Available free agents not drafted

[DW Toys]

From SB Nation:

"Undrafted Free Agent Signings 2011: Which Players Are Still Available

The 2011 NFL Draft is over, but there are still a number of undrafted free agents out there that could help a team. Due to the NFL lockout, none of these players can sign contracts yet, but they are there to keep an eye on as the process hopefully has a happy ending.

Here is a list of some of the top undrafted free agents out there, via SB Nation's Arrowhead Pride and according to NFL.com. Click the header of a column to sort it:

Player Position Height Weight School
Ryan Bartholomew C 6'1" 302 Syracuse
Alexander Linnenkohl C 6'2" 304 Oregon St.
Deunta Williams CB 6'2" 205 North Carolina
Niles Brinkley DB 5'10" 193 Wisconsin
Kendric Burney DB 5'9" 186 North Carolina
Mario Butler DB 6'0" 182 Georgia Tech
Vance Cuff DB 5'10" 178 Georgia
Joe Lefeged DB 6'0" 210 Rutgers
Andrew McGee DB 5'11" 195 Oklahoma St.
Kevin Rutland DB 6'0" 190 Missouri
David Sims DB 5'9" 200 Iowa St.
Devon Torrence DB 6'0" 199 Ohio St.
Wayne Daniels DE 6'0" 260 TCU
Ladi Ajiboye DL 6'1" 297 South Carolina
Pierre Allen DL 6'4" 273 Nebraska
Brandon Bair DL 6'6" 276 Oregon
Ugo Chinasa DL 6'5" 264 Oklahoma St.
Demarcus Dobbs DL 6'2" 281 Georgia
Kentrell Lockett DL 6'5" 241 Mississippi
Martin Parker DL 6'2" 303 Richmond
Adrian Taylor DL 6'3" 311 Oklahoma
Cedric Thornton DL 6'3" 309 Southern Arkansas
Colby Whitlock DL 6'2" 302 Texas Tech
Ian Williams DL 6'1" 319 Notre Dame
Ryan Winterswyk DL 6'4" 268 Boise St.
John Graves DT 6'3" 286 Virginia Tech
Sealver Siliga DT 6'2" 305 Utah
Henry Hynoski FB 6'0" 257 Pittsburgh
Will Hill FS 6'1" 202 Florida
Jerrard Tarrant FS 6'0" 204 Georgia Tech
Justin Boren G 6'3" 309 Ohio St.
Dan Bailey K 6'0" 193 Oklahoma St.
Ryan Donahue K 6'2" 193 Iowa
Kai Forbath K 5'11" 197 UCLA
Reid Forrest K 6'0" 189 Washington St.
Joshua Jasper K 5'10" 174 LSU
Jacob Rogers K 6'2" 213 Cincinnati
Nick Bellore LB 6'1" 245 Central Michigan
Mark Herzlich LB 6'4" 244 Boston College
Jeremiha Hunter LB 6'1" 239 Iowa
Elijah Joseph LB 6'1" 243 Temple
Orie Lemon LB 6'1" 242 Oklahoma St.
Scott Lutrus LB 6'2" 241 Connecticut
Adrian Moten LB 6'2" 228 Maryland
Derrell Smith LB 6'0" 243 Syracuse
Daniel Aiken OL 6'4" 244 Virginia
Garrett Chisolm OL 6'5" 312 South Carolina
Joshua Davis OL 6'7" 313 Georgia
