So much attention is paid to the three days of the NFL Draft that many players go undrafted after the annual selection meeting is over. Most undrafted free agents are lottery tickets, and many of them end up not making it through training camp.
Then other undrafted free agents become quality NFL players over the years and make their own mark in the league. Going undrafted does not mean a player has no chance at a successful career nor does it discourage players from pursuing their dreams. Some undrafted players ended up becoming Hall of Famers, even if their journey in Canton was very different from that of the drafted players.
Who are the best players in NFL history who went undrafted? This list is derived from the common draft era (since 1967) and includes one active player (even if that player is not yet under contract for the 2024 season). Every player on this list is in the Hall of Fame or will someday be in Canton.
Players worthy of honorable mention: Rod Smith, Priest Holmes, Dave Krieg, Jessie Tuggle, Jeff Saturday, Tony Romo, Wes Welker, Eugene Robinson, Joe Jacoby, Everson Walls, Jim Langer, Justin Tucker (career far from over).
Special mention to Dick “Night Train” Lane, who went undrafted in 1952 and led the NFL in interceptions twice. Lane finished with 68 career interceptions and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The three-time first-team All-Pro is one of the greatest defensive backs in NFL history.
10. Drew Pearson (Cowboys; 1973-1983)
One of the best wide receivers of his era, Pearson was an undrafted free agent out of Tulsa in 1973. A former quarterback converted to a wide receiver in college, Pearson earned three first-team All-Pro selections during of his first five seasons in the league. .
A member of the 1970s All-Decade team, Pearson was the leading receiver on the Cowboys’ Super Bowl XII championship team (leading the league in receiving yards that season). He finished with 489 catches for 7,822 yards and 48 touchdowns in 11 seasons, earning three First Team All-Pro selections and three Pro Bowl selections.
Pearson was eventually selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. He had the most receiving yards in the league from 1973 to 1979 (5,713).
Arguably the best undrafted free agent linebacker, Harrison was the anchor of the Steelers defense throughout the late 2000s. The 2008 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year and two-time All-Star A first-team pro, Harrison led the NFL in forced fumbles in 2008 (7) and had a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown to Kurt Warner before Super’s halftime. Bowl XLIII – one of Pittsburgh’s key championship games.
A former backup at Kent State, Harrison was on and off the Steelers’ practice squad and was actually signed by the Ravens before returning to Pittsburgh in 2004. He didn’t become a starter until he was 29 years old when Mike Tomlin named him starter. in place of Joey Porter (who was released).
Harrison is second on the Steelers’ all-time sacks list (84.5), finishing with 811 tackles and 34 forced fumbles over his 16-year career.
Peters was destined for the Hall of Fame when he finally decided to retire (he still played left tackle at age 41). A two-time first-team All-Pro and 2010s All-Decade team member, Peters dominated at left tackle in Buffalo and Philadelphia, earning nine consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2007 to 2016. During This period, he was named to an All-Pro team six times (twice to the first team and four times to the second team).
Undrafted out of Arkansas as a tight end, Peters converted to the offensive line during his rookie season and became a starter in 2005. Only five tackles in NFL history have been selected for more than Pro Bowls than Peters, four are in the Hall of Fame and the other (Trent Williams) is headed to Canton.
Peters will be bound for Canton when he decides to hang up his cleats.
A member of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins and one of the best interior linemen of the 1970s, Little starred at right guard in Miami for 12 years. He earned five consecutive first-team All-Pro selections from 1971 to 1975 and won two Super Bowls with the Dolphins.
Undrafted by Bethune-Cookman’s Chargers in 1967, Little was traded to the Dolphins in 1969 and began his career as one of the most intimidating linemen in the game. Little was the Dolphins’ leader in sweeps along with Mercury Morris and Larry Czonka’s lead blocker (the Dolphins rushed for an NFL record 2,960 yards in 1972).
Little earned five Pro Bowl selections during his career and was a member of the 1970s All-Decade team. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.
Arguably the highest-scoring kicker in NFL history, Vinatieri made the game-winning field goal in Super Bowl XXXVI and Super Bowl XXXVIII in the final seconds to seal two championships for the Patriots. He led the league in field goal percentage three times while earning three first-team All-Pro selections and three Pro Bowl selections.
A member of the 2000s All-Decade team and named to the NFL’s 100 Greatest Players list, Vinatieri is first in NFL history in career points scored (2,643) and field goals the land (599).
