- Jake Browning leads a thin quarterback field: Only 10 undrafted quarterbacks have logged at least 100 dropbacks over the past three seasons, and Browning’s 66.7 PFF passing grade tops the group.
- Jaylen Warren headlines an impressive offensive skill group: The Steelers running back is coming off a career-best 81.0 PFF grade, more than 1,000 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
- Brandon Aubrey remains the gold standard among undrafted specialists: Since entering the league, Aubrey leads all kickers with 36 made field goals from 50-plus yards while converting 80.0% of his attempts.
We recently built the NFL’s all-seventh-round team entering the 2026 season. Today, we’re taking that exercise a step further by constructing a starting lineup made entirely of undrafted free agents.
Each year, hundreds of players enter the NFL as undrafted free agents, creating a talent pool that dwarfs the roughly 40 prospects selected in the seventh round. The path to success is far steeper, however, as those players rarely receive the roster security or developmental runway afforded to drafted prospects.
Despite those obstacles, plenty of undrafted players have built long and successful NFL careers, with some developing into franchise cornerstones. This team highlights the best of those success stories across the league entering the 2026 season.
Undrafted free agents logged more than 103,000 combined snaps last season, more than three times as many as seventh-round picks, who accounted for just over 34,000. As a result, this roster features a much deeper pool of candidates. Unlike our all-seventh-round team, however, there is no obvious choice at football’s most important position.
Quarterback: Jake Browning, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Brock Purdy was the clear choice for the all-seventh-round team, but the undrafted pool lacks a comparable success story at quarterback.
Only 10 undrafted quarterbacks have recorded at least 100 dropbacks over the past three seasons. Jake Browning, who moved from Cincinnati to Tampa Bay this offseason, leads the group with 448 dropbacks and a 66.7 PFF passing grade.
Other undrafted quarterbacks who have seen meaningful action recently include Max Brosmer and Brady Cook, though neither has performed particularly well. Ravens backup Tyler Huntley also warrants consideration despite being sacked on 10.0% of his dropbacks. The gap between Browning and Huntley is small enough that either selection would be defensible.
Running Back: Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
The running back position lends itself to finding productive players outside of the draft. There were several options beyond Warren here, including his new backup, Rico Dowdle. Newest Seahawks signing Emmanuel Wilson also deserves mentioning for his work supplementing Josh Jacobs in Green Bay.
At age 27, Warren is coming off a career year, posting an 81.0 PFF grade, eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards for the first time and scoring eight total touchdowns.
He brings a well-rounded skill set to the position. Warren has dropped just two of 87 catchable targets since 2024 and ranked fourth among 64 qualifying running backs in PFF pass-blocking grade last season, making him a valuable contributor in every phase of the offense.
Wide Receivers: Jakobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars; Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks; Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers
This is a nice trio of receivers who bring different attributes to the table. Shaheed is known best as an electric kick returner, but he took an expanded offensive role in his stride when joining the Seahawks last season, hanging onto all 62 catchable targets for a career-high of 765 receiving yards.
Meyers is entering his eighth year in the league and has posted over 800 yards from scrimmage in each of the last six seasons. His midseason trade to the Jaguars last November brought Meyers real quarterback stability for the first time since Tom Brady was throwing him passes.
Coker is the youngest of the trio, with two solid seasons to kick off his career. The Holy Cross alum took a small but steady step forward in Year 2, with ten more receptions, two additional touchdowns and an increase in receiving grade from 73.8 to 75.3. Coker’s size is his greatest gift. Thanks to his 6-foot-3 frame, he hauled in nine catches in traffic on just eleven contested opportunities last season.
Tight End: Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
The tight end position offered far more viable candidates for the undrafted team than it did for the seventh-round squad, which ultimately turned to incoming rookie Jack Endries. While several players warranted consideration — including 49ers backup Jake Tonges — Johnson earned the nod after increasing his receiving production in each of the past three seasons.
Johnson’s path to this roster is also notable. Undrafted free agents rarely remain with the franchise that signs them for an extended period, yet he is entering his seventh NFL season with the same organization.