Ray Dominguez OL 6'4" 334 Arkansas
Adam Grant OL 6'6" 325 Arizona
Richard Henry OL 6'3" 308 Nebraska
Kyle Hix OL 6'7" 318 Texas
Kevin Hughes OL 6'4" 302 Southeast Louisiana
Zachary Hurd OL 6'7" 316 Connecticut
Carl Johnson OL 6'5" 361 Florida
Jarriel King OL 6'5" 317 South Carolina
Richard Lapham OL 6'8" 315 Boston College
Kristofer O'Dowd OL 6'4" 304 USC
Stephen Schilling OL -- -- Michigan
Willie Smith OL 6'5" 310 East Carolina
Zane Taylor OL 6'3" 309 Utah
Isaiah Thompson OL 6'3" 300 Houston
Chas Henry P 6'3" 215 Florida
Ryan Colburn QB 6'3" 223 Fresno St.
Patrick Devlin QB 6'3" 225 Delaware
Jerrod Johnson QB 6'5" 251 Texas A&M
Joshua Nesbitt QB 6'1" 217 Georgia Tech
Joshua Portis QB 6'3" 211 California (PA)
Scott Tolzien QB 6'2" 212 Wisconsin
Jeff Van Camp QB 6'5" 218 Florida Atlantic
Armando Allen RB 5'8" 199 Notre Dame
Matt Asiata RB 5'11" 229 Utah
Damien Berry RB 5'10" 211 Miami
John Clay RB 6'1" 230 Wisconsin
Graig Cooper RB 5'10" 205 Miami
Noel Devine RB 5'8" 179 West Virginia
Shaun Draughn RB 5'11" 213 North Carolina
Darren Evans RB 6'0" 227 Virginia Tech
Mario Fannin RB 5'10" 231 Auburn
Derrick Locke RB 5'8" 188 Kentucky
Brandon Saine RB 5'11" 220 Ohio St.
Vai Taua RB 5'10" 213 Nevada
Jeron Johnson SS 5'10" 212 Boise St.
Deandre McDaniel SS 6'0" 217 Clemson
Nate Williams SS 6'0" 211 Washington
Preston Dial TE 6'3" 237 Alabama
Charlie Gantt TE 6'4" 252 Michigan St.
Cameron Graham TE 6'3" 244 Louisville
Schuylar Oordt TE 6'6" 261 Northern Iowa
Zack Pianalto TE 6'3" 256 North Carolina
Allen Reisner TE 6'2" 248 Iowa
Weslye Saunders TE 6'5" 270 South Carolina
Darvin Adams WR 6'2" 190 Auburn
Armon Binns WR 6'3" 209 Cincinnati
DeAndre Brown WR 6'6" 233 Southern Miss
Mark Dell WR 6'0" 193 Michigan St.
Tori Gurley WR 6'4" 216 South Carolina
Jamel Hamler WR 6'1" 193 Fresno St.
Andre Holmes WR 6'4" 210 Hillsdale
Lestar Jean WR 6'3" 215 Florida Atlantic
Ricardo Lockette WR 6'2" 211 Fort Valley St.
Jeffrey Maehl WR 6'1" 190 Oregon
Joe Morgan WR 6'1" 189 Walsh
O.J. Murdock WR 5'11" 197 Fort Hays St.
Jamar Newsome WR 6'1" 200 Central Florida
Jock Sanders WR 5'6" 181 West Virginia
Dane Sanzenbacher WR 5'11" 182 Ohio St.
Keith Smith WR 6'2" 214 Purdue
Owen Spencer WR 6'2" 195 N.C. State
Terrence Toliver WR 6'4" 212 LSU
Terrance Turner WR 6'2" 220 Indiana
Marshall Williams WR 6'1" 188 Wake Forest
Jimmy Young WR 6'0" 204 TCU"

