Building an NFL roster from 2022 undrafted free agents
How many games can a team of 2022 undrafted free agents win in the NFL?
I recently asked Kyle Crabbs and Chris Schubert of The Draft Network how many games a team of 2022 undrafted free agents would win in the AFC South. Chris was at least initially interested in the take, but Kyle quickly convinced him to shoot it down and say zero. Today, I’ll pose the same question to you, and I’ve built a roster to drive the conversation.
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Starting Offense
Quarterback: Carson Strong, Nevada
Strong dropped out of the draft because of long-term concerns surrounding his knee and case of osteochondritis dissecans. Asking teams to overlook medical red flags to draft a player is generally a “no, no” in the business, but it’s easy to see Strong’s upside if he stays healthy.
Strong was one of eight FBS players to pass for over 4,000 yards in 2021 and one of nine to throw for 36 touchdowns. Out of the ten quarterbacks that fell in either one of those categories, only Kenny Pickett, C.J. Stroud, and Bryce Young threw fewer interceptions than Strong.
Running Back: Abram Smith, Baylor
Smith finished tied with BYU’s Tyler Allgeier for fourth in rushing yards among all FBS running backs. His 1,601 rushing yards only trailed Tyler Badie (1,604), Kenneth Walker III (1,636), and Lew Nichols (1,848). Smith, who played linebacker in 2020, also displayed good efficiency on his attempts, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
According to Pro Football Focus, Smith was one of four running backs in 2021 with over 1,000 yards after contact (joining Allgeier, Sean Tucker, and Walker). His 44 carries of ten or more yards tied with Tucker for fifth in the FBS. Smith is an excellent selection for a power back, and he displays better open field wiggle and hands than he’s given credit for.
Wide Receiver: Justyn Ross, Clemson
A congenital fusion in his neck/spine robbed Ross of his 2020 season, and he clearly hadn’t regained his explosiveness by the start of last fall. The Tigers and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott set Ross up for failure in his final collegiate season, playing him in new positions and refusing to let the 6'4" skyscraper make plays down the field like he did as a freshman.
Ross’ vertical skills might never return, and his medical history made him an undraftable prospect for most NFL teams. However, he was a top-ten receiver in college football at his peak. That’s worth the bet.
Wide Receiver: Charleston Rambo, Miami
We go from a player who peaked in 2018 to one who peaked this past season. Rambo transferred from Oklahoma to Miami in 2021, and the move paid dividends. Rambo already proved he was a capable receiving option with a 743-yard showing in 2019, but the Texas native took his game to another level with the Hurricanes.
Rambo wrapped up his final season with 1,172 yards, good enough for 19th most in the FBS. That might not seem sexy, but he finished ten yards behind first-round pick Jahan Dotson and 23 yards ahead of fourth-round pick Calvin Austin III. In 2021, Rambo posted six games with over 100 yards and eight games with 95 or more yards, including a 210-yard performance against Georgia Tech.
Wide Receiver: Jaivon Heiligh, Coastal Carolina
Heiligh finished slightly outside of the top 20 receivers in the FBS, posting 1,128 yards in 13 appearances. In comparison, John Metchie III amassed 1,142 yards in the same number of games but with nearly 30 more targets. Heiligh finished his final two seasons as a Chanticleer with 131 receptions for 2,126 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Heiligh ultimately went undrafted because of his pedestrian size (6'0", 202 lbs. with 32" arms) causing physical limitations. Neither he nor Rambo has great size, but they possess experience operating in the slot.
Tight End: Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M
Wydermyer is a cliché pick at this point, but the 6'5", 255 lbs. SEC product won’t turn 22 until December and averaged nearly 500 yards per season across three years with the Aggies. He reportedly ran a 5.01-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, which toasted his draft stock.
Wydermyer’s drop issues and lack of dynamic athleticism made him an undrafted free agent. We’ll add more dynamic, vertical tight end options on the bench. For now, I’m content to take a big, young prospect who performed at a high level in college football’s most talented conference.
Offensive Tackle: Obinna Eze, TCU
Eze is a large tackle prospect, standing 6'6 1/2" and weighing 321 lbs. His 36 1/8" arms and 85 3/4" wingspan rank in the 97th and 98th percentile among tackles respectively. A four-star recruit in the 2017 class, Eze transferred to TCU after two seasons as a starter at Memphis.
During his three years as a starter, Eze allowed 49 pressures and ten sacks. He’s the most developmental option on our offensive line, but he also possesses the best physical traits. Here’s hoping we have an excellent offensive line coach.
