Alabama and Miami proved disastrous – he caught only six balls combined over the last two seasons.

3. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings showed an increased emphasis on the UDFA process last year, and it paid off in a huge way with an immediate starter (LB Ivan Pace), a special-teams ace (NaJee Thompson), and an intriguing developmental pass-rusher (Andre Carter II).

Minnesota’s 2023 UDFA haul is a worthy follow-up to that class. The Vikings signed two of my top-10 overall UDFA – EDGE Gabriel Murphy and CB Dwight McGlothern – amongst a group that included four prospects with draftable grades on my board. In sum, Minnesota added 10 members of the Thor500 via UDFA.

EDGE Murphy is a skilled pass-rusher who the NFL bypassed for seven rounds because of arm length. It would be stunning if he does not make the team. The last three seasons, Murphy posted PFF pass-rushing grades of 90.4, 87.0, and 87.6, respectively, over a combined 921 pass-rushing snaps, with 18 sacks. He’s a one-trick pony – UCLA only dropped him into coverage on 29 snaps the past two years – but that trick is pretty neat, and one that is valued in DC Brian Flores’ hyper-aggressive scheme.

My No. 4-ranked UDFA, UCLA EDGE Gabriel Murphy, getting a ludicrous jump off the snap and strip-sacking a dead-to-rights QB

pic.twitter.com/cDXl6B4Ec8 https://t.co/GWC5Wd7EaV

— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) April 28, 2024

CB McGlothern was having a breakout season last year before his campaign was derailed by turf toe. McGlothern lacks athleticism, but he started four years in the SEC and is blessed with both length and legitimate balls skills (eight career interceptions).

The Vikings attacked the defensive side of the ball in UDFA. They pulled out two other defenders I had draftable grades on – LBs Bo Richter and Dallas Gant. Unless you count disappointing recent Round 2 pick Brian Asamoah, the Vikings have no depth at LB. I believe that either Richter and Gant – whoever performs better in camp – will make the Week 1 roster.

4. Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks found their groove in the post-draft melee under Pete Carroll and John Schneider. Last year, Seattle finished No. 1 in my post-draft UDFA rankings. That crop ended up producing three players who appeared in 15-or-more-games as rookies – WR Jake Bobo, LS Chris Stoll, and TE Brady Russell.

During Schneider’s reign, Seattle has pulled, amongst others, the following UDFA: RB Thomas Rawls, WRs Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse, OT George Fant, DT Poona Ford, LB Jon Rhattigan, and DBs DeShawn Shead and Jeron Johnson.

The UDFA emphasis carried over to Mike Macdonald’s first process as HC with another top-5 UDFA showing. The Seahawks signed 13 players on my pre-draft 500 board, including four I had draftable grades on – EDGE Nelson Ceaser, OT Garret Greenfield, TE Jack Westover, and RB George Holani.

EDGE Ceaser was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2023. A team captain at Houston, Ceaser posted 13.5 TFL and 9.5 sacks last season. OT Greenfield was dominant at the subdivision – a three-time first-team FCS All-American – and has an NFL body with NFL athleticism. Each was a top-200 prospect on my board.

TE Westover is small, but reliable. He gives effort as a blocker, and he was Washington’s go-to paper-cut guy when coverage resources were tilted too heavily to account for the machinations of Washington’s three stud WRs. It seems the NFL explained to itself that Westover’s production was only a result of his situation – I wonder if Westover wouldn’t have done more at a school where he was afforded the opportunity to do more.

RB Holani is older – 25 in December – and struggled with durability concerns in college. He doesn’t have joystick agility, but Holani – No. 5 on Boise State’s all-time rushing yard list – is skilled and physical, and he comes with solid speed.

5. Denver Broncos

Three names, in particular, to keep an eye on: OT Frank Crum, RB Blake Watson, and S Omar Brown. Denver gave that trio – the three players from this UDFA crop I had a draftable grade on – identical $250,000 in guarantees.

That guarantee number is higher than even sixth-round picks garner. But for a roster so light on talent, I appreciated both the aggression, and the specific draftable targets targeted. All three should be considered front-runners at present to make the Week 1 roster.