Two missing I like are DE 6'4" 4.3 speed OLB Keith Darbut and Hawaii Safety Mana Silva.
DW Toys

 

[Urgent]

Players I would love to see from the undrafted rookie free agent class:

3-4 DE
Brandon Bair - Oregon - 6-6 283, quick off snap, tall, strong, 3 sacks, 26 (Mormon mission)
Lucas Patterson - Texas A&M - 6-4 293, 3 sacks
Craig Marshall - South Florida - 6-5 276, 4 sacks

3-4 OLB
Ugo Chinasa - Oklahoma State - 6-5 264, 4.64 40, 4 sacks, 3 PBU's, 1 INT
Thomas Keiser - Stanford - 6-4 1/2 244 - 4.5 sacks, 9.5 TFL, 2 PBU's, 1 INT

S
Joe Lefeged - Rutgers - 6-0 210 - 4.42 40, KR, excellent tackler
DeAndre McDaniel - Clemson - 6-0 217 - 4.64 40, 14 career INT's, experienced, versatile
Jeron Johnson - Boise State - 5-10 212 - 4.55 40, physical, reads plays, ferocious
Keanemana Silva - Hawaii - 6-1 206 - 4.44, fast, 8 INT's in 2010, great coverage

RB
Mario Fannin - Auburn - 5-10 231 - 4.38 40, 6.5 ypc, third down receiver, speed, size
Nic Grigsby - Arizona - 5-11 199 - 4.38 40, 7.2 ypc, 6.6 3 cone, 1150 yards as soph, quick, agile

WR
Terrence Toliver - LSU - 6-3 1/2 211 - 4.59 40, 6.5 3 cone, fluid, good hands
Armon Binns - Cincinnati - 6-2 211 - 4.53 - 1100 yards receiving
Jeff Maehl - Oregon - 6-1 190 - 4.62 - fastest 3 cone, agile, quick, 1076 yards, 12 TD's
Greg Ellingson - Florida International - 6-3 197 - 4.44 - 15.2 ypc, 32 of 36 catches for TD or first down
Jamere Holland - Lindenwood - 5-11 191 - 4.45 - fast, productive, deep threat, 21.4 ypc
Dane Sanzenbacher - Ohio State - 5-11 182 - 4.59, 6.5 3 cone, quick, agile, 25 Wonderlic - tops WR

OG
Justin Boren - Ohio State - 6-3 304 - 5.54 40, 7.6 3 cone
Zach Hurd - Connecticut - 6-7 316 - 5.34 - huge, relatively quick

C
Kristofer O'Dowd - USC - 6-4 304 - 5.16 - smart, quick, top competition
Ryan Bartholomew - Syracuse - 6-1 302 - 4.97 - smart, 27 Wonderlic, fast, strong 34 bench reps
Tim Barnes - Missouri - 6-4 297 - 5.17 - agile, 7.2 3 cone

 

[Urgent]

Some very good players at S and C.

Very limited options at DE, OLB, WR, RB.

 

[patchick]

C
Kristofer O'Dowd - USC - 6-4 304 - 5.16 - smart, quick, top competition
Ryan Bartholomew - Syracuse - 6-1 302 - 4.97 - smart, 27 Wonderlic, fast, strong 34 bench reps
Tim Barnes - Missouri - 6-4 297 - 5.17 - agile, 7.2 3 cone

How about Jake Kirkpatrick, the Rimington Trophy winner? Center seems like the strongest position on the list.

 

[patchick]

And how about a DT:

Martin Parker, Richmond: 6'2" 303 4.95/2.86/1.71 22 29" 08'08" 4.57 7.56 - Quick interior penetrator who could be useful in sub packages

 

[sbpatfan]

Mark Dell
YouTube - Mark Dell Highlights

Couldn't workout at the combine because of a knee injury. He'd be decent camp competition, but I don't think he's better than any of the current receivers.

 

[Don Kipines]

Players I would love to see from the undrafted rookie free agent class:

3-4 DE
Brandon Bair - Oregon - 6-6 283, quick off snap, tall, strong, 3 sacks, 26 (Mormon mission)
Lucas Patterson - Texas A&M - 6-4 293, 3 sacks
Craig Marshall - South Florida - 6-5 276, 4 sacks

3-4 OLB
Ugo Chinasa - Oklahoma State - 6-5 264, 4.64 40, 4 sacks, 3 PBU's, 1 INT
Thomas Keiser - Stanford - 6-4 1/2 244 - 4.5 sacks, 9.5 TFL, 2 PBU's, 1 INT

S
Joe Lefeged - Rutgers - 6-0 210 - 4.42 40, KR, excellent tackler
DeAndre McDaniel - Clemson - 6-0 217 - 4.64 40, 14 career INT's, experienced, versatile
Jeron Johnson - Boise State - 5-10 212 - 4.55 40, physical, reads plays, ferocious
Keanemana Silva - Hawaii - 6-1 206 - 4.44, fast, 8 INT's in 2010, great coverage

RB
Mario Fannin - Auburn - 5-10 231 - 4.38 40, 6.5 ypc, third down receiver, speed, size
Nic Grigsby - Arizona - 5-11 199 - 4.38 40, 7.2 ypc, 6.6 3 cone, 1150 yards as soph, quick, agile

