5 Under-the-Radar Free Agents from the NFC North

The NFC North won't only bring big names to NFL free agency next month. 

While the likes of Ndamukong Suh, Randall Cobb, Nick Fairley and Bryan Bulaga demand the headlines, a number of under-the-radar players are also set to hit the market when free agency opens on March 10. 

Often, the best deals every spring come not through signing the biggest names but from bargain shopping the lesser-known, cheaper players. Giving cap-friendly deals to younger, projectable players is typically the best course of action for getting the most return on investment in free agency.  

Below are the best under-the-radar options from the NFC North, using age, projection and analytics from Pro Football Focus to determine the top five.

DT Stephen Paea

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Age: 26

2014 PFF Grade: +14.4

The epicenter of the defensive tackle position in free agency will be Detroit, where Suh and Fairley are expected to be two of the most coveted defensive players. But don't overlook Paea in Chicago, especially for teams in need of a pocket-collapsing inside force. 

Finally healthy for 16 games in 2014, Paea produced his finest NFL season—with 6.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and three passes defended. 

His plus-14.4 overall grade at PFF finished 11th among all defensive tackles and nose tackles last season. He especially shined as a pass-rusher, earning PFF's fourth-best grade rushing the passer from the position. His 47 total pressures trailed only those of Suh and Kyle Williams. In fact, only Suh and Paea managed to tally at least five sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 30 hurries among defensive tackles in 2014. 

He's certainly not in the same class as Suh against the run. Paea hasn't finished a season with a run grade above 0.0 since entering the NFL in 2011, and he's been a piece of one of the NFL's worst run defenses over the last two years. Teams won't be signing Paea to be a plug against the run. 

However, there's great value in having an inside defender capable of harassing centers and guards and creating interior pressure. Many quarterbacks will tell you the hardest kind of pressure to deal with is right up the middle, and Paea is uniquely capable of creating this kind of disruption. 

Suh will get his $100 million. Fairley might even break the bank. But Paea—who has received next to no buzz in the lead up to free agency—might actually be the best value of the three. 

DE George Johnson

USA TODAY Sports

Age: 27

2014 PFF Grade: +1.4

You'd think a 27-year-old pass-rusher who produced more total pressures over fewer snaps than Willie Young, Chris Clemons, Michael Johnson and Justin Tuck would generate some level of interest as a looming free agent. 

George Johnson is not your typical free agent. 

Undrafted out of Rutgers in 2011, Johnson made just 11 appearances with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings in 2011 and 2012 before sitting out the entire 2013 season. When the Lions signed him last April, Johnson hadn't played in an NFL game since December of 2012. Yet he finally exploded onto the scene last season, tallying a career-high 6.0 sacks and 29 tackles for Detroit. 

Used as a situational pass-rusher at defensive end, Johnson provided the kind of efficiency every team dreams of from a backup. He produced 39 total pressures over just 311 pass-rushing snaps, giving him the 10th-highest efficiency among 4-3 defensive ends in 2014. Amazingly, Johnson finished ahead of the likes of Everson Griffen, Robert Quinn, Jason Pierre-Paul, Demarcus Ware and Jared Allen in pass-rushing efficiency. 

Of course, there is a problem: Johnson is, for the moment, considered a restricted free agent. The Lions can tender him at the second-round level and essentially eliminate him from the market. However, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free-Press, the Lions and the NFL Players Association are currently figuring out whether Johnson has three accrued seasons (making him a restricted free agent) or four (unrestricted). Stay tuned. 

DT B.J. Raji

USA TODAY Sports

Age: 28

2014 PFF Grade: N/A

It sure is easy to forget about Raji, a 2009 first-round pick and former ascending star for the Packers. But that's what a position change, three poor years of tape and a season-eliminating injury can do in the NFL. 

Raji is now back in free agency, where just a year ago he found his market as cold as a Wisconsin winter. While a one-year "prove it" deal and a transition back to nose tackle gave Raji a chance to re-establish his market in 2014, a torn-biceps injury suffered in August stole away the opportunity and further damaged his value in the present. 

It's certainly fair to label Raji what he is: an unknown. He hasn't played in an NFL game since 2013, he lacks recent production and he doesn't have a solidified position. 

But there's also obvious upside. Raji will come cheap. At 28 years old, he is still in his athletic prime. And he certainly has much to prove about his ability on the football field. Combine those factors with an itch to play after missing all of 2014, and Raji fits squarely into the category of "low risk and high reward." 

He may not cost any more than $3 million per season, likely with low guaranteed money. While Raji may never again reach his 2010 heights, there's always something to gain in a 330-pound individual with Raji's movement skills. Sign him cheap, put him on the nose and see what's left. 

CB Davon House

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Age: 25

2014 PFF Grade: -0.1

The NFL is a trendy league. Win big with an out-of-the-box idea or player type, and everyone wants to copy it as their own. Cornerbacks with length are all the rage right now, thanks in large part to Richard Sherman and the Seattle Seahawks. 

The NFL is also a supply-and-demand league. It's simple economics. When there's a shortage of supply, demand and prices go up. 

Davon House is happy for both realities. 

At 6'1" with arms almost 32 inches long, he fits the profile of a long cornerback. House battled with the likes of Julio Jones, Calvin Johnson, Alshon Jeffery and Kelvin Benjamin in 2014 and generally held up well. 

He's also one of the better available cornerbacks in a weak free-agent class at the position. House allowed receptions on just 46.8 percent of his targets in 2014, while giving up an opposing passer rating of 76.6. He's earned an opportunity to start somewhere.

But there's also red flags, including House's lengthy injury history since entering the NFL. Availability, or the lack thereof, has made him a difficult projection. He's also never been a full-time starter. 

Still, the trends and economics are in House's favor. Expect him to receive a bigger deal than expected in free agency.

DT Tom Johnson

Adam Bettcher/Getty Images

Age: 30

2014 PFF Grade: +5.2

At 30 years old, Johnson doesn't perfectly fit the "young" requirement. But he checks off plenty of the boxes needed in an under-the-radar player. 

Johnson fully blossomed under Mike Zimmer last season, using his 444 snaps as a rotational defensive tackle to produce a career-high 6.5 sacks. He more than doubled his career sack total. 

His efficiency as a pass-rusher makes him appealing. Johnson added six quarterback hits and 18 hurries to his 6.5 sacks, giving him 30 total disruptions over just 301 pass-rushing snaps. He was one of just seven players at his position to produce 30 or more pressures over fewer than 400 pass-rushing snaps. Overall, his pass-rushing productivity finished ninth among defensive tackles and nose tackles in 2014.

The same idea applied to Stephen Paea applies here. Inside pressure is valuable in the NFL. And Johnson, albeit in a reserve, rotational role, provided ample amounts of interior disruption over a decent sample size. 

His age will likely keep his price manageable. The Vikings won't let him get away without a fight. 

All snap counts and statistics provided by Pro Football Focus. 

Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2