The Broncos are hoping that OL coach Zach Strief can turn OT Crum into a rosterable rookie, much like he did with Alex Palczewski last season. I’d argue that he has more to work with in Crum. Crum is a 6-foot-8 skyscraper with 98th-percentile RAS athleticism. The Broncos, who have not taken an OT in R1 since 2017 (Garett Bolles), need depth at that spot.

RB Watson, a former WR who broke out after a shift to RB at Old Dominion, transferred up to Memphis hoping to continue the Tigers’ lineage of recent RB successes that included Tony Pollard, Kenneth Gainwell, Darrell Henderson and Antonio Gibson. He succeeded in that aim, posting 1,632 all-purpose yards with 17 TD last fall.

That was followed by a great week at the Shrine Game, and then a 4.39 forty at Memphis’ pro day after he was spurned from the NFL Combine. Watson, a skilled receiver, caught 90 balls over the last two seasons. He’s an air back who could absolutely win a platoon role.

S Brown proved the concept at the FBS level after three strong seasons at Northern Iowa, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors in 2023. He has nickel/safety versatility.

6. Washington Commanders

The Commanders followed a smash draft with the No. 6 UDFA class. That crop included six prospects I had ranked in my pre-draft top-300.

The Commanders won the CB Chigozie Anusiem bidding war with $350,000 in total guarantees. Per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, “half the league wanted Anusiem after he went undrafted.” Anusiem broke up 11 balls over the last two seasons at CSU after transferring from Cal. He’s an intriguing size/athleticism developmental flier who probably should have been drafted.

Speaking of size/athleticism freaks, S Tyler Owens is one of the fastest 210-plus-pound humans walking the earth, and he was one inch shy of the NFL Combine’s broad jump record. But his technique and instincts need work on the field, and the latter inarguably needs more work off it. At the NFL Combine, Owens told reporters that he doesn’t “believe in space” or “other planets”, adding “I started seeing flat earth stuff and I was like, this is kind of interesting.” I promise I am not making these quotes up.

RB Michael Wiley holds some intrigue as a back around threshold size with proven receiving utility who can break tackles. Oft-injured in college, Wiley additionally saw his touches slashed while healthy during Arizona’s breakout 2023 season.

QB Sam Hartman is a small pocket-passing prospect with a middling arm who was terrible under pressure in each of the last two seasons… in 2022 at Wake Forest and 2023 at Notre Dame. His college stats shine, but the skillset almost assuredly won’t translate to the pros.

Three sleepers to keep an eye on: FB Colson Yankoff, WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, and S Ben Nikkel. All three signings pointed to an all-encompassing, holistic draft process under the new administration. This is why: The trio were all core special-team standouts on their college teams.

7. Philadelphia Eagles

DL Gabe Hall and RB Kendall Milton headlined another strong UDFA showing by the Eagles.

Hall has eye-opening measurables, with 34 1/2-inch arms and an 84-inch wingspan at 6-foot-6. The former Feldman Freak-Lister has 93rd-percentile athleticism. In addition, he has an explosive first step.

But while Hall typically wins in the initial beats after the snap, Philly’s coaching staff is going to have to work with him on the rest of it. He plays too high, and he can get bullied by power because of it.

But this is the exact kind of prospect you want to prioritize in UDFA: If you can successfully make a couple tweaks, Hall could hang around for years. If you can’t, well, it only cost pocket change to find out.

RB Milton has a higher floor than Hall, but that comes with a lower ceiling. There are two things I know Milton will be able to do in the NFL: Grind out short-yardage opportunities between the tackles, and pass protect. That’s the extent of what he will offer an NFL roster – but it might be enough to hang around.

8. Carolina Panthers

I wasn’t high on GM Dan Morgan’s work in the draft, but I appreciated he and his scouting team’s work in the UDFA process. The top-three signings on my board were subdivision standouts that I thought had a real chance to get drafted – Holy Cross WR Jalen Coker, Virginia State CB Willie Drew, and Monmouth RB Jaden Shirden.