WR
Terrence Toliver - LSU - 6-3 1/2 211 - 4.59 40, 6.5 3 cone, fluid, good hands
Armon Binns - Cincinnati - 6-2 211 - 4.53 - 1100 yards receiving
Jeff Maehl - Oregon - 6-1 190 - 4.62 - fastest 3 cone, agile, quick, 1076 yards, 12 TD's
Greg Ellingson - Florida International - 6-3 197 - 4.44 - 15.2 ypc, 32 of 36 catches for TD or first down
Jamere Holland - Lindenwood - 5-11 191 - 4.45 - fast, productive, deep threat, 21.4 ypc
Dane Sanzenbacher - Ohio State - 5-11 182 - 4.59, 6.5 3 cone, quick, agile, 25 Wonderlic - tops WR

OG
Justin Boren - Ohio State - 6-3 304 - 5.54 40, 7.6 3 cone
Zach Hurd - Connecticut - 6-7 316 - 5.34 - huge, relatively quick

C
Kristofer O'Dowd - USC - 6-4 304 - 5.16 - smart, quick, top competition
Ryan Bartholomew - Syracuse - 6-1 302 - 4.97 - smart, 27 Wonderlic, fast, strong 34 bench reps
Tim Barnes - Missouri - 6-4 297 - 5.17 - agile, 7.2 3 cone

You might want to read some clips on Jamere Holland before you invite him to Foxboro.

 

[DW Toys]

How about Jake Kirkpatrick, the Rimington Trophy winner? Center seems like the strongest position on the list.

Good find.
DW Toys

 

[BoyWonder]

Very surprised Ian Williams from ND, Kris O'Dowd from USC didnt get drafted and Denuta Williams from UNC didnt get drafted, they were good players in college. I definitely see them making an NFL team. Actually, a lot of good players right there can make NFL teams, still a lot of talent out there.

 

[DW Toys]

Very surprised Ian Williams from ND, Kris O'Dowd from USC didnt get drafted and Denuta Williams from UNC didnt get drafted, they were good players in college. I definitely see them making an NFL team. Actually, a lot of good players right there can make NFL teams, still a lot of talent out there.

Isn't Maehl an instant upgrade over Tate?
DW Toys

 

[BritPat]

Isn't Maehl an instant upgrade over Tate?
DW Toys

Erm, no...

 

[Sciz]

Isn't Maehl an instant upgrade over Tate?
DW Toys

After the top 6 picks, there were no instant upgrades over Tate at WR.

 

[BradyMossWelker]

The Safety from Clemson, he is very good. Mario Fannin, and Tolliver from LSU, and we have a heck of a draft.

 

[MaineMan]

Isn't Maehl an instant upgrade over Tate?
DW Toys

Why would he be?

 

[Defsoul]

Why would he be?

Because he is a skinny white dude playing wide receiver. Seriously, I have no clue.

 

[DW Toys]

Why would he be?

Dependability in catching the ball. Tate taking the lid off with speed is baloney. He runs crap routes, drops too many passes and he has been here for two years. You guys like him, have at it.

Maehl has one of the best 3 cones in the Draft and he can catch. He's two inches taller than Tate.....wait a minute.....why am I arguing about Tate with you Cousins? He has done nothing.

I hope you are right about him if you see him as the next Jerry Rice. Good luck!

I remember a skinny white kid (spray paint him tan if that makes you feel better. This is not about skin tone. I'll take a few African American WR as well over Tate) that had a decent career in the NFL because he could run routes and catch. Chris Collinsworth. That is who he reminds me of. Tate might be built like Adonis but he plays like Bethel Johnson. I hope he proves me wrong someday.
DW Toys

 

[Sciz]

Dependability in catching the ball. Tate taking the lid off with speed is baloney. He runs crap routes, drops too many passes and he has been here for two years. You guys like him, have at it.

Maehl has one of the best 3 cones in the Draft and he can catch. He's two inches taller than Tate.....wait a minute.....why am I arguing about Tate with you Cousins? He has done nothing.

