NFL Trade Rumors
Every year, NFL teams and media evaluators alike spent countless hours scouting draft-eligible players in preparation for the NFL draft. Inevitably, however, some undrafted players will fall through the cracks or just prove scouts wrong. Maybe they come from a smaller school and weren’t properly scouted, or perhaps they’re just better than everyone thought. Either way, they certainly make teams regret passing on them and missing out.
Typically, around two dozen undrafted free agents (UDFAs) make NFL rosters each year. This year, however, a whopping 58 UDFAs made initial 53-man rosters, exceeding last year’s total by one. It’s an exciting time for fans of underdog stories, and while most of these players will mostly play special teams or not at all, a few are set for big roles.
Here, I have a team-by-team breakdown of each UDFA to survive final roster cuts. I’ve noted if they were claimed on waivers from another team and which school they played for in college. All told, 26 teams had at least one 2025 UDFA on their roster. Only the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t have any.
OT Josh Fryar
A first-team All-Big Ten left tackle at Ohio State in 2023, Fryar is one of just four offensive tackles the Cardinals kept on their initial 53-man roster. He’s unlikely to have a significant game-day role short of injury, but it’s noteworthy that Arizona trusted him as key depth at a critical position.
RB Nathan Carter
The former Michigan State back made headlines this preseason after being involved in a scary collision that hospitalized Lions S Morice Norris. But the Falcons’ coaching staff has continually praised him throughout camp, and he earned the third-string running back role behind Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. He runs a sub-4.4 second 40 and showed that off on a long touchdown run.
LB Jay Higgins IV
CB Keyon Martin
S Reuben Lowery
The biggest name here is Higgins, a star in college at Iowa before putting up abysmal testing numbers at the Combine. His athletic limitations dropped him out of the draft and likely impede his ability to be a quality coverage defender in the NFL, but he was primarily known for his run defense anyway. He’s been making plays this preseason and should have a role on special teams early on.
Martin, out of Louisiana, and Lowery, out of Chattanooga, will provide important depth in the secondary. Martin, in particular, pushed former fourth-round CB Jalyn Armour-Davis out of a roster spot, climbing all the way up from a rookie tryout.
WR Dalevon Campbell
LB Bam Martin-Scott
CB Corey Thornton
K Ryan Fitzgerald
Our first specialist on the list, Fitzgerald played college ball at Florida State and beat out Matthew Wright for the starting kicker job in Carolina, though the team has indicated it will have a bit of a wandering eye until he proves himself....