Although his 8.3% drop rate was higher than ideal last season, Johnson remained one of the league’s most productive tight ends. He ranked fourth in receiving yards (889) and third in contested catches (14) among tight ends, trailing only Trey McBride and Brock Bowers in the latter category.
Offensive Tackles: Alaric Jackson, Los Angeles Rams; Terence Steele, Dallas Cowboys
Jackson is an obvious pick here, having improved his PFF grade over each of the last four seasons. He was by far the highest graded undrafted offensive tackle in the league last year, with an overall PFF grade of 85.3.
Jackson is an imposing run blocker — unsurprising for a former Iowa Hawkeye — and at 27 years old, he likely still has his best football ahead of him. The Rams will be hoping that iron sharpens iron with Jackson squaring off against incoming Myles Garrett every day in practice — two players at opposite ends of the NFL’s pre-draft evaluation spectrum.
Terence Steele has been Mr. Available for the Dallas Cowboys, with over 1,100 snaps in each of his last three seasons. Respectable grades of 70.4 and 64.7 in his last two years, and he has surrendered only two sacks over his last eight outings.
Interior Offensive Linemen: Coleman Shelton, Los Angeles Rams; Aaron Brewer, Miami Dolphins; Alec Anderson, Buffalo Bills
Brewer emerged as one of the NFL’s top centers last season, leading all players at the position in PFF overall grade (89.8). His breakout campaign was fueled by a dominant second half and continued a four-year trend of improvement as a run blocker. He now ranks among the league’s premier zone-blocking centers.
Like Brewer, Shelton is primarily a center, but his experience at guard made it easier to fit both players onto the roster. The 30-year-old has quietly developed into one of the league’s steadiest interior linemen, posting three consecutive seasons with a PFF grade between 68.0 and 72.0 while improving slightly each year.
Having two Rams interior linemen on this team speaks to the organization’s ability to identify and develop overlooked talent. Despite consistently parting with premium draft capital, Los Angeles has remained competitive in part because of its success in uncovering contributors outside the draft’s early rounds.
Alec Anderson rounds out the group. Although he has yet to enter a season as a full-time starter, that could change in 2026. Across 542 snaps over the past two seasons, he earned a 76.0 PFF grade while filling in as a reserve, potentially doing enough to convince Buffalo he is ready for a permanent role at left guard.
Interior Defensive Linemen: Poona Ford, Los Angeles Rams; Jalen Redmond, Minnesota Vikings
At 5-foot-11 and 310 pounds, Ford is a powerful presence in the middle of the defense, capable of clogging running lanes and controlling the line of scrimmage. He has played for four teams since 2022, after his five-year stint in Seattle ended, but his recent production has been impossible to overlook. Ford has earned PFF grades above 85.0 in each of the past two seasons, one with the Chargers and one with the Rams.
His impact extends beyond run defense. Ford posted a career-best 76.3 PFF pass-rushing grade last season and generated pressure on more than 10.0% of his pass-rushing snaps.
He is paired here with Jalen Redmond, one of the NFL’s most versatile defensive linemen. Redmond has experience across the defensive front, with snaps everywhere from nose tackle to edge defender. Although he did not establish himself until age 25, he has quickly become a dependable contributor. Consecutive seasons with PFF grades in the 70.0s highlight both his consistency and positional value.
Edge Defenders: Carl Granderson, New Orleans Saints; Dondrea Tillman, Denver Broncos
Edge defenders are drafted at a premium for a reason. Finding an impact player outside the first two rounds is difficult enough, and uncovering one after the draft is even rarer.
The Saints found Carl Granderson as an undrafted free agent one year before signing Juwan Johnson, and he has rewarded that investment with remarkable consistency. Granderson has built his game around run defense, recording between 30 and 36 run-defense stops in each of the past four seasons. He has also provided steady pass-rush production, posting a pass-rush win rate between 10.0% and 13.0% every year since 2020.
Beyond Granderson, the candidate pool is surprisingly thin. Bryce Huff offered the most accomplished résumé as a pass rusher but retired this offseason, while Charles Snowden remains unsigned and is dealing with off-field issues.
