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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ndrafted-free-agent-in-camp-this-year/page/30
Every NFL Team's Best Undrafted Free Agent in Camp This Year
By Dan Hope, Featured Columnist
As training camps open throughout the NFL, no players will have more on the line than the undrafted rookies who are trying to prove that they are good enough to make an impact despite being passed over 256 times in the 2015 NFL draft.
Many undrafted rookies in each team’s training camp will be competing for roster spots, but some of those first-year free agents are better-equipped than others to be legitimate contributors in the league.
In 2014, there were 64 undrafted rookies—an average of two per team—on opening-week rosters in the NFL, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. All but four teams—the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Oakland Raiders—had undrafted rookies on their rosters at that time.
Given those statistics, there’s reason to believe that a vast majority of the NFL’s teams will keep at least one undrafted free-agent signing on their rosters this year.
In the following slides, we take a look at the one UDFA from each team who should have the best chance.
The main determinants in whether an undrafted player is able to stick on an NFL roster are his overall skill set and whether he can fulfill a role that makes him a useful contributor to his team. Therefore, the following selections take the talents of each team’s undrafted free agents into consideration first and foremost but also factor in each player’s health and likelihood of earning a roster spot, as well as any relevant reports pertaining to undrafted players from training camp so far.
St. Louis Rams DT Louis Trinca-Pasat
Matthew Holst/Getty Images
Between last season’s emergence of Aaron Donald and this offseason’s addition of Nick Fairley, the St. Louis Rams already have two established talents at defensive tackle who are outstanding at shooting gaps and penetrating the line of scrimmage. If they have room for another on the roster, they just might end up with another disruptor up front in undrafted rookie Louis Trinca-Pasat.
While Trinca-Pasat is not nearly as strong or powerful as Donald and Fairley—who were both the No. 13 overall picks in their respective drafts—he has a similar degree of quickness and agility. His NFL Scouting Combine times of 4.96 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 7.40 seconds in the three-cone drill and 4.30 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle were all among the top times for interior defensive linemen.
At 6’1” and 290 pounds, he is an undersized defensive tackle who projects only as a situational interior pass-rusher for an NFL defensive line. To be a regular against the run, he would need to bulk up.
Trinca-Pasat might not offer much value to the Rams as a situational pass-rusher, given that they already have Donald and Fairley, plus defensive ends in Eugene Sims and William Hayes who can kick inside. That said, the Rams do rotate heavily on their defensive front, which could make Trinca-Pasat worth keeping around simply for depth. He could give the team another player who can get into the backfield if Donald or Fairley gets injured.
Outside of Donald, Fairley and Michael Brockers, the only other players listed as defensive tackles on the Rams roster are Ethan Westbrooks, who can play inside situationally but is best suited to play defensive end, and Doug Worthington, who has not appeared in an NFL game since 2012.
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To read the entire article click the link below.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...s-best-undrafted-free-agent-in-camp-this-year
Every NFL Team's Best Undrafted Free Agent in Camp This Year
By Dan Hope, Featured Columnist
As training camps open throughout the NFL, no players will have more on the line than the undrafted rookies who are trying to prove that they are good enough to make an impact despite being passed over 256 times in the 2015 NFL draft.
Many undrafted rookies in each team’s training camp will be competing for roster spots, but some of those first-year free agents are better-equipped than others to be legitimate contributors in the league.
In 2014, there were 64 undrafted rookies—an average of two per team—on opening-week rosters in the NFL, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. All but four teams—the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Oakland Raiders—had undrafted rookies on their rosters at that time.
Given those statistics, there’s reason to believe that a vast majority of the NFL’s teams will keep at least one undrafted free-agent signing on their rosters this year.
In the following slides, we take a look at the one UDFA from each team who should have the best chance.
The main determinants in whether an undrafted player is able to stick on an NFL roster are his overall skill set and whether he can fulfill a role that makes him a useful contributor to his team. Therefore, the following selections take the talents of each team’s undrafted free agents into consideration first and foremost but also factor in each player’s health and likelihood of earning a roster spot, as well as any relevant reports pertaining to undrafted players from training camp so far.
St. Louis Rams DT Louis Trinca-Pasat
Matthew Holst/Getty Images
Between last season’s emergence of Aaron Donald and this offseason’s addition of Nick Fairley, the St. Louis Rams already have two established talents at defensive tackle who are outstanding at shooting gaps and penetrating the line of scrimmage. If they have room for another on the roster, they just might end up with another disruptor up front in undrafted rookie Louis Trinca-Pasat.
While Trinca-Pasat is not nearly as strong or powerful as Donald and Fairley—who were both the No. 13 overall picks in their respective drafts—he has a similar degree of quickness and agility. His NFL Scouting Combine times of 4.96 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 7.40 seconds in the three-cone drill and 4.30 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle were all among the top times for interior defensive linemen.
At 6’1” and 290 pounds, he is an undersized defensive tackle who projects only as a situational interior pass-rusher for an NFL defensive line. To be a regular against the run, he would need to bulk up.
Trinca-Pasat might not offer much value to the Rams as a situational pass-rusher, given that they already have Donald and Fairley, plus defensive ends in Eugene Sims and William Hayes who can kick inside. That said, the Rams do rotate heavily on their defensive front, which could make Trinca-Pasat worth keeping around simply for depth. He could give the team another player who can get into the backfield if Donald or Fairley gets injured.
Outside of Donald, Fairley and Michael Brockers, the only other players listed as defensive tackles on the Rams roster are Ethan Westbrooks, who can play inside situationally but is best suited to play defensive end, and Doug Worthington, who has not appeared in an NFL game since 2012.
*************************************
To read the entire article click the link below.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...s-best-undrafted-free-agent-in-camp-this-year
