2026 NFC UDFA class rankings
Breaking down the NFC's 16 undrafted free agent classes
Welcome to Part 1 of my annual UDFA class rankings!
These rankings are based on my pre-draft rankings – with a top-heavy point system heavily slanted towards prospects I saw as draftable, and prospects on my pre-draft 500 board. The tables below reflect all signings of prospects inside my pre-draft top-750. The number in parenthesis to the right of each team is where they ranked overall in the NFL.
The second part of this series – AFC UDFA class rankings – drops tomorrow on this page.
1. New Orleans Saints (1)
We had an interesting quirk in the UDFA rankings this year: The Saints did not assume the No. 1 overall spot until Friday afternoon — six days after the UDFA market opened — until it belatedly signed DT Zxavian Harris, the No. 1 overall UDFA on the entire board.
I ranked Harris as the No. 100 overall prospect in the class. Some liked him even more than ,e. ESPN ranked Harris No. 63 overall in the class. Harris wasn’t drafted due to off-field issues and a right foot injury. In 2023, Harris faced charges of driving under the influence and felony fleeing. In 2024, Harris was arrested and charged with domestic violence and obstructing arrest.
At the NFL Combine, Harris ripped former HC Lane Kiffin. He underwent right foot surgery shortly thereafter. Harris spent a chunk of the rest of the pre-draft process in a walking boot, the reason he didn’t work out at Ole Miss’ pro day.
If Harris shows up motivated and healthy, and if he stays out of trouble, the Saints just got a mid-round talent for free. If he doesn’t, it will be painless to move on.
In other news from this class, CMU EDGE Michael Heldman absolutely should have been drafted. He’s an awesome athlete with a jumbo production profile in the MAC who plays his tail off — I think he hangs around as a valued rotational piece.
RB CJ Donaldson was the offensive headliner. He flashed some at West Virginia and Ohio State, and is a straight-line thumper with get-you-over receiving ability. He possesses the kind of physical profile that fits Kellen Moore’s offensive vision, and has a path to win a backup role in lieu of the uncertainty in the Saints’ running back room.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (4)
With the selection of UGA OG Micah Morris on Day 3, the Eagles upped their number of rostered Georgia Bulldogs to six – matching the number of Alabama alums. The UDFA signings of LB Deontae Lawson and OG Jaeden Roberts – the two-best prospects in Philadelphia’s crop – allowed Alabama to once again overtake Georgia in sheer numbers on Philly’s roster.
Lawson and Roberts were both top-200 prospects on my board – each has a legitimate shot to crack the Week 1 roster.
Lawson was a productive multi-year SEC starter – medical questions and a lack of pre-draft athletic testing kept him out of the draft despite legitimate tape. Lawson actually intended to declare for last year’s draft, but a torn ACL from 2024 ultimately changed those plans. Lawson didn’t miss any time in 2025, but he battled a nagging foot injury during the fall that often had him changing out of cleats into walking boots after games. He’s going to compete for a special-teams role initially.
I’m also extremely intrigued by the signing of IPP prospect Joshua Weru of Kenya. Philadelphia is known to stockpile former Alabama/Georgia players, and they’re also known as the NFL’s most-successful organization in the NFL’s IPP program, thanks to the development of OT Jordan Mailata.
The Eagles drafted the class’ best IPP prospect – DT Uar Bernard – at the end of R7, and were wise to also bring in Weru, clearly the second-most intriguing IPP prospect in the 2026 class. Weru is blessed with length and athleticism — will he show enough this summer to be groomed as long-term developmental rusher?
3. Tampa Bay Bucs (5)
I’m a big fan of WR Eric Rivers, the crown jewel of Tampa Bay’s UDFA class. Rivers and his representatives made an odd decision in choosing Tampa Bay – the Bucs arguably have the league’s deepest collection of slot receivers, and that’s the position Rivers needs to play at the next level.
Still, this was a worthy flier by the Bucs. Undersized but lightning quick and blessed with 4.3s speed, Rivers has the skillset to create quick separation operating out of the slot in the NFL.
Beyond Rivers, Tampa Bay fleshed out this UDFA class with strong depth that should ratchet up the intensity of multiple back-of-roster camp battles for jobs. As they did with Rivers, the Bucs gave OT Paul Rubelt and QB Jalon Daniels over $200k in guarantees.
Daniels might be the front-runner for the QB3 gig. When healthy at Kansas — he was frequently dinged-up, one reason he went undrafted — Daniels flashed dual-threat NFL ability. As for the towering 6-foot-10 Rubelt, he’s in the mix to steal a bench spot with a strong summer.