Someone has to explain to me why Coker didn’t get drafted. The more I watched him, the more convinced I became that he will be an NFL contributor. Coker’s ball skills are sublime. He has late hands – preventing defensive backs from making plays on the ball – and he doesn’t drop anything. I love how natural he is spearing balls outside his frame.

The NFL appeared to be punitive with Coker because he comes from the FCS and he doesn’t have high-end speed. He does, however, have high-end explosion. Coker is bursty off the line and out of route breaks – at the NFL Combine, he posted the same 10-yard split as all-world burner AD Mitchell.

Coker is making Carolina’s Week 1 roster. And Jonathan Mingo – who I did not rank much higher overall on last year’s board as I did Coker on this year’s – should no longer feel secure in his WR4 role. Coker’s ceiling is a reliable possession WR2 in the NFL.

9. New Orleans Saints

TE Dallin Holker is headed for an H-Back role at the next level that he absolutely has the skill to excel at. The question becomes… does he have the physical ability? Holker lacks speed (4.78), and he needs space to build up to that meager gear (24th-percentile 10-yard split).

Additionally, as one of the classes’ oldest players, there’s a glass ceiling on his potential within that usage-specific role. That said, Holker is a hands-catcher with real ball skills, a rarity amongst this class. Holker’s 10 contested catches last year were two more than any TE in this draft class.

Holker has one genetic quirk that decidedly works in his favor in this area: Holker is tied with the 6’7/260 Brevyn Spann-Ford for the longest arms of my top-15 TE. This gives Holker a deceivingly large catch radius that he uses to great effect, extending those long levers out to greet the rock at its earliest point every time.

Holker posted a sublime 94th-percentile 3-cone and an 83rd-percentile short shuttle. Holker’s change-of-direction fluidness is most evident after the catch, where he was a veritable broken-tackle machine in the Mountain West, finishing No. 2 in this class with 15 last year.

One area to work on at the next level to play up his natural agility and win more separation is footwork efficiency during the route-break process. But, overall, what his routes lack in snap and pizazz, Holker augments with tempo changes and a fun grab bag of upper-body deeks.

One other signing to keep an eye on: Intriguing Yale WR Mason Tipton, a prospect with the game and athleticism to hang as a developmental project for future slot duties.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars elected for a top-heavy approach that yielded a top-10 UDFA showing in this year’s rankings. The headliner was S Josh Proctor.

“My whole thought process coming out of high school was three-and-done,” Proctor said. His time-table doubled after the former four-star had a rough start to his Ohio State career.

Proctor was beset by early struggles, followed by a season-ending injury in 2021, and a 2022 benching. But Proctor broke through in 2023, with third-team All-Big Ten honors. Proctor flashed ball skills last season, with eight breakups and a pick-six.

Jacksonville also added a pair of Shrine Bowl standouts in WRs Joshua Cephus and David White Jr. Cephus has very good hands in a 6-foot-3 package – he’s UTSA’s all-time leading receiver. PFF’s Steve Palazzolo mentioned after the draft that Cephus had the highest grade in PFF’s model amongst WR prospects that PFF graded as seventh-rounders.

White Jr. has intriguing developmental traits. He additionally offers special teams utility as a standout gunner. In camp, he needs to prove that his short-term special teams utility is sufficient to buy him a long-term developmental opportunity at the WR position.

11. Chicago Bears

Chicago pulled QB2 Tyson Bagent in the 2023 UDFA process. One year later, they signed the top undrafted signal-caller in QB Austin Reed. Reed won the Division II national championship in 2019 at West Florida, and later transferred up to WKU.

With the Hilltoppers over the last two seasons, he posted a 71/22 TD/INT ratio. Reed comes from a gimmicky Air Raid offense that featured many quick first-read throws. A rhythm thrower who excels at timing concepts, Reed is comfortable in the pocket and has shown the ability to click through progressions.

But while he has solid short-area accuracy, Reed’s middling arm strength decidedly caps his ceiling. We would assume Bagent is locked into a roster spot, and, if that’s the case, Reed will be battling Brett Rypien for QB3 duties in camp.

EDGE Jamree Kromah took the opposite transfer path, skipping down from the Big 10’s Rutgers to James Madison. His 2023 breakout and measurables gave him a chance to get drafted; Chicago pounced when he didn’t.