Vinatieri is a four-time Super Bowl champion and is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2025. He went undrafted out of South Dakota State and has only missed 19 games in his career.
A former Kent State basketball player, Gates was signed by the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2003 after trying football (he never played college football). The Chargers immediately signed Gates after a 20-team workout and the rest is history.
Gates earned three first-team All-Pro selections and eight Pro Bowl nominations during his 16-year career, the eight Pro Bowl selections were consecutive. He had two 1,000-yard seasons and four double-digit touchdown seasons – the last of which came during his age-34 season.
Among tight ends, Gates is first all-time in receiving touchdowns (116) and third all-time in receiving yards (11,841), behind Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten. Gates is one of the best tight receivers in NFL history and will be heading to Canton at some point.
4. Donnie Shell (Steelers; 1974-1987)
One of the underrated stars of the “Steel Curtain” defense of the 1970s, Shell was unrecruited in 1974 at South Carolina State. Sheel wasn’t part of the draft class that year that produced Mike Webster, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth and Jack Lambert — but ended up in the Hall of Fame with the group.
A three-time first-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection, Shell had one of the best safeties in football from 1978 to 1982 – picking up 25 of his 51 career interceptions. Shell is third in Steelers history in interceptions and second in team history in fumble recoveries (19).
Shell is one of the best defensive players in franchise history.
3. Warren Moon (Oilers, Vikings, Seahawks, Chiefs; 1984-2000)
One of the greatest passers of his era, Moon twice led the NFL in passing yards and made nine Pro Bowls. Moon was third all-time in passing yards (49,325) and fourth all-time in passing touchdowns (291) when he retired in 2000, numbers that could have been higher if NFL scouts hadn’t had incorrect assessments about whether Moon could play the position.
Sticking to his guns, Moon remained at quarterback and went undrafted. He chose to sign with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League and won five consecutive Gray Cups. Moon didn’t enter the NFL until he was 28, yet led the league twice in passing yards, three times in passing yards and three times in fourth-down returns quarter.
Moon was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006. He is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, shining in the run and shoot offense.
2. John Randle (Vikings, Seahawks; 1990-2003)
One of the greatest defensive tackles in NFL history, Randle was not selected in any of the 12 rounds of the 1990 NFL Draft. The Vikings took a chance on Randle from Texas A&M-Kingsville and took was rewarded with six consecutive first-team All-Pro selections from 1993 to 1998. Randle had double-digit sacks in eight straight seasons and nine of 10 seasons from 1992 to 2001 (also led the NFL in sacks in 1997).
A 1990s All-Decade team selection, Randle is behind Alan Page in career sacks as a defensive tackle. His eight double-digit sack seasons by a defensive tackle are the most in NFL history and his six first-team All-Pro selections are behind only Bob Lilly and Randy White for the most at his position.
Randle was selected to the Hall of Fame in 2010.
The best undrafted free agent is Warner, a two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XXXIV MVP in 1999, leading the Rams to their first Super Bowl title. Warner led the NFL in completion percentage for three straight seasons, touchdown passes twice and passing yards once – all in a stretch from 1999 to 2001 in which Warner won twice league MVP award and was selected to three Pro Bowls.
Warner was the NFL’s best quarterback during that three-year span, setting the record for passing yards in a Super Bowl (414) and most completions without an interception (45). He took the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XLIII, 2008 being his fourth and final Pro Bowl appearance. Taking the Rams and Cardinals to Super Bowls is part of what got Warner into the Hall of Fame, despite only throwing 32,344 passing yards and 208 touchdowns.
Warner went undrafted in 1994 out of Northern Iowa, when the Packers gave him a chance to be on a roster with Brett Favre, Mark Brunell and Ty Detmer. After not making the Packers, Warner went from stocking shelves to shining with the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League. Warner signed with the Rams in 1997 and was assigned to the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe shortly after, earning the third-string job in 1998.
Once Trent Green was injured in 1999, the Rams rallied around the 28-year-old Warner as he led the league in completion percentage, touchdown passes and passer rating en route to the league MVP title. The quarterback from “The Greatest Show on Turf” led the Rams to Super Bowl XXXIV, completing one of the greatest stories in league history.
It’s hard to believe that Warner was an undrafted free agent, taking one of the most unlikely paths to stardom in all of sports.