Offensive Tackle: Kellen Diesch, Arizona State
Diesch is one of the older prospects on this team. He was a four-star recruit in the 2016 class. Diesch spent the first four seasons of his college career with Texas A&M before transferring to Arizona State in 2020. During his two years and roughly 1,100 snaps with the Sun Devils, Diesch allowed 11 pressures and three sacks.
At 6'7", 301 lbs. with 32 1/4" arms, Diesch lacks the mass and arm length to consistently create movement in the running game and withstand powerful attacks. However, his explosive numbers and speed testing were off the charts. The Texas native ranked in the 93rd percentile or better in the ten-yard split, 40-yard dash, and 20-yard shuttle.
Guard: Ben Brown, Ole Miss
Brown slots in as our team’s left guard. The Mississippi native became a starter during his redshirt freshman season and proceeded to amass over 2,800 snaps during his four-year tenure as an offensive staple. Brown surrendered 29 pressures and two sacks during his college career, which averaged out to one pressure every 52 pass blocking snaps.
Brown primarily played left guard in 2018, 2019, and 2021. He played center for the entire 2020 season but wasn’t a stellar fit.
Guard: Dohnovan West, Arizona State
Brown and West saved this team with their positional versatility. Brown played center and right guard in college but never kicked over to the left side. Luckily, West played all three interior positions at an above-average level. He surrendered five pressures and one sack as a center this past season and allowed one pressure for every 62 pass blocking snaps as a left guard in 2020.
West turned 21 years old this month, making him one of our team’s youngest players.
Center: Alec Lindstrom, Boston College
Lindstrom operated as Boston College’s starting center for three seasons. At 6'3", 296 lbs., he’s undersized to play the pivot and is largely mismatched with the rest of our offensive line. Lindstrom’s arm length and wingspan are smaller than desired, and he struggles to counter power. However, he only allowed 24 pressures and three sacks in his time as a starter.
It was impossible to put together a scheme-based offensive line considering how picked over the UDFA talent pool was at these positions. If our UDFA team has any shortcomings, it’s the offensive line’s potentially disastrous foundation.
Starting Defense
Defensive End: Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Notre Dame
At 6'2", 270 lbs., Tagovailoa-Amosa possesses the size to play 3-4 defensive end. He spent five years at Notre Dame but emerged as a consistent force over the past three seasons. During that time, he amassed 78 pressures, including 35 this past season, and 66 tackles.
I decided on a 3-4 front for our defense because the UDFA pool lacks impact 4-3 defensive ends with the ideal combination of size to stop the run and bend to rush the passer. The 3-4 formation allows us to stack some less athletic players along the interior while adding speed and pass rush potential on the edge.
Defensive End: Keir Thomas, Florida State
Thomas spent five years going nowhere fast at South Carolina before transferring to Florida State, where he had a breakout season in 2021. Alongside first round pick Jermaine Johnson, Thomas amassed 44 pressures, 42 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks. Those totals all tied or beat his previous career highs.
Thomas is one of the most underrated prospects in the 2022 UDFA pool. He produced pressure on roughly 12.4% of his pass rush attempts and had huge games against Boston College (13 pressures) and Florida (seven pressures).
Defensive Tackle: Noah Elliss, Idaho
Elliss is your typical run-stopping, lane-clogging, double-team-eating interior defensive lineman. He’s not a three-down player, so he’ll have to rotate with someone on our bench (preferably someone with more pass rush upside), but he should anchor the defensive interior on early downs.
Elliss is 6'4" and weighs 346 lbs. Despite his massive frame, the Colorado native totaled 46 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss during his final season at Idaho.
Outside Linebacker: Christopher Allen, Alabama
Allen played fewer than a dozen defensive snaps in 2021 because of a fractured foot he suffered in Alabama’s season-opener. The former four-star recruit likely would’ve heard his name called in the draft if he remained healthy for Alabama’s extended season.
We have to go back to 2020 for Allen’s only season with more than 200 defensive snaps. He played nearly 600 snaps two years ago, showing some versatility as he dropped into coverage over 200 times. However, Allen’s natural talent flashed when he rushed the passer. He amassed 36 pressures, six sacks, and 13 tackles for loss.
Outside Linebacker: David Anenih, Houston
Similar to Allen (6'3 1/2", 241 lbs. with 33" arms), Anenih (6'2", 251 lbs. with 34 3/8" arms) lacks the mass to play 4-3 defensive end, and his primary upside comes as a pass rusher. That’s why we’ve selected a 3-4 defensive front, even if it’s not the usual approach for articles like this one.