I hope you are right about him if you see him as the next Jerry Rice. Good luck!
DW Toys

I don't like Tate, per se, but I was realistic in my expectations of a guy playing his first real season since the middle of 2008. He showed flashes. This is the year where we expect consistency. If he doesn't improve from last season, that's when we give up on him.

Maehl is exactly one inch taller than Tate, down to the 8th of an inch (6007 to 5117).

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

I saw Maehl play a few times and thought he stood out. He often seemed to come up with the big catch when the team really needed it - right place, right time type of guy who wasn't afraid. Brady would love him I bet.

Some surprising names on that UDFA list, quite a few were mentioned as no lower than mid-round picks.

Fannin from Auburn could really be a steal for someone. Maybe Carolina? They're losing one of their starting RB's to FA, so why not give Newton a legit security blanket and bring in Fannin to hand off to?

Devlin, the QB from Delaware, was one of the names with last minute pre-draft buzz but didn't get touched.

BB usually finds a guy or two out of the the UDFAs; heck, isn't the league average around 25% of the roster being UDFAs? So several on this list will likely be playing NFL ball soon.

 

[tombonneau]

I saw Maehl play a few times and thought he stood out. He often seemed to come up with the big catch when the team really needed it - right place, right time type of guy who wasn't afraid. Brady would love him I bet.

Some surprising names on that UDFA list, quite a few were mentioned as no lower than mid-round picks.

Fannin from Auburn could really be a steal for someone. Maybe Carolina? They're losing one of their starting RB's to FA, so why not give Newton a legit security blanket and bring in Fannin to hand off to?

Devlin, the QB from Delaware, was one of the names with last minute pre-draft buzz but didn't get touched.

BB usually finds a guy or two out of the the UDFAs; heck, isn't the league average around 25% of the roster being UDFAs? So several on this list will likely be playing NFL ball soon.

Maehl is going to make some teams 2011 roster and contribute right away. I just hope it's the Pats and not the Colts or Jets.

 

[MaineMan]

Dependability in catching the ball. Tate taking the lid off with speed is baloney. He runs crap routes, drops too many passes and he has been here for two years. You guys like him, have at it.

Maehl has one of the best 3 cones in the Draft and he can catch. He's two inches taller than Tate.....wait a minute.....why am I arguing about Tate with you Cousins? He has done nothing.

I hope you are right about him if you see him as the next Jerry Rice. Good luck!

I remember a skinny white kid (spray paint him tan if that makes you feel better. This is not about skin tone. I'll take a few African American WR as well over Tate) that had a decent career in the NFL because he could run routes and catch. Chris Collinsworth. That is who he reminds me of. Tate might be built like Adonis but he plays like Bethel Johnson. I hope he proves me wrong someday.
DW Toys

I don't personally care if Tate's skin color is vermilion with chartreuse spots, though that might clash horribly with the Pats' uniform.

I've also never thought/expected that Tate was the "next" Jerry Rice. I don't think he NEEDS to be the next Jerry Rice to be everything the Pats need for his role. Perhaps you believe Tate DOES need to be the next Jerry Rice in order to be acceptable.

In any case, here's how Tate compares with some other mediocre WRs.
-----------
First season production comparison of selected WRs:

1ST ---- Draft --- PLAYER ---------------------------------- CATCH
Season - Pick# ---------------------------------------------- RATE

2003 --- 3 -- Andre Johnson ----- 16 gms - 66/976 - 4 TDs - 55%
2004 --- 3 -- Larry Fitzgerald ----- 16 gms - 58/780 - 8 TDs - 51%
2005 -- 27 -- Roddy White ------- 16 gms - 29/446 - 3 TDs - 43%
2001 -- 30 -- Reggie Wayne ------ 13 gms - 27/345 - 0 TDs - 55%
2001 -- 36 -- Chad Ochocinco ---- 12 gms - 28/329 -- 1 TD - 47%
2001 -- 74 -- Steve Smith (CAR) - 15 gms - 10/154 - 0 TDs - 50%
2010 -- 83 -- B. TATE ----------- 16 gms - 24/432 - 3 TDs - 52%
1997 -- 98 -- Derrick Mason ------ 16 gms - 14/186 - 0 TDs - 47%
2005 - 119 -- Brandon Marshall --- 15 gms - 20/309 - 2 TDs - unk


