One UDFA To Watch For Every Team

Dubbed by some as the unofficial eighth round of the draft, undrafted free agency is an important part of team-building. Even on just a practical level, the league doesn’t draft enough players to fill out the roster, so undrafted free agents fill in the cracks.

But more than that, UDFAs can be an important source of talent for savvy teams. Every year, teams mine crucial depth, important role players, a handful of starters and even a star or two from time to time.

For a few years now, we’ve been previewing the UDFA class to try and identify who those gems in the muck could be. We have a decent track record. Of the 40-some players highlighted last year, 30 are still with the same team, 21 made the Week 1 roster and 12 were either key contributors or starters — guys like Dolphins CB Storm Duck, Jets DT Leonard Taylor, Rams LB Omar Speights and Steelers CB Beanie Bishop. Hits in past years include guys like Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin, Vikings LB Ivan Pace, Buccaneers RB Sean Tucker, Patriots S Brenden Schooler and Jets TE Stone Smartt.

Hopefully the momentum continues. Here’s a look at at least one UDFA from every team who has a chance to stick and make an impact. One caveat: not all the teams have finalized their UDFA signings, so it’s possible a deal that has been reported ends up falling through. There are also some helpful resources linked below.

Resources:

• 2025 Undrafted Free Agent Tracker
• “The Beast” from the Athletic’s Dane Brugler
• Consensus Big Board, from Arif Hasan
• Relative Athletic Scores
• 2025 UDFA Guaranteed Money, from Spotrac
• NFLTR’s 2024 UDFA Watchlist
• NFLTR’s 2023 UDFA Watchlist

49ers: Cincinnati RB Corey Kiner

HM: Nebraska WR Isaiah Neyor

San Francisco has established a weird precedent under HC Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch when it comes to running backs, a catch-22 that kind of encapsulates the draft experience for the current regime. In the years in which the 49ers draft a back, usually in the third or fourth round, that back is usurped by a late-round or undrafted counterpart.

• Shanahan pounded the table for Joe Williams in the fourth round in 2017. Fellow rookie Matt Breida, an undrafted free agent, beat out Williams for a role and he never appeared in an NFL game. Raheem Mostert also joined the 49ers in 2017.
• The 49ers drafted Trey Sermon in the third round in 2021. Sixth-rounder Elijah Mitchell leapfrogged him on the depth chart as a rookie.
• The following year, the 49ers drafted Tyrion Davis-Price in the third round. They also signed Jordan Mason as an undrafted free agent. You know the drill…

Last year, the 49ers drafted RB Isaac Guerendo in the fourth round and he operated behind Mason for most of the year until the latter got injured. He might have broken the streak, but it’s worth noting the 49ers also signed UDFA RB Cody Schrader...