10 Undrafted Free Agents Making an Impact Early in 2013-14 Season

Players who didn't get drafted can still make a huge impact in the NFL. They can even make that impact early in their rookie year.

In fact, there are 10 players who stand out this season who have already shown they can contribute to an NFL team. They are mostly on defense, but the following rookie free agents have made a great impact on their teams already in this short season.

Marlon Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens

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Snap Breakdown: 181 Total Snaps, 119 Passes, 62 Run Blocks

Raw Stats: 10 Catches, 116 Yards, Two Touchdowns

ProFootballFocus.com Grades: -1.8 Overall, -2.0 Pass, 0.0 Screen Block, -0.3 Run Block, 0.5 Penalty

Marlon Brown was an excellent player at Georgia, but he was overshadowed by the talent around him on offense in Aaron Murray, Tavarres King, Orson Charles, A.J. Green, Kris Durham, Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall, Michael Bennett and Arthur Lynch.

Now, Brown is able to truly shine as a possession option in the passing game. The 6'4" receiver has been able to at least somewhat cushion the loss of Anquan Boldin in the passing game and as a run-blocker. He'll have to continue to make strides for the Ravens offense to sustain long-term success, though.

Kenbrell Thompkins, WR, New England Patriots

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Snap Breakdown: 215 Total Snaps, 136 Passes, 79 Run Blocks

Raw Stats: Nine Catches, 130 Yards, Two Touchdowns

ProFootballFocus.com Grades: -3.9 Overall, -4.1 Pass, 0.5 Screen Block, -0.8 Run Block, 0.5 Penalty

The big question going into the season for the Patriots was how they were going to replace the production from Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Lloyd and Wes Welker. And while Kenbrell Thompkins hasn't been the perfect replacement with some drop issues, he's been able to make an impact on the field.

His 130 yards are second to only Julian Edelman, and his two touchdowns tie Edelman for the team lead. He's also got the most 20-or-more yard receptions on the Patriots with three and the highest yards per catch at 14.4. That's a definite impact for the undrafted rookie from Cincinnati.

Joseph Fauria, TE, Detroit Lions

Snap Breakdown: 30 Total Snaps, 22 Passes, Seven Run Blocks, One Pass Block

Raw Stats: Four Catches, 32 Yards, Two Touchdowns

ProFootballFocus.com Grades: 0.6 Overall, 0.8 Pass, 0.1 Pass Block, 0.0 Screen Block, -0.5 Run Block, 0.2 Penalty

When it comes to top-tier red-zone targets, Joseph Fauria is the ideal guy. He's 6'7", 259 pounds and has good ability to separate in the red zone. He can box out defenders like a basketball player in the end zone to get separation for touchdown catches.

That can be seen in his two touchdowns already this season. He definitely benefits from being the No. 2 tight end and having Calvin Johnson on the field with him. But Fauria has long-term potential to start and be a Jason Witten-type.

Joe Vellano, DT, New England Patriots

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Snap Breakdown: 80 Total Snaps, 39 Run Defense, 41 Pass Rush

Raw Stats: Seven Tackles, One Tackle for Loss

ProFootballFocus.com Grades: -1.4 Overall, -0.7 Run Defense, -1.0 Pass Rush, 0.3 Penalty

Impacts don't always have to be from starters. Sometimes a good rotational player is exactly what's needed, and Joe Vellano is exactly that on the interior for the Patriots. The wide-bodied defensive tackle from Maryland can play multiple techniques on the mixed-front Patriots defense.

He's been able to play both the pass and the run effectively for a rookie. And his ability to shoot the gaps and take on double-teams help create opportunities for the guys around him to make plays.

Joplo Bartu, LB, Atlanta Falcons

Snap Breakdown: 118 Total Snaps, 25 Run Defense, Nine Pass Rush, 84 Pass Coverage

Raw Stats: Nine Tackles, Two Tackles for Loss, 0.5 Sacks, One QB Hurry, One Pass Deflection

ProFootballFocus.com Grades: 1.7 Overall, 1.3 Run Defense, -0.3 Pass Rush, 0.5 Pass Coverage, 0.2 Penalty

Going into the season, the Falcons weren't expecting to play either Joplo Bartu or Paul Worrilow very much because they had Kroy Biermann, Sean Weatherspoon and Akeem Dent as the starting linebackers. That changed very quickly with Biermann going down for the season and Weatherspoon going down for half of it.

Joplo Bartu has responded by flying all over the field and showing he can do everything Weatherspoon and Biermann were supposed to be able to do. The crazy thing is that he's only improving and should be able to earn a long-term starting spot with his performance this season.

