Building a 53-man roster from 2024 NFL Draft UDFAs
It's time for the annual UDFA roster
Every year, I examine the best undrafted free agents from the NFL Draft and put them together to form a 53-man roster. The general point of this exercise is to highlight the best remaining talent in the class because we see several UDFAs make active rosters every year. Some even become consistent contributors. I’m sure that will also be the case in 2024.
This year’s roster isn’t on the same level as the 2023 version, which featured rostered players in almost every position group. However, the 2024 UDFA class does include several notable players and a couple of loaded position groups. Most notably, the free agent edge and offensive tackle classes are stacked. Expect those players to quickly be added to the 90-man offseason rosters.
*Indicates starter
Quarterback: Sam Hartman, Notre Dame*
Quarterback: Kedon Slovis, BYU
Quarterback: Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
Picking Tyson Bagent was such an easy out last year. No such luck in 2024. Hartman and Slovis are the two leading candidates for the starting job. Reed played in a fake offense at Western Kentucky, but he’s definitely worth keeping on the roster. Slovis might have more long-term upside than Hartman, but the Notre Dame product has been the more stable college starter.
Running Back: Cody Schrader, Missouri*
Running Back: Blake Watson, Memphis
Running Back: Kendall Milton, Georgia
Running Back: Daijun Edwards, Georgia
Schrader and Watson lead the two-man rotation here, but all running backs in this room will get a chance to carry the rock. There’s a nice mix of power and versatility in this group, and the SEC experience feels like a nice rock to build the rotation on. Watson is the highest upside member of the bunch while Schrader is the most consistent.
Tight End: Trey Knox, South Carolina*
Tight End: Mason Fairchild, Kansas
Tight End: Brevyn Spann-Ford, Minnesota
Tight End/Fullback: Thomas Yassmin, Utah
I don’t think I actually gave Knox a spot on my top 300, but I know from watching his Arkansas tape last year and Spencer Rattler’s tape this past season that he has a lot to offer as a former wide receiver-to-tight end convert. Fairchild is the prototypical “quarterback’s best friend” tight end while Spann-Ford is an in-line blocker. Yassmin is a former Australian rugby player with a lot of physical upside but very little polish.
Wide Receiver: Joshua Cephus, UTSA*
Wide Receiver: Jalen Coker, Holy Cross*
Wide Receiver: Xavier Weaver, Colorado
Wide Receiver: Dayton Wade, Ole Miss
Slot Receiver: Lideatrick Griffin, Mississippi State*
Slot Receiver: Tayvion Robinson, Kentucky
This is one of those positions where you just want as many bites of the apple as possible. Many of these players are Shrine Bowl attendees who lacked the complete physical profiles to warrant being drafted. Cephus and Coker, who are their programs’ all-time leading receivers, get the nod along with Griffin.
Offensive Tackle: Ethan Driskell, Marshall*
Offensive Tackle: Garret Greenfield, South Dakota State*
Offensive Tackle: Frank Crum, Wyoming
Offensive Tackle: Andrew Coker, TCU
Offensive Tackle: Anim Dankwah, Howard
Outside of Dankwah, who is a traits-based sign-and-stash, any of these tackles could earn starting reps for this UDFA team. They’ve all had hot and cold stretches throughout their careers against varying levels of competition. Driskell, who led the way for several productive Marshall running backs the past few years, and Greenfield get the initial nod.
Guard: Javion Cohen, Miami*
Guard: Andrew Raym, Oklahoma*
Guard: Gottlieb Ayedze, Maryland
Guard: Julian Pearl, Illinois
Transferring from Alabama to Miami ultimately didn’t help Cohen get drafted. He and Raym have the best tape against power five opponents while primarily playing along the interior, but Ayedze and Pearl are college tackles with experience at guard. They actually have the better physical builds of the four but lack the experience to start immediately at guard.
Center: Charles Turner III, LSU*
Center: Kingsley Eguakun, Florida
I was higher on Turner than the NFL and the consensus. Either one of these Senior Bowl selections could start for this team. Turner has more finesse while Eguakun offers a little more raw power. Andrew Raym could also rotate in here if needed since he has extensive experience at center.
Defensive Tackle: Gabe Hall, Baylor*
Defensive Tackle: Leonard Taylor III, Miami*
Defensive Tackle: Keith Randolph Jr., Illinois*
Defensive Tackle: Fabien Lovett Sr., Florida State
Defensive Tackle: Evan Anderson, Florida Atlantic
Hall showed out early during the week at the Senior Bowl and has an excellent athletic profile and build. Unfortunately, he didn’t really develop in college. Speaking of not developing, Taylor took a massive step back in 2023 after an extremely promising 2022 campaign. A good coaching staff could find two quality contributors in this group.
Edge Rusher: Gabriel Murphy, UCLA*
Edge Rusher: Nelson Ceaser, Houston*
Edge Rusher: Braiden McGregor, Michigan
Edge Rusher: Eric Watts, Connecticut
Edge Rusher: Eyabi Okie-Anoma, Charlotte
It’s a loaded but undersized edge rusher class. Ceaser and Murphy were very productive across multiple seasons in college, and both falling out of the draft was surprising. They and Gabe Hall are the top three UDFAs from my board. McGregor has the traits but lacks the production. Watts has the frame but doesn’t maximize it. Okie-Anoma is an explosive and bendy super athlete, but he struggles to anchor and has character red flags.
Linebacker: Curtis Jacobs, Penn State*
Linebacker: Jackson Sirmon, California*
Linebacker: Steele Chambers, Ohio State
Linebacker: Kalen DeLoach, Florida State
There was some mid-season buzz around Jacobs, but it was mostly coming from media members hoping to find the gem of the linebacker class late in the process. Like most Nittany Lions, Jacobs is a good athlete. That’s what you’re buying into with him and DeLoach. Sirmon isn’t that level of an athlete, but he made several big plays at the Senior Bowl. I’ll give him the nod because I saw it in person, but Chambers could easily be the other starter.
Cornerback: Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas*
Cornerback: Josh Wallace, Michigan*
Cornerback: Carlton Johnson, Fresno State
Cornerback: Johnny Dixon, Penn State
Cornerback: Jarius Monroe, Tulane
I was much higher than the consensus on McGlothern, so I expected him to slide on draft day, but I didn’t think he would make it out of the seventh round. The NFL took fewer shots at cornerback this year than I expected. McGlothern is head and shoulders above the other corners on this list, but this group offers some good size and physicality.
Safety: Beau Brade, Maryland*
Safety: Josh Proctor, Ohio State*
Safety: Tyler Owens, Texas Tech
Safety: Kenny Logan Jr., Kansas
I’m stunned Brade wasn’t drafted. My only thought is that something must’ve come up in the pre-draft process because Brade posted quality tape in the Big Ten. He should’ve at least been drafted. Proctor was coming back from a fractured leg, but the sixth-year safety had good ball production in 2023. Owens, who is an elite athlete, and Logan, a savvy veteran, round out the safety room.
Punter: Matthew Hayball, Vanderbilt*
Kicker: Harrison Mevis, Missouri*