Jets Sign 9 UDFAs
The Jets just made 10 draft picks, and now they’ve added nine undrafted rookies. The following players make up New York’s first UDFA class of the Robert Saleh era, via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link).
- Isaiah Dunn, CB (Oregon State)
- Michael Dwumfour, DT (Rutgers)
- Brendon White, S (Rutgers)
- Kenny Yeboah, TE (Ole Miss)
- Hamilcar Rashed, DE (Oregon State)
- Teton Saltes, OL (New Mexico)
- Milo Eifler, LB (Illinois)
- Tristen Hoge, OL (BYU)
- Grant Hermanns, OT (Purdue)
- Parker Ferguson, OT (Air Force)
- Chris Naggar, K (SMU)
- Jordyn Peters, S (Auburn)
The Jets clearly had competition for Yeboah. New York gave him a whopping $200K in guaranteed money with a $20K signing bonus and $180K base salary guarantee, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. Chris Herndon led the Jets’ tight ends with 287 yards in 16 games last year, so it’s not surprising to see them taking flyers like this. Yeboah had 524 yards and six touchdowns in only seven games for Ole Miss in 2020.
The team also gave Dunn $185K guaranteed, Aaron Wilson tweets. Wilson reports it’s the biggest guarantee ever for an undrafted cornerback. They also gave Saltes $93K guaranteed, Wilson tweets.
With only Chase McLaughlin and Sam Ficken on the roster the Jets don’t have a firmly entrenched kicker, so Naggar could have a real shot at winning the job. He’s got a video on Twitter of him hitting a 71-yarder.
Rams Sign 9 UDFAs
The Rams had nine picks in this weekend’s draft, but three of them were seventh-rounders and only one was in the first 100 picks. As such, their undrafted free agent class should have plenty of opportunities to make good impressions. Los Angeles became the latest team to announce their group on Sunday, inking the following nine rookies to deals:
- Landen Akers, WR (Iowa State)
- Alaric Jackson, OT (Iowa)
- Paris Ford, S (Pittsburgh)
- Jovan Grant, S (Merrimack College)
- Jeremiah Haydel, WR (Texas State)
- Jordan Meredith, OL (Western Kentucky)
- Max Roberts, OLB (Boston College)
- George Silvanic, DT (Air Force)
- Troy Warner, S (BYU)
The Rams surprised everybody by drafting three receivers, but that didn’t stop them from signing another two. The fact they signed three safeties would seem to indicate one of those guys has a decent chance of cracking the roster. Warner might have a real shot since Aaron Wilson tweets that he got a $12.5K signing bonus. He’s also the brother of star 49ers linebacker Fred Warner, who the Rams are quite familiar with.
Jackson got a $20K signing bonus, Wilson tweets, and since the Rams also shocked everybody by not drafting an offensive lineman, he could gave a good chance as well. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection this past year, and started 42 games at left tackle for Iowa. He was a projected sixth-round pick by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.
Cowboys Sign 13 UDFAs
The Cowboys became the latest team to set their UDFA class on Sunday. Dallas agreed to terms with the following 13 undrafted rookies, via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
- JaQuan Hardy, RB (Tiffin)
- Brenden Knox, RB (Marshall)
- Nick Ralston, FB (Louisiana)
- Brennan Eagles, WR (Texas)
- Osirus Mitchell, WR (Mississippi State)
- Brandon Smith, WR (Iowa)
- T.J. Vasher, WR (Texas Tech)
- Nick Eubanks, TE (Michigan)
- Artayvious Lynn, TE (TCU)
- Braylon Jones, G/C (Houston)
- Austin Faoliu, DT (Oregon)
- Anthony Hines, LB (Texas A&M)
- Tyler Coyle, S (Purdue)
After using eight of their 11 draft picks to address the defense, the Cowboys clearly intended to load up their UDFA class with skill position guys. Of those receivers it would appear Smith has the best chance of cracking the roster, since the Cowboys gave him $132K in guaranteed money, Aaron Wilson tweets. He got $120K in guaranteed salary and a $12K signing bonus.
