Every year, NFL teams and media evaluators alike spent countless hours scouting draft-eligible players in preparation for the NFL draft. Inevitably, however, some undrafted players will fall through the cracks or just prove scouts wrong. Maybe they come from a smaller school and weren’t properly scouted, or perhaps they’re just better than everyone thought. Either way, they certainly make teams regret passing on them and missing out.
Typically, around two dozen undrafted free agents (UDFAs) make NFL rosters each year. This year, however, a whopping 58 UDFAs made initial 53-man rosters, exceeding last year’s total by one. It’s an exciting time for fans of underdog stories, and while most of these players will mostly play special teams or not at all, a few are set for big roles.
Here, I have a team-by-team breakdown of each UDFA to survive final roster cuts. I’ve noted if they were claimed on waivers from another team and which school they played for in college. All told, 26 teams had at least one 2025 UDFA on their roster. Only the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t have any.
Arizona Cardinals
OT Josh Fryar
A first-team All-Big Ten left tackle at Ohio State in 2023, Fryar is one of just four offensive tackles the Cardinals kept on their initial 53-man roster. He’s unlikely to have a significant game-day role short of injury, but it’s noteworthy that Arizona trusted him as key depth at a critical position.
Atlanta Falcons
RB Nathan Carter
The former Michigan State back made headlines this preseason after being involved in a scary collision that hospitalized Lions S Morice Norris. But the Falcons’ coaching staff has continually praised him throughout camp, and he earned the third-string running back role behind Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. He runs a sub-4.4 second 40 and showed that off on a long touchdown run.
Baltimore Ravens
LB Jay Higgins IV
CB Keyon Martin
S Reuben Lowery
The biggest name here is Higgins, a star in college at Iowa before putting up abysmal testing numbers at the Combine. His athletic limitations dropped him out of the draft and likely impede his ability to be a quality coverage defender in the NFL, but he was primarily known for his run defense anyway. He’s been making plays this preseason and should have a role on special teams early on.
Martin, out of Louisiana, and Lowery, out of Chattanooga, will provide important depth in the secondary. Martin, in particular, pushed former fourth-round CB Jalyn Armour-Davis out of a roster spot, climbing all the way up from a rookie tryout.
Carolina Panthers
WR Dalevon Campbell
LB Bam Martin-Scott
CB Corey Thornton
K Ryan Fitzgerald
Our first specialist on the list, Fitzgerald played college ball at Florida State and beat out Matthew Wright for the starting kicker job in Carolina, though the team has indicated it will have a bit of a wandering eye until he proves himself. Martin-Scott and Thornton are from South Carolina and Louisville, respectively, and both should contribute primarily on special teams as rookies, but play at shallow positions where there’s a chance for playing time later on in the season. Campbell was a waiver claim from the Chargers and also played college football at South Carolina. It seems like the initial thought is for the 6-4, 205-pounder to play at gunner.
Chicago Bears
WR Jahdae Walker
Arriving to the league via Texas A&M, Walker put together a great training camp in Chicago. Notably, he forced former fourth-rounder Tyler Scott out of a roster spot, and he has great size on the outside.
Cincinnati Bengals
DT Howard Cross III
DT Eric Gregory
LS William Wagner
Cross was a surprise undrafted player after putting together a great career at Notre Dame. He’s more of a 3-4 defensive end than a true edge rusher, making him a poor fit in many schemes. The interior defensive line has the potential to be a massive Achilles heel for this Bengals team, so Cross may be called upon early and often.
The same goes for Gregory, who played at Arkansas. Both he and Cross are currently buried on the depth chart, but will have opportunities to earn playing time. Wagner played at Michigan and is the new long snapper in Cincy.
