The 49ers have 10 undrafted free agents who could all make an impact on the roster right away.
The 49ers have had a lot of success with undrafted free agents since 2017 when general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan took over. Because of that, San Francisco’s UDFA signings will always be intriguing. This year’s group carries some additional interest though because their draft class was only five players deep.
We went through each of the undrafted rookies to gauge what they bring to the table, how they might contribute, and what their chances are of making the team.
QB Broc Rutter, North Central College
A truncated offseason may keep Rutter from making any serious waves right away, but his production at Division-III North Central college makes him an intriguing prospect. He threw for 86 touchdowns and just eight interceptions with more than 8,000 yards across his final two seasons. Given that Nick Mullens landed as the team’s backup after joining the club as an undrafted rookie in 2017. It may take a couple years, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Rutter follows a similar path.
Does he make the roster?
No, but he’s at the top of the list of practice squad candidates.
A closer look at the Packers’ 15 undrafted free agents following the 2020 NFL draft.
The Green Bay Packers signed 15 undrafted free agents following the 2020 NFL draft.
Here’s a closer look at all 15 players:
QB Jalen Morton, Prairie View A&M
(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Height: 6-3
Weight: 237
What to know: Played in 33 games with 22 starts. Completed 372 of 695 passes for 5,236 yards, 42 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. Rushed for 1,579 yards and 22 touchdowns. Produced five games with over 100 yards passing and 100 yards rushing. Has 10.5″ hands. Dane Brugler’s 31st quarterback in the class.
RB Patrick Taylor, Memphis
Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Height: 6-2
Weight: 217
What to know: Played in 45 games (four starts). Rushed for 1,122 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior in 2018. Scored 29 rushing touchdowns between 2017 and 2018. Finished college career with 2,884 rushing yards (third-most in school history) and 36 touchdowns (tied for second-most). Caught 55 passes for 434 yards with three touchdowns. Finished with 3,322 all-purpose yards (fifth-most) with 39 touchdowns. Offense’s most improved player in 2018. Dane Brugler’s No. 32 ranked running back in the class.
FB Jordan Jones, Prairie View A&M
Height: 6-1
Weight: 255
What to know: Caught 28 passes for 497 yards and five touchdowns in 2019. Played two years at Grambling State, playing in 26 games and catching 28 passes for 436 yards and six touchdowns. Second-team All-SWAC in 2017.
WR Darrell Stewart, Michigan State
Height: 6-0
Weight: 212
What to know: Caught 150 passes for 1,640 yards and seven touchdowns in 43 games and 21 starts. Caught at least one pass in 33 straight games to end college career. Finished with 2,363 all-purpose yards. Third in school history in catches. Caught at least 48 passes in three straight seasons. Set career highs for receiving yards (697), touchdowns (four), receptions per game (5.4) and receiving yards per game (77.4) in 2019. Dane Brugler’s No. 55 ranked receiver in the class.
OT Travis Bruffy, Texas Tech
Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Height: 6-6
Weight: 298
What to know: Played in 46 games. Started final 34 games at left tackle. Three-time All-Big 12 selection. Two-time team captain. Caught a touchdown pass as a tight end as a freshman. Dane Brugler’s No. 51 ranked offensive tackle in the class.
G Zack Johnson, North Dakota State
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Height: 6-6
Weight: 301
What to know: Played in 54 games, with 46 starts. Started 30 games at right tackle and 16 at right guard. Two-time All-American. North Dakota State rushed for over 4,000 yards each of his three seasons as a starter. Dane Brugler’s No. 35 ranked offensive guard in the class.
DL Willington Previlon, Rutgers
Height: 6-5
Weight: 287
What to know: Played in 36 straight games and made 18 starts, tallying 12.5 tackles for losses, four sacks and three pass breakups. All-Big Ten pick after producing 7.5 tackles for losses and 32 run stops as a 12-game starter in 2019. Dane Brugler’s No. 72 ranked defensive lineman in the class.
OLB Tipa Galeai, Utah State
Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
Height: 6-5
Weight: 229
What to know: Started 24 of 42 games over four seasons. Produced 29.5 tackles for losses, 20 sacks, two interceptions, three pass breakups and three forced fumbles. Had career-high 10.5 sacks in 2018. TCU transfer. Two-time All-Mountain West (2018, 2019). Dane Brugler’s No. 30 ranked edge rusher in the class.
LB Krys Barnes, UCLA
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Height: 6-2
Weight: 229
What to know: Played in 43 games and made 31 starts. Produced 212 tackles, five sacks, 21 tackles for losses, 15 pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble. Earned All-Pac 12 honors after tallying seven pass breakups and 10 tackles for losses in 2019. Dane Brugler’s No. 60 ranked linebacker in the class.
