Best UDFA for every team 2023 NFL Draft: AFC West

Being drafted is not a prerequisite for greatness in the NFL.  While the three days of the NFL draft are when many NFL players take their first step into the league, many never hear their names called.  Depending on the year, roughly 30% of the players making up 53-man rosters are undrafted free agents – or UDFA for short.

When people think of UDFA, they usually think of Kurt Warner, James Harrison, and Antonio Gates.  In today’s NFL, a lot of key producers were once UDFAs.  Shaquil Barrett, Austin Ekeler, JC Jackson, Kenny Moore, and Justin Tucker are all elite NFL talents that never heard their names called on draft day.  So, which UDFA from the 2023 NFL draft should we be looking out for to be impact players that outperform their draft status?  Let’s take a look at each team’s best signings to identify those who might be players that make people scratch their heads at the thought of how they went undrafted.

Check out my previous picks for teams’ best UDFA signings here:

NFC West

NFC North

NFC South

NFC East

 

Kansas City Chiefs UDFA Class

The reigning Super Bowl champions entered this offseason without too many holes to fill.  Their roster is already primed for what could be Mahomes’s sixth AFC title game appearance in as many years as a starter.  However, continuing to draft contributors on rookie deals is vital for teams looking to continue to make deep playoff runs.

Bringing in late-round picks and UDFA that can produce can help teams afford to keep their core players together through multiple contracts.  One UDFA signing that I like is RB Deneric Prince from Tulsa.  I wasn’t able to find enough film on him to do a full evaluation, but he is a productive player with a great athletic profile.  He may be able to compete for reps behind Pacheco if he sticks with KC.

Quinton Barrow, out of Grand Valley St., is another intriguing signing.  He’s a massive player that was a three-time All-Conference player that dominated at lower levels of competition.  If he can transition to higher levels of competition, his size and strength could be valuable to the depth of the Chiefs’ offensive line.

The best signing the Chiefs made, however, has to be LB Cam Jones out of Indiana.  Jones is a physical and violent tackler whose breakout season in 2022 ended early due to injury.  He’s much more gifted in supporting the run game than he is in coverage.  However, he’s a former DB that I think has the physical tools to develop into a much better defender in coverage in the future.

Jones should immediately be able to be a stud on special teams that can quickly carve out a role in the Chiefs’ defense.  He should be able to be a two-down linebacker early on in his career.  Fantasy players that use IDPs may want to keep their eyes on him as a potential future pickup if he sticks with the Chiefs.

 

Los Angeles Chargers UDFA Class

The Chargers’ UDFA class was very thin, in my opinion.  However, the only player they signed that I think can make an impact for them is one of the best players that went undrafted this year.  I was completely dumbfounded at how Coastal Carolina DL Jerrod Clark went undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft.

Clark is a sizable player that will likely fit in with the Chargers as a nose tackle in the interior of their defensive line.  You might be shocked to learn that the massive DT actually entered college as a tight end.  After suffering a season-ending injury early in his college career, Clark added 85 pounds and transitioned to play NT.  It wasn’t against SEC-level competition, but Clark consistently was able to use his size, strength, and athleticism to be a dominating force on the interior of the defensive line.

His athleticism as a former TE is easily seen when you put on his film.  You can find him quickly disrupting plays behind the line and even running downfield to make tackles on big plays.  His athleticism and hot-running motor allow him to make his presence felt throughout the field of play.  I had a second-round grade on Clark, and I think he fits in perfectly with this team.

The Chargers have long been plagued by poor interior DL play that often results in being gashed by opposing offenses’ running games.  Clark has the opportunity to step in and play immediately in the middle of this defense and be a force that changes the trajectory of this defense and this team from adequacy to title contention.  Jerrod Clark to the Chargers is quite possibly my favorite individual UDFA signing of 2023.  I don’t think that it’s absurd to suggest that he might have one of the biggest impacts of any rookie in the 2023 NFL season.

 

Las Vegas Raiders UDFA Class

Admittedly, the Raiders’ UDFA class is one of the weakest I’ve seen this year.  There are really only two players that I think are worthy of drawing some attention, and they are both probably more likely to be depth players than impact guys.  OT McClendon Curtis, out of UT-Chattanooga, is a massive player.  He stands at 6’6 and weighs almost 330 lbs.  He isn’t a great mover, though.

I think he’ll be more of a guard at the next level due to this.  He has some potential to be a solid run-blocker, but he tends to stay too upright and give up a lot of the advantage that his size and strength could give him.  The best signing for the Raiders is OT Dalton Wagner from Arkansas.  Wagner is one of the biggest players in the draft at 6’9 and over 330 lbs.  He also has a lot of college experience. 

However, his hand usage is very poor, and he sometimes struggles with quicker defensive linemen.  Wagner has the potential to be a starter someday if his technique sees a lot of improvement, but the Raiders would need to be very patient with him.  That is a luxury that isn’t always afforded to UDFAs.

 

Denver Broncos UDFA Class

The Broncos had a solid 2023 NFL draft class despite not having many picks in total or any picks at all until the end of the second round.  Their group of UDFA additions wasn’t very deep with talent, but there are some standouts.  PJ Mustipher is an interior defensive lineman that played for Penn St and is one of the better UDFA signings for the Broncos.

Mustipher has some football pedigree in his blood, with his brother already being an NFL offensive lineman and his father having played college football as well.  Mustipher shouldn’t be expected to have a massive impact right away, but he’s a high-motor player that can be a capable gap controller.  He won’t be the guy that fills out the stat sheet, but he has the right approach to the game and can be a positive force on a defensive line if called upon.  He should be able to stick around the NFL for some time.

The best signing for the Broncos easily has to be EDGE Thomas Incoom.  Incoom played his college ball at Central Michigan, where he amassed 11.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss during the 2022 season.  Incoom is someone that has a lot of pass-rushing tools already developed and has a lot of quickness off the edge.  The only major question marks on his film were his play vs. Power Five schools and his ability in the run game.

Incoom lacks the strength to hold his position and can get swept away by stronger offensive linemen in the run game.  Also, his processing ability on handoffs to know who has the ball can be a little slow at times.  However, he should be an immediate help as a sub pass rusher on passing downs that has the potential to be a very productive EDGE player.  I’m not trying to proclaim him as the next Von Miller, but I do think he should be a useful pass-rush asset, at the very least.