Kromah is blessed with an NFL-ready frame and great length, along with a 9.67 RAS that included a sterling 10-foot broad jump. The Bears are going to have to decide what he is – should he bulk up for the inside, or perhaps drop a little weight to try to improve his lateral agility for EDGE duties?

12. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens signed only one top-300 prospect on my pre-draft board. But that prospect – a local – has a very good chance to stick around. S Beau Brade attended Maryland after growing up in Clarksville. He’ll hope to continue plying his trade in the state of Crabcakes & Football.

Brade acquits himself as the prototypical backup safety at the next level. He’s a two-way safety who is a value-add to the run defense. In coverage, his best traits are his instincts and ability to play the ball at the catch point.

Brade will struggle when isolated in man coverage – he’s better with the field in front of him than with his back to the quarterback – and his ceiling is capped by middling measurables. But he could turn into a core special-teamer if he proves to the Ravens in camp that he can be trusted with one of the backup safety jobs.

13. Tennessee Titans

The crown jewel of Tennessee’s UDFA haul was RB Dillon Johnson. Johnson has a real chance to crack this roster, which doesn’t have much behind Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears.

The NFL bypassed Johnson because he ran a 4.68 forty and had a poor broad jump. He’s not the best athlete you’ll find at the position. But he’s a threshold-sized for the position and arrives with NFL skills.

Johnson began his career in Mike Leach’s Air Raid system. At Mississippi State, he caught 149 balls over three seasons. Not only is he a strong receiver, but Johnson is reliable in pass-pro as well. For his final season, Johnson became a more-conventional bellcow, turning 233 rushing attempts into 1,195 yards and 16 TD for a Washington team that made the national championship.

He plays hurt, he can handle usage, and he’s good in the passing game. Johnson’s mission in camp is proving that his skill can overcome his lack of footspeed.

14. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins managed to finish in the top-half of the NFL in these rankings despite signing no prospects in my pre-draft top-225, and only one ranked higher than 300.

They did so by going with a quantity-over-quality approach, nabbing 10 members of my pre-draft top-500. If you’re going to buy lottery tickets, mine as well buy a bundle of them.

The top prospect was EDGE Grayson Murphy, the lesser-talented of the Murphy twins (Grayson was the one who didn’t get invited to the NFL Combine). Like his brother, Murphy has pass-rushing prowess, but zero length in an undersized package.

The next-three-highest ranked players on my board were all high-end athletes: S Mark Perry, CB Storm Duck, and WR Je’Quan Burton. Burton is a two-time Feldman Freak Lister. We all pray that Duck improves his instincts and technique – he’s got all the athleticism that he needs – because he’ll be one of the All-Name Team’s corners for as long as he’s active.

15. San Francisco 49ers

The prospect to watch is RB Cody Schrader, an athletically-limited never-say-die grinder with some skill. Schrader broke out in 2023 in a zone-heavy scheme that accentuated his strengths – vision, tempo, and one-cut oomph.

Schrader is patient while blocks are developing, and urgent once the opportunity arises. He runs low to the ground and keeps his leg churning. Doesn’t have a ton of natural power and isn’t a bulldozer, but he breaks arm tackle attempts and bounces away from off-angle shots.

Cody Schrader‘s receiving skill opened eyes at the Senior Bowl – Missouri’s offense boasted a high-octane WR room that drew the targets, in some ways putting that area of Schrader’s eval in a black box.

Schrader could improve his odds of staying on the field if he brought the same junkyard dog attitude he does to running the ball into pass-pro. Schrader is not going to hit any home runs in the NFL, and his agility is mediocre overall outside of the one-cut path changes. But he is a good fit for San Francisco’s zone scheme.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers didn’t sign anyone I had a draftable grade on, but they grabbed three prospects who fell just outside the cut line – CB Beanie Bishop Jr., RB Daijun Edwards, and QB John Rhys Plumlee.

Edwards is undersized, but he plays like nobody has ever told him that. He’s more than happy to scrap in pass-pro, and he runs with a sawed-off tenacity, generating more power than you’d figure out of his frame.

