The Best Thread Of The Year: 2025 UDFA Thread

[dliverey44]

Good hands

Dippre was on my initial 9 person draft list. I am a fan and he is more athletic than I thought, he is also strong as ****

 

[Grogan14]

Raiders 6th round pick Tommy Mellott's draft profile is absolutely insane

Tommy Mellott may have the best draft profile you've never heard of

sports.yahoo.com

This guy will be a star. Wish we could have picked him instead of the big OT

 

[WhatJustHappened]

Raiders 6th round pick Tommy Mellott's draft profile is absolutely insane

Tommy Mellott may have the best draft profile you've never heard of

sports.yahoo.com

This guy will be a star. Wish we could have picked him instead of the big OT

Stop Already Sam, broken records get thrown in the trash

 

[p8ryts]

I’m curious. Who’s been the most fan hyped UDFA going into, or during, pre-season and do you think Larison or Chism will match that?

It's always been Chism for me.

 

[Grogan14]

It's always been Chism for me.

Larison is going to make the final roster and will be a fan favorite
100%

 

[scott99]

Larison is going to make the final roster and will be a fan favorite
100%

I think that this will happen. He’d have to have a terrible camp not to make the team. If they carry 4 backs, based on talent alone, he should make it. Would give the team 2 excellent pass receiving backs.

 

[mgteich]

Raiders 6th round pick Tommy Mellott's draft profile is absolutely insane

Tommy Mellott may have the best draft profile you've never heard of

sports.yahoo.com

This guy will be a star. Wish we could have picked him instead of the big OT

We picked the OT in the 7th instead of Ewers or one of the other QB's.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I think that this will happen. He’d have to have a terrible camp not to make the team. If they carry 4 backs, based on talent alone, he should make it. Would give the team 2 excellent pass receiving backs.

I agree but the FB might be added? And if there are 4 or 5 backs, there has to be less somewhere else (like WR?).

 

[Hammer of Thor]

I agree but the FB might be added? And if there are 4 or 5 backs, there has to be less somewhere else (like WR?).

I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the FBs wind up being a practice squad weekly game day call up until someone goes on IR and then sticks for the rest of the year. It’s not like the position is in huge demand, I don’t know if any were actually drafted. So the staff might assume they have a better chance of making it through cutdowns without being claimed than another position.

 

[Grogan14]

We picked the OT in the 7th instead of Ewers or one of the other QB's.

We could have drafted him instead of the kicker from Miami in the 6th

 

[mgteich]

I agree but the FB might be added? And if there are 4 or 5 backs, there has to be less somewhere else (like WR?).

For me, three backs aren't enough. 4 or 5 is better. Most of us have already penciled in Larison as the #4. A FB would be #5. And yes, I would rather have a FB than a 6th WR. Henry, Hooper, Henderson, Gibson, and Larison will all be receivers in addition to the WR's. I don't see us having 5 WR's active on Game Day.

 

[Username]

Football’s Willcox Headed to Patriots Rookie Minicamp - Brown University Athletics

FOXBORO, Mass. – A former Brown quarterback is getting his shot at the next level. Jake Willcox , a two-time All-Ivy selection and three-year starter has bee...

brownbears.com

 

[dliverey44]

I see a lot of people ***** about drafting a kicker. My question is if people remember how many missed points we have had the last couple of years. Kickers tend to be the highest scorers on a team, so if you would rather buy one rather than pick one up at the 5 and dime. Same goes for the long snapper. Especially after having the draft they had in the top 5 rounds.

 

[BobDigital]

I see a lot of people ***** about drafting a kicker. My question is if people remember how many missed points we have had the last couple of years. Kickers tend to be the highest scorers on a team, so if you would rather buy one rather than pick one up at the 5 and dime. Same goes for the long snapper. Especially after having the draft they had in the top 5 rounds.

I don't hear people *****ing about the kicker. Kickers get drafted just about every year. If anything it be the long snapper, and they have a point.

Drafting guys like Chism, Dupree, Ponder or Lampe would've made more sense than a long snapper or Minor. The only reason I think they didn't is they greased the wheels already and knew they had them all in the bag. So there was no need to draft them and they decided to get other spots. And they felt like doing minor a solid cause he's a high character guy they saw and thought it was unlikely anyone else had a shot to make it.

Personally I still would have gone for Logan Brown (unless they know something I don't) and one of the more high profile guards or a different CB to compete for a spot. But it's all gravy at this point. Roster is really coming around.

 

[KCSVEN]

I don't hear people *****ing about the kicker. Kickers get drafted just about every year. If anything it be the long snapper, and they have a point.