Smith never put up huge numbers in the Big Ten, and only had 23 catches for 231 yards in seven games last year, but Dallas thinks he has some potential. Hines, the linebacker from Texas A&M, got $55K guaranteed, Wilson tweets. Hines only played in one game in 2018 due to injury, returned with a solid 2019 season when he had 10.5 tackles for loss, and then opted out of the 2020 campaign. He has impressive burst and athletic ability, but has below average instincts and often has poor tackling form, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com writes.
Broncos Sign 10+ UDFAs
Over the weekend, the Broncos supplemented their draft class by signing eleven undrafted free agents:
- Nolan Laufenberg, G, Air Force
- Adam Prentice, FB, South Carolina
- Warren Jackson, WR, CSU
- Branden Mack, WR, Temple
- DeVontres Dukes, WR, South Florida
- Andre Mintze, OLB, Vanderbilt
- David Curry, LB, Georgia Tech
- Curtis Robinson, LB, Stanford
- Drew Himmelman, OT, Illinois State
- Mac McCain III, CB, North Carolina A&T
- Shaun Beyer, TE, Iowa
[RELATED: Broncos To Split QB Reps 50-50 Between Lock, Bridgewater]
Mintze likely received the top guarantee of the bunch at $85K (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News). With a bonus that’s roughly 50% of the practice squad base salary, the Broncos seem to like his odds of making the final cut, even though he’s a bit undersized for the position. Mintze impressed scouts at his pro day by running a 4.59-second 40-yard-dash, positioning him as one of the draft’s fastest outside ‘backers. All in all, he totaled 75 stops, 17 TFL, 8.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles across his four years on campus.
Giants Sign 3 UDFAs
On Sunday, the Giants announced that they’ve inked a trio of undrafted free agents. Their three-man class is uncommonly small, but Dan Duggan of The Athletic (on Twitter) hears that this will likely represent the entirety of their initial UDFA group. So, barring any unexpected changes, this will be the Giants’ post-draft haul:
[RELATED: NFL Draft Results, Team By Team]
The Giants did not use any of their picks on offensive lineman, so they’re hoping to see some promise out of Heggie and Burton. Burton, once a starting tackle at UCLA, will push for a spot behind Andrew Thomas, Nate Solder, and Matt Peart. Meanwhile, Heggie will look to backstop guards Shane Lemieux and Will Hernandez.
“It’s really apparent we have a little more confidence in our offensive line than you guys do,’’ GM Dave Gettleman said after passing on OLs in the draft (via the New York Post). “We’re happy with the group we have, obviously you’re always trying to get better. You’re not gonna just take a player to take him.’’
Instead, the Giants focused mostly on the other side of the ball, dedicated four of their six picks to the defense.
Steelers Sign 8 UDFAs
The Steelers drafted nine players over the weekend, but they weren’t done shopping. On Sunday, the Steelers announced the signings of eight undrafted free agents:
- WR Rico Bussey (Hawaii)
- WR Isaiah McKoy (Kent State)
- S Lamont Wade (Penn State)
- S Donovan Stiner (Florida)
- CB Shakur Brown (Michigan State)
- CB Mark Gilbert (Duke)
- LB Jamar Watson (Kentucky)
- LB Calvin Bundage (Oklahoma State)
Brown is among the more notable players in this bunch. After earning first-team All-Big Ten honors, Brown declared early with the expectation that’d be selected in Round 4 or 5. Instead, he watched as 250+ players heard their names called. Still, he’s likely secured a better-than-average UDFA signing bonus from the Steelers. Last year, Brown notched five interceptions in just seven games. For his Spartan career, Brown finished with 54 stops, two tackles for a loss, two sacks, 16 pass defenses, and one touchdown across 26 games.
Chargers Announce 10 UDFA Signings
This year’s crop of draftable prospects was said to be on the thin side, so the 2021 class of UDFAs is expected to have even fewer players make the cut than usual. But you never know, and teams still have 90 roster spots they can fill throughout the spring and summer. The Chargers were among the first to announce their UDFA signings:
- Ben DeLuca, DB (Charlotte)
- Jared Goldwire, DL (Louisville)
- Darius Harper, OT (Cincinnati)
- Hunter Kampmoyer, TE (Oregon)
- Alex Kessman, K (Pittsburgh)
- Ryan Langan, LS (Georgia Southern)
- Forrest Merrill, DL (Arkansas State)
- Amen Ogbongbemiga, LB (Oklahoma State)
- Kyle Spalding, OT (San Diego State)
- Elijah Stove, WR (Auburn)
As with most UDFA classes, this one included several notable guarantees. Goldwire received $50K in guaranteed money, while Ogbongbemiga got a $30K guarantee (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). Goldwire earned All-ACC Second Team honors after recording 35 tackles, five TFLs, and two sacks from his nose tackle position, while Ogbongbemiga piled up 180 tackles over the past two seasons and possesses excellent speed.