He lacks speed, but Edwards’ combo of agility and low-to-the-ground contact balance allow him to grind out yards. He chips in value as a receiver. Edwards was more than the sum of his parts at UGA. To make the case that he’s worth developing as a committee back, that will have to be the case in camp as well.

I shouted out Rhys Plumlee as a sleeper quarterback on a pre-draft episode of the FantasyPros NFL Draft Show. He’s undersized, but he has good arm strength for his size. A dual-sport start in college, Rhys Plumlee was also the centerfielder on UCF’s baseball team. He is a super athlete and a skilled scrambler who can throw on the run.

17. Dallas Cowboys

TE Brevyn Spann-Ford is a big, hulking inline tight end who is a true extension of the run game. He looks like a mini-OT both latching and driving in the run game, and sitting back and anchoring in pass-pro.

Unfortunately, Spann-Ford also looked like a mini-OT in the receiving game last year at Minnesota, with a 0th-percentile PFF receiving grade. He dropped nine balls while catching only 25 – for a stupefying 26.5% drop rate – with a mere two of those catches coming 10-or-more yards downfield.

But Spann-Ford actually led the Gopher team with a 42-497-2 receiving line in 2022 – and only two drops (6.7% drop rate) – with 12 catches 10-plus yards downfield. People were excited about him as a receiver back then. And why wouldn’t they have been? In high school, Spann-Ford was a finalist for state player of the year as a two-way star… at WR and EDGE.

Spann-Ford profiles as a strong blocking TE. You also have a few developmental bullets in your holster if his receiving utility has indeed mysteriously vanished into the cold Minnesota night like Chuck Knoblauch’s ability to throw to first base. You could attempt to bulk Spann-Ford into an actual offensive linemen, or you could try shifting him back to EDGE.

18. Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders went with the spray-the-board UDFA strategy, with no draftable-grade signings on my board, but 10 prospects on my pre-draft top-500. WR Tulu Griffin is an outstanding kicker returner who led the FBS with 32.3 yard average in 2022. He’s been clocked at 22 mph on the GPS.

OT Andrew Coker got $230,000 guaranteed. Due to that, and Las Vegas’ shortage of OT depth, he has a strong chance to make the roster. Coker’s chances to get drafted got detonated by an injury-plagued 2023.

Shrine Bowl director of football operations Eric Galko said CB Ja’Quan Sheppard‘s frame is “how you build cornerbacks in a lab” but conceded Sheppard has “very inconsistent tape.” Sheppard is blessed with size, but he has poor athleticism and he needs work on his technique. He’s going to have to make it on special teams initially.

QB Carter Bradley is the son of former Raiders DC Gus Bradley. He’ll be pitted against Anthony Brown for the QB3 role in camp.

19. Buffalo Bills

Was there ever really any other possibility for OG Keaton Bills? The three-year starter – and former teammate of TE Dalton Kincaid – recorded 2,621 snaps at left guard for Utah. He is a strong run blocker, but his pass protection will need polishing if Bills hopes to remain on the Bille.

RB Frank Gore Jr.‘s father ranks No. 3 on the NFL’s list of all-time leading rushers. Gore Jr. ran for over 4,000 yards in college while displaying receiving skill, but he’s small and doesn’t appear to have NFL-caliber athleticism.

20. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals were mostly spectators during the UDFA process. “This year we ended up lowering that amount just because our roster is almost up to the 90 man limit,” Cardinals assistant GM Dave Sears said.

DT Myles Murphy has good size and three years starting experience in the ACC. But the disruption he showed in 2021 – nine TFL and 4 sacks – vaporized the past two years. He posted a meager 4.5 TFL and one sack in 2023.

WR Xavier Weaver posted a 94-1,433-8 line across his last two seasons at USF before leading Colorado with 908 yards last fall. He has ball skills, but will need to overcome a rail-thin frame.

21. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals lost out in a bidding war for LB Levelle Bailey – who signed with the Broncos – but regrouped by signing LBs Aaron Casey and Maema Njongmeta to deals with matching $15,000 signing bonuses.