Consistency was an issue for Anenih at times. He failed to record a pressure against SMU but turned around and had 12 against USF despite playing the same number of pass rushing snaps. However, Anenih built up a substantial body of work during his five years at Houston. Over the past three seasons, he totaled 106 pressures (47 in 2021), 14.5 sacks, and 23 tackles for loss.
Linebacker: Jack Sanborn, Wisconsin
There were plenty of options we could’ve gone with at linebacker depending on the skill set that best suits our system. With a defense that relies heavily on sub-package looks (three corners), I’ve only included one traditional inside linebacker in the starting lineup.
Sanborn projects best as a two-down linebacker in the NFL, although his coverage skills aren’t awful. I want to keep Sanborn on the field for early downs before subbing in smaller, more versatile linebackers like JoJo Domann for passing downs.
Cornerback: Mario Goodrich, Clemson
Maybe the best undrafted free agent this year, Goodrich outperformed Clemson teammate Andrew Booth Jr. in several games this past season. He also came in clutch with a pick-six and timely forced fumble in Clemson’s 20-13 win over Iowa State in the Cheez-It Bowl.
Goodrich didn't pop much at the Senior Bowl and isn't an elite athlete, but he’s a high floor/low ceiling player from a program known for producing solid NFL corners. He’s best suited for a zone scheme at the next level.
Cornerback: Sam Webb, Missouri Western State
Missouri Western State wasn’t at the top of my watch list this cycle, but Webb has intriguing traits for a small-school prospect. If we’re being honest, Webb made the cut because he possesses the least predictable ceiling among the remaining cornerback prospects, including Vincent Gray, Josh Jobe, and Jermaine Waller.
Webb enters the NFL as an older prospect (he redshirted in 2016), but maybe the extra seasoning has prepared him for the jump. Webb produced seven interceptions and 33 passes defensed from 2017 through 2019, and his weight, wingspan, and arm length are all 76th percentile or greater among corners.
Slot: Shaun Jolly, Appalachian State
I had Oregon’s Mykael Wright penciled in for this spot, but the more I think about it, the less I want to see the former Duck playing several hundred snaps per year. Neither Wright (5'10 1/2", 173 lbs.) nor Jolly (5'8", 177 lbs.) has ideal size or arm length. Actually, I’m willing to bet size concerns are why Jolly went undrafted. However, the former two-star recruit consistently fought above his weight class as an outside corner at Appalachian State and held his own.
Safety: Verone McKinley III, Oregon
I cracked open my draft notes for the first time in three weeks to check McKinley’s 40 time. He ran a 4.65 at his pro day, which is horrendous for a 5'10", 198 lb. defensive back with limited upside against the run. That said, there weren’t any better options for a deep safety, and McKinley had splashes of good ball production while with the Ducks.
McKinley amassed four interceptions in 2019 and tallied six interceptions in 2021. However, two of those picks came against Stony Brook.
Safety: Smoke Monday, Auburn
Aside from possessing one of the best names in the draft, Monday has good size for a safety (6'2", 207 lbs.). During his four years at Auburn, Monday played over 500 snaps in the box, at free safety, and in the slot. He won’t fulfill all of those roles at the next level because of athletic limitations, but his past versatility makes him a valuable starter alongside someone as one-dimensional as McKinley.
I also considered Florida A&M’s Markquese Bell and Texas A&M’s Leon O'Neal for this role. Monday’s experience in the slot at the SEC level was the ultimate tiebreaker.
Depth Players
Quarterback: Jack Coan
Quarterback: Cole Kelley
Fullback: Jason Poe
Running Back: Kennedy Brooks
Running Back: Jerrion Ealy
Wide Receiver: Kevin Austin Jr.
Wide Receiver: Tanner Conner
Wide Receiver: Josh Johnson
Tight End: Gerrit Price
Offensive Tackle: Dare Rosenthal
Offensive Tackle: Ryan Van Demark
Guard: William Dunkle
Guard: Josh Sills
Center: James Empey
Defensive End: Demetrius Taylor
Defensive End: Zach VanValkenburg
Defensive Tackle: Jayden Peevy
Outside Linebacker: De'Shaan Dixon
Outside Linebacker: Tre Williams
Linebacker/Slot: JoJo Domann
Linebacker: Zakoby McClain
Linebacker: Mike Rose
Cornerback: Vincent Gray
Cornerback/Safety: Josh Jobe
Slot: Mykael Wright
Safety: Markquese Bell
Safety: Leon O'Neal
*I saved three spots on the 53-man roster for specialists. I didn’t scout any kickers, punters, or long snappers and wouldn’t feel happy with including any of them with such little background.