Every year, NFL teams and media evaluators alike spent countless hours scouting draft-eligible players in preparation for the NFL draft. Inevitably, however, some undrafted players will fall through the cracks or just prove scouts wrong. Maybe they come from a smaller school and weren’t properly scouted, or perhaps they’re just better than everyone thought. Either way, they certainly make teams regret passing on them and missing out.
Typically, around two dozen undrafted free agents (UDFAs) make NFL rosters each year. This year, however, a whopping 57 UDFAs made initial 53-man rosters, matching last year’s total. It’s an exciting time for fans of underdog stories, and while most of these players will mostly play special teams or not at all, a few are set for big roles.
Here, I have a team-by-team breakdown of each UDFA to survive final roster cuts. I’ve noted if they were claimed on waivers from another team and which school they played for in college. All told, 26 teams had at least one 2025 UDFA on their roster. Only the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t have any.
Arizona Cardinals
A first-team All-Big Ten left tackle at Ohio State in 2023, Fryar is one of just four offensive tackles the Cardinals kept on their initial 53-man roster. He’s unlikely to have a significant game-day role short of injury, but it’s noteworthy that Arizona trusted him as key depth at a critical position.
