4 lesser-known UDFAs who could make the jump to the NFL

Despite going undrafted, many rookie prospects will find roster prospects to their liking

With this year’s NFL Draft festivities firmly in the rearview, rookie minicamps across the league have now come and gone.  No matter how they might have found their way to a team’s offseason roster, the players among this year’s incoming rookie class must now go about securing an on-field role with one of the league’s 32 teams.

While players who were drafted, particularly those taken in the first half of this year’s proceedings, hold a considerable advantage in terms of ultimately securing a spot on their team’s final roster, recent history tells us that a number of this year’s undrafted free agents (UDFA) will emerge as key contributors for their respective teams as soon as their rookie season.

Though some of the 2021 NFL Draft’s well-known prospects, such as Marvin Wilson, Dylan Moses and Ar’Darius Washington were inked to deals after failing to be drafted, we will turn our focus to a few lesser-known players among the ranks of the undrafted in this year’s class.

Better to be lucky AND good

While it is incumbent upon each first-year player to seize his opportunity, there are aspects of certain teams’ roster makeup that make an uprising at certain positions a distinct possibility. Where such an opportunity intersects with the right player, it can chart the unlikely path from UDFA to starter.

Follow along as we examine 4 such players who, despite not hearing their name called in this year’s draft, could emerge as a regular for their team in the upcoming 2021 NFL season.