LEADING 2010 WRs BY Yds/Catch:

WR ---------- YPC - Total - YAC - Air yds - 20+% - Lng - TD% - C/R

B. Lloyd ------ 18.8 - 1448 - 198 -- 16.2 -- 30% --- 71 - 14% - 50%
M. Floyd ------ 19.4 -- 717 - 118 -- 16.2 -- 32% --- 55 - 16% - 48%
Armstrong ---- 19.8 -- 871 - 171 -- 15.9 -- 34% --- 76 -- 7% - 51%
Britt ---------- 18.5 -- 775 - 124 -- 15.5 -- 29% --- 80 - 21% - 58%
D. Jackson ---- 22.5 - 1056 - 354 -- 14.9 -- 45% --- 91 - 13% - 49%
Wallace ------- 21.0 - 1257 - 364 -- 14.9 -- 43% --- 56 - 17% - 60%
Knox ---------- 18.8 -- 960 - 243 -- 14.1 -- 33% --- 67 - 12% - 51%
BRANDON TATE 18.0 -- 432 - 112 -- 13.3 -- 33% --- 65 - 13% - 52%
Naanee -------- 16.1 -- 371 -- 92 -- 12.1 -- 22% --- 59 -- 4% - 50%
Edwards ------- 17.1 -- 904 - 290 -- 11.6 -- 26% --- 74 - 13% - 52%
Jennings ------- 16.6 - 1265 - 415 -- 11.2 -- 28% --- 86 - 16% - 61%
Obomanu ------ 16.5 -- 494 - 182 -- 10.4 -- 23% --- 87 - 13% - 60%
Hester --------- 11.9 -- 475 - 222 -- 6.3 -- 10% --- 39 - 10% - 55%

So, based on the above comp catch rates, if Tate stopped "dropping so many", maybe he WOULD be the next Jerry Rice, since only 4 fewer drops would have put him over 60%.

"Punching Bag" comparison:

RECEIVING

Tate ----------- 24/432, 18.0 ypc, 3 TDs, 52% CATCH RATE (2010 only, 16 games)
Bethel Johnson - 30/450, 15.0 ypc, 4 TDs, 47% CATCH RATE (THREE SEASON TOTAL, 39 games)
Chad Jackson --- 13/152, 11.7 ypc, 3 TDs ----- (TWO SEASON TOTAL, 14 games)

KICK RETURNS

Tate ---- 41/1057, 25.8 ypKR, 2 TDs (2010 only)
Johnson - 41/1016, 24.8 ypKR, 1 TD (2004 - his BEST season)
Hester -- 43/934,, 21.7 ypKR, 2 TDs (2007 - his BEST season at KR)
Hobbs --- 45/1281, 28.5 ypKR, 1 TD (2008*)

*The only better single season KR performance in the BB Era.
------
Tate ---- 4/106, 26.5 ypKR (2009 - active two games)
Jackson - 6/106, 17.7 ypKR (TOTAL KR production in TWO seasons, 14 games)

Finally, for those who believe that 2010 was somehow anything close to a "second full season" for Tate:

Tate tore his ACL and MCL and missed the final 8 games (of 13) of his senior season.
- He did not perform in any workouts prior to the 2009 draft while recovering from knee surgery (AFAIK).
- He was put on NFI/PUP for the Pats' 2009 training camp and was not allowed to practice with the team.
- He was moved to 2009 regular season PUP after camp and was not allowed to practice with the team for six more weeks.
- He was activated for Week 7 (earliest possible date) and remained active for 2 games (3 weeks, including the BYE).
- In his second active game (3rd week), he re-injured his knee and was placed on IR, and was not allowed to practice with the team (even if he could work out at all).

So, from November 2008 (at the latest) through the start of 2010 OTAs (March?) at the earliest - a period of 19 months (76 weeks) - Tate probably had no more than three weeks of full practice with the Pats. That doesn't count as a "season" IMHO, but your standards may be somewhat harsher.