Cincinnati signed a pair of Division III stars in WR Cole Burgess and EDGE Justin Blazek. Burgess is an intriguing developmental flier. He posted bazooka numbers last season and is blessed with 98th-percentile athleticism. He ran a 4.45 with a 41.5-inch vertical.

RB Elijah Collins picked a bad transfer portal destination when he left Michigan State for Oklahoma State – the Pokes had one of the nation’s best RBs in Ollie Gordon. But the grinder has a shot to make Cincinnati’s roster – to do so, he’ll have to beat out Trayveon Williams and/or Chris Evans.

22. Detroit Lions

The Lions followed up an outstanding draft – which earned one of my two yearly A+ grades – with a more modest showing in the UDFA bargain bin. They did, however, add four prospects to keep an eye on in LB Steele Chambers, WR Isaiah Williams, TE Isaac Rex, and C Kingsley Eguakun.

LB Chambers – heady but limited – led the Buckeyes with 83 tackles in 2023. He’s a reliable tackler who is reliable in run support. But his athletic and length limitations rendered him below-average on passing downs in the Big 10 and likely unplayable on them in the NFL.

WR Williams went beserk for a 82-1057-5 line last fall as Illinois’ slot receiver. He’s small, and a mediocre athlete, but the leg drive that he has with the ball in his hands that led to 24 broken tackles forced last year – No. 3 among FBS prospects in this WR class – was on full display during his 38-inch vertical.

TE Rex left BYU with a school-record 24 receiving TD. However, at the next level, he is likely to be no more than a dumpoff guy. Rex’s blocking will need to carry him onto the roster.

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

LB Kalen DeLoach was a real pest to ACC opponents in 2023 – with seven sacks and 20 pressures. But will his game translate to the pros? He’s a tiny off-ball linebacker, under six feet and only 210 pounds.

He’s going to need to prove he can be a value-add on Year 1 on special teams in order to convince the team he is worth developing as a situation-specific linebacker. DeLoach recorded 583 special team snaps at FSU.

Where he could eventually see the field in the NFL on defense is on passing downs. Despite his size, DeLoach is a gifted pass-rusher. He’s also solid in coverage, so long as you can keep him away from the skyscraper, bully pass-catchers.

The Bucs signed QB Zach Annexstad and are bringing QB Michael Hiers in for a tryout. Of the two, I prefer Hiers. Hiers is a tiny pocket-passer who posted a 54/12 TD/INT rate the past two years at Samford on an 80.5% adjusted completion percentage. Whoever the Bucs end up taking to summer camp, they’ll have a shot to win the QB3 role. The Bucs’ only quarterbacks behind Baker Mayfield are Kyle Trask and John Wolford.

24. Los Angeles Rams

The Rams as we currently know them are an organization that has scoffed at the way the rest of the NFL does the draft process. There are many areas in which they conscientiously deviate from the herd.

One of them, specific to their acquisition methodology, is to eschew traditional metrics for judging a player’s athleticism – ie the sort of testing that is done at the NFL Combine – in favor of on-field tracking data.

They believe in their eye when watching film. They are said to love it when a player they like tests poorly – as it juices the odds he’ll fall to them at a discount. The seven UDFA that Los Angeles signed from my pre-draft 500 board are about as good a representation of this as you’re going to find.

In short: Good college players whose measurables neutered their odds of getting picked. The Rams have gotten quite good at finding value with these types – the ones the rest of the NFL’s analytical departments eschews.

25. Indianapolis Colts

Back in 2019 as a freshman at USC, QB Kedon Slovis dropped 3,502 yards and 30 TD on 71.9 percent completions. An injury followed by consecutive regrettable transfer decisions gave his collegiate career a Benjamin Button feel. But Slovis is still a good athlete (9.34 RAS) in a sturdy frame who has short-area accuracy.

And hey, if he doesn’t pan out as worth the longer developmental look, perhaps Kansas wild-child QB Jason Bean will. Bean is a former track star who has a bigger arm than you would think. He will go through long stretches each game where you swear he’s a draftable talent. But Bean started the past few seasons as QB2 for a reason: He reliably glitches on 3-4 plays per game – with baffling or haphazard decisions.