Nickell Robey, CB, Buffalo Bills

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Snap Breakdown: 160 Total Snaps, 60 Run Defense, Eight Pass Rush, 92 Pass Coverage

Raw Stats: Seven Tackles, Two Pass Deflections

ProFootballFocus.com Grades: -1.7 Overall, -0.3 Run Defense, -0.3 Pass Rush, -1.8 Pass Coverage, 0.7 Penalty

With the injuries to Stephon Gilmore and Leodis McKelvin, Nickel Robey has seen a ton of snaps this year. And despite being an undrafted rookie, he's been playing like a true professional, allowing just a 61.8 passer rating against.

Not just that, on the 12 targets that have gone his way, he's allowed a total of six catches for 52 yards. The 4.33 yards per attempt is an exceptionally low number and is only accentuated by the fact that the longest play he's allowed is just 18 yards.

Melvin White, CB, Carolina Panthers

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Snap Breakdown: 34 Total Snaps, Six Run Defense, 28 Pass Coverage

Raw Stats: Two Tackles, One Interception, One Fumble Forced, One Pass Deflection

ProFootballFocus.com Grades: 3.2 Overall, 0.0 Run Defense, 3.0 Pass Coverage, 0.2 Penalty

After not even being active for the first two games of the season, Melvin White earned a spot on the field. With that spot, he did nothing but make plays for the Panthers. White helped create multiple turnovers in a blowout win against the Giants.

His interception was the first one that Manning threw on the day, and it helped the Panthers continue to hold the game hostage. White looked good enough in his first game as a pro that he should definitely see some more time on the field moving forward.

Jahleel Addae, S, San Diego Chargers

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Snap Breakdown: 67 Total Snaps, 10 Run Defense, One Pass Rush, 56 Pass Coverage

Raw Stats: 10 Tackles, One Pass Deflection

ProFootballFocus.com Grades: -1.0 Overall, -1.4 Run Defense, -0.1 Pass Rush, 0.4 Pass Coverage, 0.1 Penalty

There aren't many teams who have a three safety nickel. But Jahleel Addae is changing that for the Chargers, as they have used it quite a bit this season. He's able to play both in the box and deep and has allowed Eric Weddle to be used in multiple spots along the defense.

Addae's best asset is his coverage ability, but he's a sure tackler who has been able to earn a higher percentage of snaps every game. It will only continue to increase as his knowledge of the Chargers' scheme and experience on the field allow him to grow as a player.

Tony Jefferson, S, Arizona Cardinals

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Snap Breakdown: 53 Total Snaps, 17 Run Defense, One Pass Rush, 35 Pass Coverage

Raw Stats: Three Tackles, One Tackle for Loss

ProFootballFocus.com Grades: 0.8 Overall, 1.2 Run Defense, -0.1 Pass Rush, -0.4 Pass Coverage, 0.1 Penalty

Another guy who has seen a ton of snaps as a nickel safety, Tony Jefferson is someone who should have been taken early in Day 3 of the draft back in April. His ability against the run makes him perfect for the role Adrian Wilson used to fill for the Cardinals.

Fortunately for Arizona, it was able to bring in its future at both free and strong safety in the same rookie class by taking Tyrann Mathieu in the third and signing Jefferson. The pairing will be able to start together for a long time. And they'll be very effective together.

Robert Lester, S, Carolina Panthers

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Snap Breakdown: 53 Total Snaps, 16 Run Defense, One Pass Rush, 36 Pass Coverage

Raw Stats: Five Tackles, One Interception, One Fumble Recovered, One Pass Deflection

ProFootballFocus.com Grades: 0.8 Overall, 0.2 Run Defense, -0.1 Pass Rush, 0.6 Pass Coverage, 0.1 Penalty

Robert Lester was the other half to the 2011 Alabama safety duo that also included former top-10 pick Mark Barron. Lester earned a spot on the Panthers roster that was weak in the secondary and sat out the first two games until Quintin Mikell and D.J. Moore went down with injuries.

Lester responded by starting the game and playing his 53 snaps effectively. He not only earned positive grades in run defense and pass coverage, but he also was able to help create a pair of turnovers with an interception and a fumble recovery.

With how he played against the Giants, maybe the Panthers should start the undrafted rookie for the rest of the year.

All stats used are either from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats (subscription required), ESPN, CFBStats or the NFL. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac and Rotoworld. All recruiting rankings come from 247Sports.com.

Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, NFL and NFL draft. He also runs DraftFalcons.com.

Follow @ScottCarasik