Stove struggled with injuries in his collegiate career but is quick and has good hands. He caught 44 passes for 359 yards and three scores in his final season at Auburn.
Falcons To Sign UDFA RB Javian Hawkins
The Falcons are revamping their backfield, having added Mike Davis this offseason. Todd Gurley remains unsigned, while the team cut Ito Smith. However, the team’s new regime did not select a running back in this year’s draft.
Atlanta will use undrafted free agency to add here, however. The team agreed to a UDFA deal with Louisville running back Javian Hawkins, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).
Hawkins surpassed 1,500 rushing yards for the Cardinals in 2019 and averaged 6.2 per carry as a junior last season. That slate stopped after eight games; Hawkins opted out during the season and declared for the draft. Scouts Inc. viewed Hawkins as a seventh-round-caliber prospect. He will join a Falcons team in a full-on transition at running back.
The top three ball carriers on Atlanta’s 2020 roster — Gurley, Smith and Brian Hill — are no longer with the team. Hill played on an RFA tender last season but has not been signed. Qadree Ollison, a 2019 fifth-round pick, joins Tony Brooks-James behind Davis on Atlanta’s depth chart.
The Falcons’ lack of a draft investment in the position would seemingly open the door for a veteran to complement Davis. A number of high-profile backs — Le’Veon Bell, Adrian Peterson, Duke Johnson and longtime Falcon Devonta Freeman among them — reside in free agency. As it stands now, Hawkins would have a notable opportunity to make the Falcons’ 53-man roster.
QB Feleipe Franks, Falcons Agree To Deal
Two of this year’s six Senior Bowl quarterbacks were not drafted this weekend. Both, however, now have UDFA deals.
Shortly after Jamie Newman agreed to terms with the Eagles, Feleipe Franks chose the Falcons, according to his agency (on Twitter). Like Newman, Franks spent time at two different southeastern programs. He finished his career at Arkansas.
[RELATED: Falcons To Sign A.J. McCarron]
A former Florida recruit, Franks worked as the Gators’ starter as an underclassman. In 2018, he threw 24 touchdown passes compared to just six interceptions. However, an ankle injury ended his 2019 season early. Kyle Trask, who ended up going in the second round to the Buccaneers, took over the Gators’ QB1 role last year. After transferring, Franks threw 17 TD passes and just four INTs in nine Razorbacks games last season.
The Falcons have tripled their quarterback room this week. For months, Matt Ryan resided as the only quarterback on the team’s roster. A.J. McCarron and Franks now join him. The latter will reunite with ex-Florida teammate Kyle Pitts, whom Atlanta selected fourth overall.
Washington To Sign UDFA RB Jaret Patterson
Despite a dominant junior season, Jaret Patterson was not among the running backs selected in this year’s draft. But he has a UDFA deal. The Buffalo prospect agreed to terms with Washington, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
The 5-foot-9 back torched MAC competition in 2020, averaging 7.6 yards per carry and clearing the 1,000-yard barrier in just six games. Patterson matched his 19-touchdown output of his sophomore season, doing so in seven fewer games.
Patterson reeled off an eight-touchdown, 409-yard performance against Kent State in 2020. For his career, the productive back totaled 52 rushing TDs and 3,884 yards on the ground in three Buffalo seasons. He will join a Washington team that has been unable to establish backfield continuity in recent years.
While Washington has misfired on a couple of backs over the past several years, the team did do well to identify Antonio Gibson in the 2020 third round. Veterans Peyton Barber, Lamar Miller and J.D. McKissic are also on Washington’s roster, though Gibson profiles as the leader of the team’s 2021 backfield.