Cleveland Browns
RB Raheim Sanders
WR Isaiah Bond
WR Gage Larvadain
DT Adin Huntington
LB Easton Mascarenas-Arnold
CB Dom Jones
S Donovan McMillon
The Browns project to be one of the worst teams in football this year, and they had a lot of depth concerns across the roster that left opportunities for their UDFAs. Bond had a ton of potential in college at Texas, but never lived up to it and went undrafted after sexual assault allegations were filed against him. The case was ultimately dropped and Cleveland signed him to an unprecedented, fully-guaranteed $3 million deal just last week.
Larvadain had a great camp after a good career at South Carolina, and the Browns wanted to make sure they found a roster spot for him. “Rocket” Sanders was a fan-favorite back in college at Arkansas and was claimed off waivers from the Chargers.
Huntington played college ball at Tulane and while it might be a challenge to be active on game days in a crowded defensive tackle room, he left Cleveland no choice but to find room for him. Mascarenas-Arnold, out of USC, provides depth at linebacker. With the injury to starting CB Martin Emerson Jr., there’s a chance for Jones to crack the two-deep out of Colorado State. Former Pittsburgh S McMillon might get some reps on special teams.
Denver Broncos
LB Karene Reid
A stud in college at Utah, Reid was someone I was high on pre-draft. He didn’t end up getting drafted, but he’s one of just four linebackers on the Broncos’ initial roster. Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton are the starters, but Reid could play in heavier packages and will definitely get some run on special teams.
Green Bay Packers
DT Nazir Stackhouse
A true brick house in the middle of the defensive line, Stackhouse has been one of the best run-stuffers in college for years at this point. He anchored the middle of those stacked Georgia defenses, and now he brings that power to Green Bay. There was a time when Stackhouse was projected to be pushing for a Day 2 pick, though a down 2024 season and his limited skillset dropped him out of the draft. If he can regain his 2023 form, the Packers got a steal.
Houston Texans
LS Austin Brinkman
A former West Virginia Mountaineer, Brinkman takes over as the starting long snapper in Houston.
Indianapolis Colts
CB Johnathan Edwards
Edwards was one of the camp standouts in Indianapolis after concluding his college career at Tulane. His emergence was a key factor in the Colts feeling comfortable waiving CBs Samuel Womack III and Julius Brents, both of whom started games for Indy last season.
Jacksonville Jaguars
ED Danny Striggow
ED B.J. Green II
A pair of undrafted edge defenders made the cut in Jacksonville. Striggow played at Minnesota and Green at Colorado, and both will compete for roles behind starters Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker.
Kansas City Chiefs
LB Cooper McDonald
The Chiefs play a lot of linebackers, keeping six on their initial roster. The top four are set with Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, Leo Chenal, and rookie Jeffrey Bassa, but McDonald could have a role on special teams. He played college football at TCU.
Los Angeles Chargers
LB Marlowe Wax
CB Nikko Reed
CB Eric Rogers
Wax, from Syracuse, and Reed, from Oregon, both have a chance to crack the two-deep by Week 1. Rogers is a little more buried on the depth chart, but the former Rutgers corner will battle Reed for the fourth outside corner spot. Reed is also a candidate to take reps in the slot.
Los Angeles Rams
LB Shaun Dolac
The Rams are known for signing tons of UDFAs every offseason, and a handful usually make the initial roster. This year, though, it’s just one, but the one they kept is a standout. Dolac had a great preseason and beat out rookie fifth-round pick Chris Paul Jr. for a roster spot. Linebacker is a thin position group in Los Angeles, and Dolac could have a real role on Sundays.
Minnesota Vikings
QB Max Brosmer
WR Myles Price
TE Ben Yurosek
G Joe Huber
ED Elijah Williams
ED Chaz Chambliss
LB Austin Keys
With a whopping seven UDFAs on their 53-man roster, the Vikings officially tie for the title for the most in the league this year. Brosmer played at Minnesota in college and sticks around as the third quarterback. Price, out of Indiana, snuck onto the back end of the roster after a rash of injuries for the Vikings at receiver. Yurosek was a bit of a draft darling in some circles, and though he was buried on the depth chart at Georgia, he has some real upside as a move tight end. He beat out a draft pick, Gavin Bartholomew, for a roster spot.
