It is easy to get locked in on what the Tennessee Titans will do with their premium picks, but hitting on a few UDFAs is going to be crucial for 2023.
While talking about UDFAs might not seem important right now, there are going to be quality NFL starters that come from this UDFA class.
Take a look at the Tennessee Titans roster and you can see UDFAs sprinkled around the depth chart. Denico Autry, Ryan Stonehouse, Daniel Brunskill, Azeez Al-Shaair, Teair Tart, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Aaron Brewer, and Jack Gibbens were all UDFAs.
It isn’t just the Titans that are built around UDFAs. Last year, Kayla Burton pointed out why undrafted free agents matter so much:
Fun fact: Out of 1,696 active #NFL players (not including those on IR) 393 are undrafted players.
— Kayla Burton (@Kay_Breezy22) September 1, 2022
(In other words, nearly 1/4 of ALL players are undrafted guys.)
Who is your favorite UD player?
Obviously, the hit rate isn’t going to be nearly as high as someone drafted on Day 1 or Day 2 of the draft. On the other hand, in undrafted free agency, you aren’t limited by a certain number of picks , it is a free-for-all where the only limiting factor is how much you are willing to spend and how many open roster spots you have.
If you want to find a silver lining with the Tennessee Titans only having six draft picks, it is that they will get to add another UDFA.
In fact, according to Over The Cap, the Titans should expect to add 23 UDFAs this year.
Tennessee Titans fans should remember these names
With information flying around a mile a minute, it can be easy to overlook smaller names. However, whether these are prospects who have taken local visits, players that the Titans gave attention to during their Pro Days, or people that they met with at the combine/all-star circuit, there are some names to remember when Saturday afternoon rolls around in just over a week.
Jacob Copeland WR, Maryland
Ed Lee WR, Rhode Island
Braxton Westfield WR, Carson Newman
Dakota Allen TE, EKU
Mitch Rossi TE, Ohio State
Gavin Schoenwald TE, Vanderbilt
Trevor Reid OT, Louisville
Tyler Beach OT, Wisconsin
Mark Evans iOL, Arkansas Pine Bluff
Darel Middleton DT, Bethel
Brodric Martin DT, WKU
Devonnsha Maxwell DT, UTC
Andrew Farmer EDGE, Lane
Ventrell Miller LB, Florida
Mohamoud Diabate LB, Utah
Mikel Jones LB, Syracuse
John Ford LB, UT-Martin
Maxwell Worship LB/S, Vanderbilt
Jeremy Lucien CB, Vanderbilt
Devon Matthews S, Indiana
Kendell Brooks S, Michigan State
To put in perspective just how many UDFAs the Tennessee Titans could sign, they could sign all 21 of those players and they would still have two open spots.
The draft is less than 10 days away and with every day that passes, it is more and more likely that Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, and Kevin Byard won’t be traded. No trades mean no additional picks, which means that you should familiarize yourself with those names above.