Best Undrafted NFL Players of All Time and 2025!

The 2025 NFL Draft, held in Green Bay, saw 257 players got selected, with obvious prospects like Cam Ward going first overall to the Tennessee Titans and Travis Hunter landing second with the Jaguars after a trade with the Cleveland Browns. Some players such as, Shedeur Sanders, projected as high as second-overall pick, fell to the fifth round due to concerns about his pre-draft process, and some of his off-field issues. While others like Tetairoa McMillan were picked higher than expected, going 8th to the Panthers. As it happens every season, the NFL made a mockery of all the mock drafts and almost no prospect landed where they were expected to, according to the NFL experts. This draft highlighted how team needs, scheme fit, and off-field factor can also move a player’s fate as this may have elevated some players, but put other prospects down.

Despite the draft having a lot of prospects with a lot of talent, several players went undrafted, signing with various teams as free agent to prove their worth, and show the teams that they may have made a mistake by overlooking them. Many players who showcased strong college production, faced setbacks due to their combine performances or their college stats, but they still drew interest from NFL teams. Why are teams interested? It’s because the NFL draft isn’t everything. Not that the players drafted aren’t elite, but sometimes many undrafted players (as we’ve seen in the past) can be a gem and could go on to become a Hall of Famer. While the probability of it happening is quite low, that doesn’t stop teams from experimenting time and time again.

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So today we’ll take a look at some of the best undrafted players of all time and undrafted prospects from 2025. Without further ado, let’s get right into it.

Best Undrafted NFL Players of All Time

• Tony Romo, QB- Romo is a former quarterback who played for the Dallas Cowboys for 12 years straight. He has four pro-bowl selections to his resume and finished his career with a 97.1 career passer rating which ranks third on the all-time list.

• Antonio Gates, TE- Gates had a 16 year NFL career starting from 2003, and was signed by the San Diego Chargers. He spent his entire career playing for the Chargers, now known as Los Angeles Chargers, and was selected to the Pro Bowl 8 times and the All-Pro team 3 times in his career. He finished with a total of 955 receptions, 11841 receiving yards, and 652 touchdowns.

• Kurt Warner, QB- Wagner is perhaps the greatest Cinderella story of the NFL history, and is also a Super Bowl champion, a 2-time league MVP, and to top it all off, a Super Bowl MVP winner. Warner is arguably the greatest undrafted player to play in the NFL.

• Night Train Lane, DB- He may not be amongst us anymore but his resume speaks for himself, when it comes to the impact he’s had on football. Lane played in the NFL for 14 seasons, had 7 pro-bowl selections, 3 All-Pro selections, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He still owns the rookie record for interceptions with 14 set in 1952, and had 68 interceptions with three teams.

• Priest Holmes, RB- Holmes was signed by the Baltimore Ravens and played for 10 NFL seasons. He has 3 pro-bowl selections under his belt and 3 All-Pro selections. In 2001, Holmes became the first undrafted player to ever lead the league in rushing yards with 1,555. And Holmes continued his dominance by leading the league in rushing for two more season in 2002 and 2003, winning the NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2002.

Best Undrafted Players in 2025

• Isaiah Bond, WR- Bond’s strong performance in the Combine and at Texas makes him an exciting player to watch. Despite not being drafted, Bond was projected to be drafted as a first-round pick, but his potential is still something that could get him signed in the NFL. However, his off-field controversies has played a huge role in why he isn’t in the league yet.

• Xavier Restrepo, WR- Restrepo went undrafted in the 2025 NFL draft, however he recently signed with the Tennessee Titans, joining his former Miami quarterback Cam Ward who was the No.1 overall pick.

• Jared Ivey, EDGE- Ivey was one of the biggest names that was not called in the 2025 NFL draft. Despite going undrafted in the 2025 NFL draft, there is no questioning his motor and his potential, and the Seattle Seahawks recently gave him a contract.

• Zy Alexander, CB- The Seahawks have taken another undrafted player in Zy Alexander who went undrafted in the 2025 NFL draft. Despite not getting drafted, his physical build and his reliability and effort is something that is heavily underrated, as he is some of the hardest working players out there.

• Tommi Hill, CB- Hill went undrafted in the 2025 NFL draft, but the Minnesota Vikings gave him a call a week after and now he’s signed a contract with them. Hill is a physical and uses his instincts to play his position, and is somebody to be on the lookout for next season.

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