Undrafted NFL Rookies Who Will Make the Most Impact in the 2023 Season
On Tuesday, all 32 NFL clubs made their final roster cuts, and several undrafted rookies found out that their hard work resulted in a spot on the 53-man depth chart.
Once considered long shots to secure an NFL job, these players saw their dreams come true, but their career journeys have just started with the regular season barely a week away.
Now, the undrafted rookies must find a way to keep their roster spots with contributions in one or multiple phases of the game. While some hold starting positions, others must make the most out of rotational roles, which may lead to more snaps later in the 2023 campaign.
Six players stand out as potential undrafted gems who will make a significant impact during the regular season. We're not talking about long snappers and gunners on special teams. These names will have a chance to make game-changing plays every week.
Blake Grupe, K, New Orleans Saints
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When the New Orleans Saints traded Wil Lutz to the Denver Broncos, they essentially confirmed Blake Grupe has won the kicking job. Maybe now the security at Caesars Superdome will recognize him at games.
After the 24-year-old made a game-winning 31-yard field goal to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 of the preseason, he shared his experience with security mistaking him for a media member and a fan.
Listed at 5'7", 156 pounds on the official Saints website, Grupe is the smallest player on the roster, though he certainly earned his way on the team.
In the preseason, he went 5-of-6 on field-goal attempts and made an extra point. In his last outing against the Houston Texans, he showed accuracy in his range, splitting the uprights on a 50-yard field-goal attempt.
Last season, the Saints ranked 22nd in scoring and 19th in total yards. This year, they should have more opportunities to put points on the board with the addition of quarterback Derek Carr, who's a clear upgrade over Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston from the previous campaign.
Assuming the Saints offense fares better with Carr, the coaching staff will call on Grupe to close a lot of drives with three points or consistently tack on extra points after touchdowns.
Malik Heath, WR, Green Bay Packers
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In the preseason, Malik Heath led the Green Bay Packers in receptions (12) and receiving yards (146).
Though the 23-year-old caught most of his passes from rookie fifth-rounder Sean Clifford in the exhibition games, he shared some time on the field with starting quarterback Jordan Love in the Packers' final preseason matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.
Against the Seahawks, Love targeted Heath four times and connected with him on three completions before Clifford took over in the second quarter.
After the game, the signal-caller praised the rookie wideout.
"He's balled out since he got here," Love told reporters. "I think the biggest thing since he got here is just how aggressive he catches the ball, he attacks it, his mentality, and once he catches it, he's trying to get those yards."
The Carolina Panthers selected Ole Miss wide receiver Jonathan Mingo in the second round of this year's draft, but Heath led the program in catches (60) and receiving yards (971) in 2022.
Unlike fellow undrafted rookie wideouts Elijah Cooks and Jake Bobo, who will play behind established receivers with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, Heath joins a young wideout group that features six guys who entered the league over the last year.
Wide receiver Christian Watson came on strong in the second half of the 2022 term, but Heath can command a fair number of targets as an emerging playmaker behind him.
Christian Izien, DB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wrapped up the preseason, head coach Todd Bowles confirmed that Christian Izien won the nickelback job, which is essentially a starting position in today's NFL with most teams fielding five defensive backs to combat spread offensive attacks.
The 23-year-old battled sixth-year defensive back Dee Delaney and rookie sixth-rounder Josh Hayes for the slot position and stood out in his last outing against the Baltimore Ravens, recording a couple of tackles and a forced fumble.
At Rutgers, Izien played safety for the first three terms and then transitioned to the nickel, though he's made a smooth transition with his physical play style, which allows him to help against the run.
The versatile defensive back has also learned from safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who manned the slot for the squad last season.
Izien will fill a void within a solid defensive unit that finished 13th in scoring and ninth in total yards last year. He'll play alongside Winfield, Ryan Neal, Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III in a battle-tested group, which is a good spot for a rookie to develop into a decent contributor.
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Hunter Luepke, FB, Dallas Cowboys
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Hunter Luepke may have surprised some Dallas Cowboys fans when the team listed him on the final roster. He rushed for nine yards in the first two exhibition games but made a case to stick around with a strong performance against the Las Vegas Raiders in the final week of the preseason.
Against the Raiders, the 23-year-old racked up 118 scrimmage yards and scored a touchdown. In a few passing situations, he took advantage of wide-open spaces across the field, but the 6'1", 238-pound fullback also picked up tough yardage on the ground.
Oftentimes, fullbacks do the dirty work without much outside praise for their lead blocks, though Luepke could carve out a role similar to San Francisco 49ers' Kyle Juszczyk, who's a seven-time Pro Bowler with 14 touchdown receptions in nine seasons.
Because of Luepke's ability to handle carries in short-yardage situations, he could also score several goal-line touchdowns in the upcoming campaign.
Last season, running back Ezekiel Elliott finished drives in the red zone, scoring 14 rushing touchdowns from inside the opponent's 14-yard line between the regular season and playoffs. Dallas cut him, and he signed with the New England Patriots, which creates opportunities for a physical ball-carrier, and Luepke fits the description.
The North Dakota State product finished his collegiate career with 2,159 scrimmage yards and 33 touchdowns. Last year, he rushed for 115-plus yards in back-to-back contests against Arizona and South Dakota State.
With Tony Pollard slated to handle most of the touches out of the backfield and 5'6", 176-pound rookie sixth-rounder Deuce Vaughn in a change-of-pace role, Luepke may get a good number of carries when the Cowboys offense sets up near the goal line for a score.
Caleb Murphy, Edge, Tennessee Titans
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Caleb Murphy tied with New Orleans Saints defensive end Niko Lalos for a league-leading four sacks in the preseason.
In the NFL, a defender can quickly generate buzz if he's able to bring down the quarterback, and that's why Murphy will have a chance to make an impact in the upcoming season.
The Tennessee Titans have a clear lead edge-rusher in Harold Landry III, who signed a five-year, $87.5 million extension last year, but defensive coordinator Shane Bowen can use a platoon of outside linebackers to complement him.
This offseason, the Titans signed Arden Key, who hasn't played more than 45 percent of defensive snaps in a season since his rookie campaign with the Las Vegas (formerly Oakland) Raiders.
In 2022, Key and Rashad Weaver, who logged 5.5 sacks last season, started in seven games combined. Murphy could become an effective rotational edge-rusher to round out a solid group.
With Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry and Landry drawing most of the attention at the line of scrimmage, Murphy could make game-changing plays in a designated pass-rusher role.
Ivan Pace Jr., LB, Minnesota Vikings
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Ivan Pace Jr. didn't need all three preseason games to lock up a roster spot. He registered eight tackles in the first two exhibition contests and didn't suit up for the preseason finale.
The 22-year-old made the most of an expanded workload while linebacker Brian Asamoah II recovered from a shoulder injury. The rookie LB gained valuable experience with green-dot responsibilities in the exhibition games and flashed a bit of his pass-rushing ability with a hit on the quarterback in the second preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.
Even with Asamoah back on the field alongside Jordan Hicks in the middle of the defense, Pace can contribute in a versatile role.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores can field three linebackers on early downs to stop the run. He may also use Pace on designed blitzes, which is an added duty for inside linebackers in his scheme.
Based on Pace's track record—21 sacks as a collegian—he could be an effective downhill defender on all three downs in Flores' system.
NFL preseason stats are provided by CBS Sports.
College football statistics are provided by cfbstats.com.
Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.
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