Every year NFL teams spend the few days after the draft scrambling to sign Undrafted Free Agents, the pool of individuals who weren’t selected in the NFL Draft. From Wes Welker to Kurt Warner, a number of HOF caliber players are not selected in the draft and can negotiate themselves a bigger deal than if they were a 7th round selection.
A few of the names I have below are a combination of players who signed with a perfect situation or guys we have mentioned a lot over the past couple of months that got snagged almost instantly after the draft. There will absolutely be usable players down the road not on this list so if that NFL Superstar’s ever read this blog, please label me as your motivation for making it. You’re welcome.
Mario Goodrich – CB – Clemson – Philadelphia Eagles
One of My Guys heading into the draft, Mario Goodrich is an exceptional athlete who was the number two CB across from the Viking’s Andrew Booth Jr. Goodrich never “wowed” through his college career, but Goodrich gathered 84 tackles, 15 pass breakups and 5 interceptions over 1,116 snaps in 47 games. For a team that was projected to pick for their secondary in the actual draft, Goodrich is an absolute steal despite the $217,000 guaranteed contract bonus (more than more late-round picks receive).
Jalen Wydermyer – TE – Texas A&M – Buffalo Bills
A year ago the world would have assumed Jalen Wydermyer was the no-brainer number one selection for Tight End in the class. At 6’5″ 255, Wydermyer is a physical presence on the field but had an upsetting season with Texas A&M last year and only received a 5.9 overall grade for the draft. The Buffalo Bills toss the rock and with the departure of Cole Beasley, there are receptions to go around. Wydermyer will have to earn his time on the field behind Dawson Knox, but there’s a lot of upside here.
Carson Strong – QB – Nevada – Philadelphia Eagles
In another amazing move the Philadelphia Eagles brought in Carson Strong, a top 5 QB prospect in this class in some draft rooms. Strong was the wildcard in the quarterback discussion but with the dramatic slide of everyone not named Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, Strong found himself in the interesting position to sign with whichever team he wants. Strong most likely went undrafted due to a long list of knee injuries and an overall lack of meaningful production at Nevada, but his upside is still there and Strong could have a career at the right franchise for a job. He comes into a QB room with Jalen Hurts, Gardner Minshew and Reid Sinnett.
Isaiah Pola-Mao – S – USC – Las Vegas Raiders
Signed just today, Isaiah Pola-Mao was an interesting Safety prospect out of USC. Notably related to Pittsburgh Steelers legend Troy Polamalu, Pola-Mao had some flags heading into this season but was still a strong candidate for a Day Three selection. The Raiders did not pick up the fifth-year option on former Mississippi State S Jonathan Abrams providing Pola-Mao with a potential role on the team from day one.
D’Eriq King – QB – Miami – New England Patriots
King was a name that many expected more from last season at Miami after a strong campaign at Houston before that. The most interesting part about this signing is that the Patriots drafted Mac Jones last year in the first round and Bailey Zappe from Western Kentucky this year leaving King with a hill to climb. This does provide some rumors that King will be asked to move to wide receiver, a position the Patriots need instant improvement on even with the signing of that absolute bum DeVante Parker (I’m sure he’s a nice guy tbh). Keep King on your radar as we’ve seen some athletes make the transitional successful in the past (Julian Edelman, Braxton Miller, Terrelle Pryor, etc).
Josh Jobe – CB – Alabama – Philadelphia Eagles
Sensing a theme here? The Philadelphia Eagles did absolute WORK after the announcement of Mr. Irrelevant, adding some impressive depth to their DB room instantly. Jobe is a smaller DB at 5’11” 182, but he was the enforcer for that Alabama secondary throughout the year. He most likely won’t ever turn out to be a true number one corner in the NFL but he doesn’t need to be on a roster with Darius Slay, Avonte Maddox and UFDA Mario Goodrich.
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