OLB Delontae Scott, SMU
Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Height: 6-5
Weight: 246
What to know: Played in 40 games with 28 starts. Was an All-AAC pick after producing 18 tackles for losses, 10 sacks and three forced fumbles in 2019. Also broke up a pass and blocked a kick. Finished career with 36 tackles for losses, 18 sacks and five forced fumbles. Dane Brugler’s No. 46 ranked edge rusher.
CB Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Montreal
Height: 6-3
Weight: 198
What to know: Intercepted three passes and produced 37.5 tackles for the University of Montreal Carabins in 2019. Finished with 11 career interceptions and four touchdowns. Invited to East-West Shrine Game. Ran 4.36 in the 40-yard dash.
CB Stanford Samuels, Florida State
Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports
Height: 6-1
Weight: 187
What to know: Intercepted eight passes and defended 16 others over 37 games and 24 starts. All-ACC pick in 2019 after breaking up seven passes and intercepting two others. Career-high four interceptions in 2018. Father played at Florida State. Combine invite. Dane Brugler’s No. 26 ranked cornerback in the class.
CB Will Sunderland, Troy
Height: 6-2
Weight: 196
What to know: Played 24 games at Troy, produced five interceptions, nine pass breakups and five tackles for losses. Returned one interception for a touchdown. All-Sun Belt pick after picking off four passes in 2019. Oklahoma transfer. Intercepted a pass vs. Texas while with Sooners. Dane Brugler’s No. 41 ranked cornerback in the class.
S Henry Black, Baylor
Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Height: 6-0
Weight: 204
What to know: Played in 52 games, making 24 starts. Tallied 119 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, six pass breakups and two interceptions. Defended career-high five passes and made 62 tackles over 14 starts in 2019. Played safety and linebacker. Dane Brugler’s No. 66 ranked safety in the class.
S Frankie Griffin, Texas State
Mandatory Credit: Brian Westerholt-USA TODAY Sports
Height: 6-0
Weight: 204
What to know: Made 39 starts over four seasons. Played linebacker and safety. Two-time All-Sun Belt pick. Produced 212 tackles, 25.5 tackles for losses, 7.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries over final three seasons.
Seven Michigan State alums signed as undrafted free agents after the NFL. Some will make a roster. Others will have a tough shot.
Michigan State’s streak of having at least one player selected in the NFL Draft was extended to 80 years last weekend when cornerback Josiah Scott was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round. Later defensive end Kenny Willekes was taken by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round and that’s where the drafting ended for former Spartans.
There are a number of MSU alums who ended up signing with teams as undrafted free agents. Some are poised to stick around with their current franchises and some will have an uphill battle to keep their jobs. Today I’m going to look at the players that have signed and broadly rank them by which ones landed in the best spots based on fit, need, talent, and the depth chart they have entered onto.
The best spot
Brian Lewerke – Quarterback, New England Patriots
Former Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke was one of a handful of passers that were fringe draft picks last weekend. Had Lewerke gotten picked, it wouldn’t have been a shock. It also makes sense that he wasn’t. From a talent perspective he’s probably got the most NFL traits of any undrafted Spartan, it’s just a matter of putting it all together and cashing in on the promise of his early college career. What better place to do that than the best franchise in the NFL that has a glaring need a quarterback?
First, New England wins a ton. We all know that. They are regarded for having perhaps the greatest breadth of institutional knowledge in the NFL. Bill Belichick is as good as it gets at the top and they’ve got plenty of great positional coaches. Lewerke couldn’t have picked a better place to sit and develop for a year or two to see if he can stick in the league. The Patriots are also notorious for not giving a damn about where you were drafted. All NFL teams like to say that, but the Patriots exemplify that to the nth degree with their actions. And as we all know, quarterbacks are not exempt from that. The best man wins the job. So that’s a good start.
Then we factor in the current depth chart at the position. Tom Brady is gone. Fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham, who the Patriots are seemingly high on, is I guess in the lead to start? Maybe? Behind him is veteran journeyman Brian Hoyer, who also signed with the Patriots as an undrafted quarterback leaving Michigan State. The Patriots didn’t draft a quarterback, instead opting to sign Lewerke and Louisiana Tech QB J’Mar Smith. Those are the quarterbacks on the roster. Right now it’s probably the worst QB room in the league. That’s a pretty good place to go to try and earn a job, at the very worst, as the third quarterback. That is unless the Patriots opt to sign a veteran free agent (Andy Dalton or Cam Newton are two possibilities, although Newton doesn’t mesh with the Patriots’ current salary cap situation), which certainly would throw a wrench into things.