That leaves Dondrea Tillman, whose path to the NFL was anything but conventional. After joining the Broncos from the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions, Tillman has played just 747 defensive snaps. Even so, he has produced 49 pressures and nine sacks in a rotational role. Tillman is also the only NFL player to emerge from Curt Cignetti’s tenure as head coach at IUP, making his rise all the more unlikely.
Wins Above Replacement
Carl Granderson · ED
Positional avg
Hover a season for WAR rank
Avg ED (200+ snaps)
Linebackers: Azeez Al-Shaair, Houston Texans; Alex Singleton, Denver Broncos
Linebacker is one of the few positions where undrafted players have consistently found success. Fifteen undrafted linebackers have started at least one game over the past three seasons, and more than 20% of all linebacker tackles last season were recorded by players who entered the league without hearing their names called on draft day.
Azeez Al-Shaair and Alex Singleton stand out even within that group. Al-Shaair was rewarded with a three-year, $54 million extension from the Texans this offseason, the fifth-largest contract among NFL linebackers. Singleton, meanwhile, continues to play some of the best football of his career at age 32.
The two have built their reputations on outstanding run defense. Since 2022, Singleton ranks eighth in PFF run-defense grade, while Al-Shaair ranks 10th among qualifying linebackers.
Cornerbacks: James Pierre, Minnesota Vikings; Keisean Nixon, Green Bay Packers; Ja‘Quan McMillian, Denver Broncos
McMillian is the third Broncos defender to make the team and slots in at nickel cornerback, allowing the versatile Keisean Nixon to remain on the outside. His signature moment came when he intercepted Josh Allen to seal Denver’s AFC Championship Game victory. Beyond his coverage ability, McMillian is also an effective blitzer, generating eight pressures and four sacks on just 40 pass-rush opportunities last season.
Pierre saw limited action during his sixth NFL season in Pittsburgh but appears poised for a larger role with Minnesota in 2026. Despite his modest workload, he delivered elite results. Pierre earned the highest PFF coverage grade among NFL cornerbacks (88.9) and allowed just 16 receptions across 255 coverage snaps.
Nixon is the most established member of this cornerback group. His play can be inconsistent at times, but his versatility remains invaluable. Last season, he more than doubled his forced incompletion rate from 7.4% to 15.8%. Across more than 3,600 career snaps, Nixon has contributed in virtually every phase of the game, from matching up with top receivers to returning kickoffs and taking occasional offensive snaps.
Safeties: Reed Blankenship, Houston Texans; Ronnie Hickman Jr., Cleveland Browns
Blankenship emerged as a key piece of Philadelphia’s defense, logging nearly 1,000 more snaps than any other undrafted safety over the past four seasons. That workload has come with diminishing returns, however. His PFF grade has declined in each season of his career, culminating in a 42.8 mark in 2025. His PFF coverage grade (29.9) ranked last among qualifying safeties.
Despite that downturn, the Texans clearly believe a rebound is possible. Houston signed Blankenship to a three-year contract worth more than $8 million annually this offseason.
Ronnie Hickman Jr. brings a much different profile. At 24 years old, he is one of the youngest players on this roster and has steadily earned a larger role since entering the league. After two productive seasons in a rotational capacity, Hickman claimed a starting job in 2025 and continued his ascent. He ranked among the top 10 safeties in both PFF coverage grade (75.3) and passer rating allowed (65.7) among 80 qualifying players.
Kicker: Brandon Aubrey, Dallas Cowboys
Special teams offered no shortage of candidates. More than half of all field goals and punts attempted last season came from undrafted players, giving this unit one of the deepest talent pools on the roster.
At kicker, Brandon Aubrey remains the clear choice. One of just six full-time kickers to miss only a single extra point over the past two seasons, Aubrey has paired consistency with elite leg strength. Since entering the league three years ago, he has led all kickers in made field goals from 50-plus yards (36), converting 80.0% of his 45 attempts.
Punter: Austin McNamara, New York Jets
At punter, Austin McNamara lacks the extended track record of candidates such as AJ Cole, but his first season as a starter made a strong case. McNamara led all undrafted punters in PFF grade (90.3) and average hang time (4.70 seconds). He saw plenty of work behind the Jets’ offense, and that volume only strengthened his résumé. If that performance carries forward, McNamara has a clear path to becoming one of the league’s most effective punters.