Gang Green Nation
There will be players who can contribute even though undrafted
It seems like in recent years UDFA’s have been making a bigger impact on the game at a professional level. Maybe this has something to do with many of them receiving bigger contracts than those being selected in the later rounds on Day 3 of the NFL draft. Or maybe it’s a correlation that doesn’t exist and is just a fabric of my imagination. Regardless, here I’ll be highlighting potential UDFA options for the NY Jets to grab after the end of the NFL draft.
For the purpose of this article, I’ll be using the Consensus Big Board used by the NFL Mock Draft Database website, and highlighting players who are ranked 260 or later at the time of this writing. Let’s begin.
Disclaimer: Not every player here may become a UDFA.
Francisco Mauigoa is a 6-foot-2, 233 pound inside linebacker with blazing speed. The Miami product ran a 4.60 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and he proved to be one of the more elite testers at the position.
Mauigoa is explosive in his first step, as his broad jump and 10-yard split suggest. That speed shows up on film, too. I was able to witness him perform first-hand at the Shrine Bowl, where he impressed with his performance in live drills.
Mauigoa uses that speed to excel in run defense, where his 84.0 grade ranked 30th among all linebackers (min. 200 snaps). His 12.7 stop percentage ranked 14th, showcasing his strong ability in the run game.
The Miami linebacker may not be a third-down player yet, but he could be a rotational depth player on early downs if needed.
Alijah Huzzie is an experienced prospect, playing six years of college football. He developed as an excellent cornerback for East Tennessee State, before eventually transferring to the University of North Carolina.
At UNC, Huzzie continued to show great intelligence at the cornerback position. One of his specialties is something that’s much needed in today’s NFL: disrupting routes with a crossing pattern. Whether it’s an actual crosser, or an inside dig, the Tar Heel almost has an innate ability to break up passes on crossing plays, something he did consistently at his time at UNC, and at the Shrine Bowl, too.
In his final year at North Carolina, Huzzie put together a solid if unspectacular season. He excels in man coverage, and even when he’s beaten on a step, he possesses some of the best recovery speed that I’ve seen out of a cornerback.
With the type of mindset and characteristics that Huzzie has, he would make an excellent fit in the Jets’ secondary.
Personally, I’d be shocked if he became an UDFA, but as of right now, that’s where he stands in consensus rankings.
Samuel Brown may not have the same statistical profile...