Great Spots
Darrel Stewart Jr. – Wide receiver, Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers had a weird draft. Everybody and their mother knew the Pack needed to add at least one new receiver to help out Aaron Rogers and Davante Adams. Instead, Green Bay drafted a quarterback, running back and tight end with their first three picks and all hell broke loose. The Packers didn’t draft a single receiver. Darrell Stewart is the only receiver they signed as an undrafted free agent.
The Packers’ receiving depth chart is a mess behind Adams. It’s a bunch of guys who are some combination of young and unproven. All of them have had professional chances, and none of them have done more than have a few good moments here or there. Jobs should be up for grabs on the receiving depth chart and Stewart being the only rookie receiver they’ve added thus far bodes well for him.
The receiving class of rookies was absolutely loaded this year and some NFL-worthy pass catchers ended up slipping out of the draft because of it. Stewart is one of those guys.
Joe Bachie – Inside linebacker, New Orleans Saints
Joe Bachie has a real shot to make the Saints. At the very worst I expect him to easily make the practice squad and at some point play in the NFL in 2020. Bachie’s draft stock was a bit all over the place, but many analysts felt he had a good shot at being drafted. Him slipping out of the draft was a bit of a surprise, so the NFL talent is there.
New Orleans is a really good spot to be a young linebacker as well. The top of the depth chart is set, but jobs could be available behind the top five or six. Bachie could very well be the seventh linebacker on the 53-man roster and suit up as a special teams player for his rookie year. Also, 2020 3rd-round pick Zack Baun is the only Saints linebacker under contract beyond this season. Middle linebackers Kiko Alonso and Craig Robertson are older veterans that are reaching the end of their productive playing days.
good spots
Raequan Williams – Defensive tackle, Philadelphia Eagles
Raequan is probably not quite in a “good” spot, but it’s OK. I left him in this slot because I think he has a path to a roster spot and will get a chance based on his ability. Raequan is another one of these guys that was predicted to get picked in the fifth or sixth round, but ended up slipping all the way out of the draft. He’s probably the best player among the Eagles’ undrafted class. He’s also the only undrafted DT on the roster.
The problem is the Eagles have a very good defensive line room. The jobs are spoken for. At the back end there is some vulnerability and Eagles reporters think Williams will be one of three or four names competing for a single roster spot. That’s always a tough position, but even if that doesn’t work out, I would almost guarantee Williams lands on the Eagles’ practice squad. He has too much talent not to. His strength and athleticism testing at the combine absolutely killed his stock and those are two things that can be improved with a year or two in an NFL strength program.
tough spots
Cody White – Wide receiver, Kansas City Chiefs
This one is all about the log-jammed depth chart at receiver in Kansas City. Five of the six receiver spots on the team are spoken for, assuming Byron Pringle is still a part of the plans, which I imagine he is. That means White’s odds to make the team are long. White is another one of those fringe-NFL draft guys that certainly possesses some NFL traits so there’s a shot he can stick around on the practice squad. Consider this though, White probably isn’t the best undrafted receiver from Michigan State on the Chiefs. Felton Davis III is finally healthy and one of the top handful of guys with a shot to get that last receiver spot. Also hurting White is that the Chiefs singed SIX receivers as undrafted free agents. It’s going to be a war to stay on the Chiefs as a receiver next year.
Mike Panasiuk – Defensive tackle, Las Vegas Raiders
It’s good news, bad news for Mike. Good news: The Raiders didn’t draft a defensive lineman and only signed one (Panasiuk) after the draft. The bad news: The Raiders didn’t address the position in the draft or with other rookies because they didn’t need to. In the NFL teams will carry seven or eight defensive lineman total–depending on scheme and roster builds. Before the draft the Raiders had twelve defensive linemen under contract. Mike Panasiuk makes it 13. And he’s probably 13th out of 13 on the depth chart. Maybe he makes the practice squad because some of the guys ahead of him on the depth chart are veterans and wouldn’t be as intriguing to keep around as developmental prospects. Either way, Panasiuk is stuck at the back of a packed depth chart.
Tyler Higby – Offensive line, Minnesota Vikings
Between holdovers and draft picks the Vikings have 13 linemen on their current roster. Add in they spent some decent money on undrafted tackle Brady Aiello and also signed offensive lineman Jake Lacina with Higby and the climb to a roster spot starts to look daunting. In the NFL the 53-man roster will usually carry ten linemen, which means the Vikings are going to be either moving on or stashing some of the young players they’ve made draft and financial investments in. It’s just a really tough spot. With expanded practice squads, Higby has a shot to land there or on another team’s practice squad if he wants to give that a go.
Here are highlights of new Broncos wide receiver Kendall Hinton.
The Denver Broncos signed seven college free agents after the draft, including wide receiver Kendall Hinton. Here are highlights from Hinton’s senior season at Wake Forest.
