The Best Thread Of The Year: 2025 UDFA Thread

[RobertWeathers]

Do you mind if I date Beth?

Epic.

 

[scott99]

I love the Dippre signing! We needed a young physical in-line TE to develop behind Henry & Hooper.
I like his punishing style, and I think he has a chance to be much more productive in the pass game than he was at Bama.

IF he can have a great training camp, he can probably beat out Jaheim Bell as TE 3. He was the 12th rated TE by many. I believe Gee Scott Jr. was #13.

 

[State]

The Cal Poly EDGE we signed, Elijah Ponder, has the athleticism you'd want from an edge rusher you draft in the top. He does lack size though and scouting reports suggest he's a designated pass rusher only at the next level. That athleticism gives him a foot up though

Holy sheeet. Look at Elijah Ponder’s explosion, agility, and 10 yard split time! Long arms too. He’s the kind of player that when you go to training camp, you ask, “Who the heck is that?”

 

[Hammer of Thor]

That is damning.
The “I’ve been going to the Combine for 30 years” guy didn’t know how to sign udfa’s effectively???
If you are a GM how do you not look this up? Ask former GM’s you know?

This entire offseason has been night and day compared to the last one.

In the movie Idiocracy Luke Wilson comments: “In the army I was told ‘Lead, follow, or get out of the way!’ I got out of the way.”
It sounds like that has been the best approach here.

Somebody here said it months ago (I forget who) and the more things progress, the more I think it’s accurate: Eliot Wolf is a scout at heart, his true passion is leading the scouting team, so he’s not as good at the other stuff and it shows. He *wants* to scout and not be involved in the other aspects of the role. If you’re a GM, you need to figure out *how* you’re going to sign 10-12 UDFAs in a 30 minute timeframe. Wolf didn’t know how to actually organize that because he always focused on the players and Belichick handled the rest. And it didn’t help he had a CEO head coach last year who didn’t want to be involved in that type of detail either. So Wolf apparently didn’t do a good job getting people on the phone and making offers last year. Maybe not enough people involved, maybe multiple people working the same prospect, who knows? What’s clear is that Vrabel and Cowden helped handle that administrative aspect this year, and Wolf seemed to be very happy about that. And the results make me happy about it too.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

I haven’t been this excited for training camp since 2019. I feel like the team just did something special, that 7-8 of these draft picks and 3-4 of the UDFAs are going to make the roster as legitimate players. And I’m interested in seeing who the veterans are that will be jettisoned once guys outperform them in camp - and what we can get for them if anything.

 

[Grogan14]

************.

I appreciate his honesty but it seems that process should be 101 level stuff for a SVP of Football Operations/GM for an NFL team.

Maybe Vrabes kinda new that which is why Cowden is here.

Wolf did not know how to pick up a phone. Combined with other shortcomings seems pretty inexcusable. He had months to learn how to do this.
What else did he not know how to do?
Negotiate with priority non rookie free agents

 

[Grogan14]

Lan Larison looks like Rex Burkhead… not CMC. Relax.

And of course the Eagles get Hollin Pierce and Vikings get Logan Brown, why would the Pats want them?

Was pounding the table for the Pats to take CJ Dippre last night, glad they got him in free agency. Great signing, they needed another TE and one who can block.

Rex Burkhead was a damn good nfl rb.
If he is as good as Burkhead its a homerun

 

[Water Boy]

I think there is a 3rd down back controversy brewing....

 

[RobertWeathers]

Wolf did not know how to pick up a phone. Combined with other shortcomings seems pretty inexcusable. He had months to learn how to do this.
What else did he not know how to do?
Negotiate with priority non rookie free agents

He had his entire career to learn this. I'm just blown away by this.

 

[Water Boy]

Reminds me a little of Water Boy.

 

[Ross12]

I'm going with Dippre, Lampe, and Wooldridge as my hopes but reality is 2 of those 3 will be PS.

I'm guessing Wooldrige will start the year on the PS.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

That is damning.
The “I’ve been going to the Combine for 30 years” guy didn’t know how to sign udfa’s effectively???
If you are a GM how do you not look this up? Ask former GM’s you know?

This entire offseason has been night and day compared to the last one.

In the movie Idiocracy Luke Wilson comments: “In the army I was told ‘Lead, follow, or get out of the way!’ I got out of the way.”
It sounds like that has been the best approach here.

TBF even in the best of scenarios it's chaos. E.g. when they signed the Hollister twins a few years back, they didn't realize that had happened for a few hours.

 

[Uptown]

 

[Ross12]

Another FB!

 

[Uptown]

Hector Johnson Earns New England Patriots Rookie Minicamp Invite

BEVERLY, Mass. — Endicott defensive lineman Hector Johnson ’24 (Worcester, Mass.) has been invited to the New England Patriots Rookie Minicamp, which begins on May 9.

www.ecgulls.com

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

 

[RobertWeathers]

Another FB!

6-2 260.

Duane Martin (Louisville FB #45) CFB 25 Player Ratings | TeamCrafters

View Duane Martin's ratings and compare against other players from the Louisville Cardinals, or any other team, on TeamCrafters!

www.teamcrafters.net

 

[Pape]

saw this list, nothing new, just everything in one place

Signings

QB Ben Wooldridge, Louisiana
RB Lan Larison, UC Davis
FB Brock Lampe, Northern Illinois
WR DeMeer Blankumsee, Memphis
WR Efton Chism III, Eastern Washington
WR Jeremiah Webb, South Alabama
TE CJ Dippre, Alabama
TE Gee Scott Jr., Ohio State
G Jack Conley, Boston College
T Cole Birdow, Merrimack
DI Wilfried Pene, Virginia Tech
EDGE Elijah Ponder, Cal Poly
LB Cam Riley, Florida State
CB Brandon Crossley, SMU
S Josh Minkins, Cincinnati
S Jordan Polk, Texas State

Minicamp Invites

FB Duane Martin, Louisville


can check out all the teams udfa signings

2025 UDFA Tracker: Undrafted free agent signings for all 32 NFL teams

Stay up to date with every NFL team's undrafted free agent class following the 2025 NFL Draft.

www.pff.com

 

[Uptown]