Last year, when Bean got injured – this was following QB1 Jalon Daniels‘ season-ending injury – the Jayhawks were forced to go to a QB3 by the name of Cole Ballard. Cole is son of Colts GM Chris Ballard. Doesn’t get any more boots-on-the-ground than that, kids.

26. New England Patriots

LB Jontrey Hunter was a weird evaluation, but I’m happy he found a situation where he’ll have a shot. He’s a bad athlete who stinks in coverage and missed a metric ton of tackles the past few years (50!).

But Hunter was a dangerous blitzing linebacker in the G5, and his skill in this area may cause New England to investigate the idea of developing him for a situational role.

27. Green Bay Packers

The Packers kept the class’ best long-snapper home when they signed Wisconsin LS Peter Bowden. Green Bay’s other signing of note was Michigan OL Trente Jones.

Jones would have started anywhere else, but at Michigan the past few years he was a luxurious insurance policy as the team’s top backup lineman. Jones ended up playing half-season snaps at RT each of the past two campaigns.

28. New York Giants

Amid an NFL Draft with a record 43 trades, the Giants made zero. The passive approached carried over to UDFA. I did like the traits-based flier on DT Casey Rogers.

But with the roster in the shape it is, the Giants should have been more aggressive in adding similar risk-free ceiling prospects.

29. Cleveland Browns

The Browns prioritized adding to the OL post-draft, with iOL Javion Cohen and Jalen Sundell and OT Lorenzo Thompson. WR Ahmarean Brown has 4.37 speed.

RB Aidan Robbins showed a gift for breaking tackles earlier in his career at UNLV, but he strangely got buried during his NFL showcase season at BYU.

30. Houston Texans

The Texans added the Janke twins and basically decided they were good. Jaxon caught 244 balls for 3,677 yards and 29 TD at South Dakota State, while Jadon posted a 170-2,800-30 career line. The Janke’s teamed up to dominate the FCS – they may have been better off splitting up heading to the NFL. They’ll now be competing against one another for a job.

31. Los Angeles Chargers

Following a strong draft, the Chargers had a sleepy UDFA process.

HC Jim Harbaugh reunited with Michigan iOL Karsen Barnhart. For the Wolverines, Barnhart got plenty of experience at both guard and tackle. In 2022, he was the starting RT. But for last year’s title team, he was a full-timer with 831, but he ended up making 186 snaps at LT and 194 at RG, with the rest coming at RT. I projected him as an OG, but Barnhart chips in added value as a break-glass-in-case of emergency OT.

FSU S Akeem Dent, at No. 353, was the highest-ranked prospect signed off my pre-draft board. Dent continues the Chargers’ Florida State West bent in the secondary – he’s joining up with former Seminole stars Derwin James and Asante Samuel Jr. If Dent is to make the Week 1 roster, it’s probably through special team work.

TE Zach Heins might be the more intriguing prospect to keep an eye on. Harbaugh and OC Greg Roman load up on tight ends in their 12-personnel, power-run system. Heins is one strong summer away from an NFL job – the opportunity is there.

32. Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta’s baffling draft was followed by a non-serious effort in the UDFA process.

The highest-ranked prospect on my pre-draft board from the group is tiny FCS WR Isaiah Wooden Jr. He’s the one guy I’m intrigued by – due to his high-octane athleticism. Wooden Jr. ranked No. 1 among all WRs in this class with a 1.38 10-split and a 44 1/2-inch vertical. He ran a 4.35 40-yard dash. He has the traits to play the slot in the NFL, and he also brings more competition to the returner battles in camp – Wooden Jr. handled both kick and punt duties the past two years at Southern Utah.

TE Austin Stogner may be at the end, but it was worth bringing him in to find out for sure. He was a top-75 overall recruit coming out of high school, he has an ideal frame, and he looked like a future star in 2020 in Lincoln Riley’s offense. But Stogner came down with a serious staph infection that fall – he lost 35 pounds, required surgery, and nearly lost his leg. Since coming back, he has not been the same player – in his three active seasons since, he had between 166-210 receiving yards each campaign.

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