Drafting guys like Chism, Dupree, Ponder or Lampe would've made more sense than a long snapper or Minor. The only reason I think they didn't is they greased the wheels already and knew they had them all in the bag. So there was no need to draft them and they decided to get other spots. And they felt like doing minor a solid cause he's a high character guy they saw and thought it was unlikely anyone else had a shot to make it.

Personally I still would have gone for Logan Brown (unless they know something I don't) and one of the more high profile guards or a different CB to compete for a spot. But it's all gravy at this point. Roster is really coming around.

23 of the 32 teams had ZERO 7th round picks end up starters that made it to the second contract with the team in the last 9 years. Only 3.9% of 7th round picks overall reach that level.

Ryan Izzo in 2018 had 1 year he played and then was out of the league, otherwise Edelman in 2009 is the last Pats 7th round pick to do anything. Basically, Pats are ZERO for their last 22 on 7th round picks.

We picked a guy in the 7th that will 99% play as a special team's starter for the next decade over someone that had 4% chance of being a solid player. Analytically, I don't see how anyone would question that pick.

I also highly doubt any of these UDFA are major contributors. If they get lucky one or two of them will turn into a solid rotation player. From an analytical approach the signing so many increases odds of success. I liked some of the signings because they tried to find niche areas of need, FB, blocking TE, special teams' history that give them a chance to contribute.

I think the LS pick, the entire draft and the UDFA list shows how Vrabel and the whole team were focused and prepared.
Best off season in a long time and hopefully it translates to the field. Very excited for training camp!

 

[stcjones]

I see a lot of people ***** about drafting a kicker. My question is if people remember how many missed points we have had the last couple of years. Kickers tend to be the highest scorers on a team, so if you would rather buy one rather than pick one up at the 5 and dime. Same goes for the long snapper. Especially after having the draft they had in the top 5 rounds.

I had absolutely no objection to them taking a kicker at that point as this kid from Miami was rated number one in the draft and has been pretty damn consistent… And yes, that was a big need right now especially with Joey Slye leaving!

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

We picked a guy in the 7th that will 99% play as a special team's starter for the next decade over someone that had 4% chance of being a solid player. Analytically, I don't see how anyone would question that pick.

Because they don't understand 4%. In their minds they grossly exaggerate the chance of success. Posters have 4 (or more!!) UDFAs making the 53, Chism, Larison, Dippre, and Lampe, and state that certain UDFAs have to be on the 53 because they will never make it to the practice squad.

 

[patchick]

We picked a guy in the 7th that will 99% play as a special team's starter for the next decade over someone that had 4% chance of being a solid player. Analytically, I don't see how anyone would question that pick.

Absolutely. I think Patriots fans are living in a blissful Joe Cardona bubble -- the past decade he let us completely ignore the position, leading to the illusion that it's trivial.

In the past a lot of posters even groused about Belichick's "stubborn insistence" on carrying a dedicated LS at all. (ALL teams have dedicated long snappers.)

 

[Hammer of Thor]

Because they don't understand 4%. In their minds they grossly exaggerate the chance of success. Posters have 4 (or more!!) UDFAs making the 53, Chism, Larison, Dippre, and Lampe, and state that certain UDFAs have to be on the 53 because they will never make it to the practice squad.

I could see 4 UDFAs making the roster - those guys in particular would be my guess — but that’s more of an indictment of the 2024 team’s overall talent depth than anything. History tells us at least one would likely make the roster in normal circumstances, and would have varying degrees of success. History also tells us, to your point, that very few of these guys get claimed during the cut-down process - and those that are claimed tend to come from more talented teams.

Most likely, the FB gets cut and is a game day active from the practice squad, and Chism needs more time to refine his NFL route tree - like many other slot guys - and clears and makes it to the practice squad. Dippre is going up against Bell and needing a 3rd TE at all. The only one I think is a “lock” is Larison assuming his skills translate as expected; RB does have a history of guy sneaking through the cracks and being effective players in the NFL, and this was a deep draft for RB in general. I’ll be disappointed if he looks like a jag in camp.

 

[scott99]

I had absolutely no objection to them taking a kicker at that point as this kid from Miami was rated number one in the draft and has been pretty damn consistent… And yes, that was a big need right now especially with Joey Slye leaving!

Borregales was the kicker I wanted the Pats to draft. I’m stoked that we got him. A lot of 6th and 7th round picks will be out of the league or playing in the UFL next season. Borregales will be kicking for the Pats next season. Could turn out to be the next great Pat’s kicker.