Huber, from Wisconsin, is one of the primary backups on the interior. Williams played college ball at Morgan State and turned heads in camp. Chambliss is yet another defensive lineman out of Georgia to make an NFL roster, and Keys played at Auburn and provides critical depth at linebacker.
New England Patriots
WR Efton Chism III
ED Elijah Ponder
The name to watch in this class is Chism. The Eastern Washington product put together a phenomenal camp and the coaching staff is excited for his future. He just looks like a Patriots receiver. Ponder is another small school product, hailing from Cal Poly, and should be a deep reserve at edge rusher. He wowed the coaching staff with his athleticism in camp.
New Orleans Saints
OL Xavier Truss
G Torricelli Simpkins III
P Kai Kroeger
Simpkins played college football at South Carolina and he can play both guard spots as well as center. That kind of versatility is incredibly valuable in the NFL and was likely a major factor in him earning a spot, along with his physical demeanor and the general lack of depth up front for the Saints. Truss was a waiver claim from Denver after playing college football at Georgia, and he can play tackle or guard. Kroeger is also a South Carolina product and is the new punter for the Saints.
New York Giants
WR Beaux Collins
Coming from Notre Dame, Collins beat out a few higher-profile players to earn a spot as a depth wide receiver. His ability to thrive on special teams was an important factor.
New York Jets
OT Esa Pole
Pole was a waiver claim from the Chiefs after playing college football at Washington State. He has next-level athleticism and size and the Jets hope to develop him into a viable swing tackle down the road.
Philadelphia Eagles
WR Darius Cooper
OL Willie Lampkin IV
Cooper, an undrafted rookie from Tarleton State, turned enough heads in camp to earn a roster spot despite a crowded depth chart at receiver. He can contribute on special teams early and could also see some snaps on offense. Lampkin was a star in college at both guard and tackle, though he’s playing center in the NFL and is the smallest offensive lineman in Senior Bowl history. He was a waiver claim from the Rams.
Seattle Seahawks
TE Nick Kallerup
ED Connor O’Toole
DT Jared Ivey
Ivey was one of the most surprising undrafted players in this class. The Ole Miss product was widely viewed as a fourth- or even a third-round pick, but he fell due to his tweener status. He’s probably best-suited to playing 3-4 defensive end, but he can moonlight as an edge rusher. The Seahawks defense is a perfect fit for him.
Kallerup played college football at Minnesota and is the fourth-string tight end. O’Toole played at Utah and is a reserve on the defensive line.
San Francisco 49ers
G Drew Moss
The 49ers have been looking for more depth along their offensive line for some time now, and they found it in Moss. The Colorado State product can play all three spots along the interior offensive line.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
RB Josh Williams
OT Benjamin Chukwuma
LB John Bullock
Williams, from LSU, adds to a loaded running back room in Tampa Bay. He’s buried on the depth chart, but he can really play. Chukwuma is a Georgia State product and one of four tackles on the roster, while Bullock played at Nebraska and made the roster ahead of some more heralded and buzzy players because of his potential on special teams.
Tennessee Titans
OT Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson
OL Clay Webb
LB Dorian Mausi
Another surprisingly undrafted player, Crenshaw-Dickson is a massive tackle from Florida. He was widely viewed pre-draft as a mid-round pick, but fell due to some injury concerns at his size. He moves pretty well though and could earn a role in time. Mausi played college football at Auburn and was a waiver claim from the Vikings. Webb was a somewhat surprising cut after a strong camp with the Broncos, and will now instead add to Tennessee’s depth after being claimed.
Washington Commanders
LB Ale Kaho
One of three UCLA rookie linebackers to make an NFL roster this year, Kaho is the least-well-known of the three. One of the others, Kain Medrano, is also with the Commanders. Together, they have a chance to carve out roles behind entrenched starters Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu.
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