Hinton (6-0, 195 pounds) spent time at quarterback in college before transitioning to receiver. Denver gave him a $10,000 signing bonus, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.
Hinton is an exciting player but he will be joining a crowded wide receiver room that already includes Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Diontae Spencer, Tim Patrick, DaeSean Hamilton, Juwann Winfree, Tyrie Cleveland, Kelvin McKnight, Fred Brown, Trinity Benson and Zimari Manning.
With so much competition at his position, Hinton will probably have long odds to make the Broncos’ 53-man roster. Hinton is an exciting player, though, and he should be able to make the team’s practice squad after totaling 3,447 all-purpose yards and 24 touchdowns while in college.
To view all seven of the Broncos undrafted free agent signings, click here.
Former Georgia football WR Tavarres King had a helping hand in Berry College WR Mason Kinsey signing a UDFA deal with the Tennessee Titans.
Following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft, Berry College (Rome, Ga) wide receiver Mason Kinsey signed a free agent deal with the Tennessee Titans. Kinsey is the only Division III player in 2020 to sign as a free agent and the first Vikings player in history to sign with an NFL team.
The Habersham Central High (Mt. Airy, Ga) product claimed his third consecutive All-Conference first-team honor and was named a D-III third-team All-American. The Demorest, Ga. native holds program records in nearly every receiving category, finishing his career with a Southern Athletic Association record 3,343 receiving yards and 50 receiving touchdowns. The 6-foot, 195-pound wideout led Berry to a 9-2 record and the Vikings’ fourth consecutive conference championship. For his efforts, Kinsey received an invitation to the prestigious East-West Shrine Bowl, the only D-III player selected.
During his freshman year in high school, due to a lack of reps, Kinsey was about to give up on football and focus on basketball. Georgia wide receiver Tavarres King, then a senior, stepped into the picture.
King persuaded Kinsey he had a future in football and should transition from running back to receiver. King, a former Habersham Central 4-star recruit, Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year and one of the SEC’s top receivers, saw something in Kinsey and proceeded to lend his advice and backing.
With King’s guidance and support, Kinsey went on to become a two-time all-region selection and Habersham Central’s second all-time leading receiver behind King. He declined a preferred walk-on offer to Mercer and enrolled in Berry to pursue a sports management degree and an opportunity to play football.
“He’s like my big brother and I love him to death,” Kinsey told Forbes.com of his relationship with King. “He has really helped me out and I definitely would not be the player I am today without him. I give a lot of props to him.”
Kinsey’s desire and hunger to put in the work makes him stand out and King took ealy notice of his work ethic.
“That’s what I love about Mason,” King told Forbes.com. “He is real hungry, real eager to learn and a hard-working kid.”
During his tenure at the University of Georgia, King caught 135 passes for 2,602 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns, good for ninth in career receptions, fourth in career yardage and third in career receiving touchdowns. A former fifth-round draft choice of the Denver Broncos, King played six years in the NFL for five teams, with his last stop in Minnesota in 2018. King knows the NFL scouting system.
“I would tell him all the time, if you are good, they will find you,” said King. “It’s all about making plays and making the most of his opportunities. Mason has done that to this point and I expect him to continue to do that.”
The Broncos have agreed to terms with cornerback Essang Bassey, who was one of the best undrafted free agents available this year.
Broncos general manager John Elway has a good history of signing undrafted free agent gems. His list of successful UDFA signings includes cornerback Chris Harris, outside linebacker Shaq Barrett and running backs C.J. Anderson and Phillip Lindsay.
“He moves well, is confident in zone coverage and keys on the eyes of the quarterback at a high level,” Schofield wrote of the undrafted cornerback. “Bassey tested well at the Combine, with a 6.95-second three-cone drill which might bode well for a move inside to the slot.”
During his final three seasons at Wake Forest, Bassey broke up 35 passes, the most of any defensive back in college football during that timeframe. Before the draft, NFL.com predicted that Bassey would be a fifth- or sixth-round draft pick so it’s clear that he was a valued UDFA.
Eagles undrafted free agent back Adrian Killins could be the perfect running mate for Miles Sanders
The Philadelphia Eagles ignored addressing the running back position during free agency and the entirety of the NFL draft, but Howie Roseman may have had a method to his madness.
After bypassing running backs, Roseman signed two undrafted free agents at the position. One player, Michael Warren, is a thumper who’ll definitely have an opportunity to put his stamp on the roster.
The guy that could turn his post-draft signing into a bonafide roster spot is Adrian Killins.
The 5-foot-7, 162-pound running back is fast and productive while specializing in finding the endzone. He’ll go down in UCF history after finishing his career with 2,459 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns career. His 6.1 yards per carry average ranks third in school history.
Killins wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, but if he had, he would have clocked one of the fastest times.
