The NFL Top Five All-Time Undrafted Free Agents

The NFL produced a lot of great undrafted free agents but none better than these five.

5. Emlen Tunnel

In the 40s, a safety named Emlen Tunnel burst onto the scene. Emlen went undrafted after a mediocre season with Iowa in 1947. He played 11 years with the New York Giants from 1948-1958. Tunnel also played a short stint in Green Bay from 1959-1961. During Emlen Tunnel’s career, he became a nine-time Pro Bowler, a six-time first-team all-pro, and a two-time champion.

Emlen Tunnel had a typical frame for a safety as a 6’5 211 pounder. He was excellent in man to man coverage and collected 79 interceptions due to his height. He is still second all-time in interceptions and is in the Hall of Fame.

4. Antonio Gates

Antonio Gates went undrafted in 2003 out of Kent State and became one of the best tight ends in the game. He went to college on a basketball scholarship but was told he couldn’t make the NBA. Gates tried out for the San Diego Chargers in 2003 and went from third-string to first string. Sixteen years later, he became the top receiver in Chargers’ history.

Antonio Gates played in eight Pro bowls, made first-team All-Pro three times, and was named to the NFL’s 2000 all-decade team. He did all of this yet never went to a Super Bowl. He retired this past season, finishing with 955 receptions, 11,841 yards, and 116 touchdowns.

3. Warren Moon

Warren Moon is the only Quarterback on this list that has one of the best CFL and NFL careers in history. He was undrafted in 1978 out of Washington. From there, he went to the Edmonton Eskimos from 1978-1983 and won five Grey Cups in that time span.

The Houston Oilers signed him in 1984, which gave the Oilers one of the most potent passing offenses in NFL history. Four teams and seventeen years later, Moon put up Hall of Fame statistics. He collected 291 touchdowns on 233 interceptions. He passed for 49,325 yards while completing 58% of his passes. His passer rating finished at 80.9.

Warren Moon played in nine pro bowls and had a memorable 1990 season. In 1990 Moon was named first-team All-Pro, became NFL offensive player of the year, and also won the passing yards and touchdown titles. Among all his accolades is that Warren Moon is the only player to be inducted to the NFL and Canadian football Hall of Fame.

2. Night Train Lane

Night Train Lane played Junior College at Scottsbluff. While undrafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1952, he became one of the best defensive backs ever to play the game. He didn’t get his fame till he started playing for the Chicago Cardinals in 1954. Lane finished his 14-year career with the Detroit Lions.

During Night Train’s career, he was named to seven pro bowls, was a seven-time first-team All-Pro, and led the league in interceptions twice. He still holds the single-season record for interceptions with 14. In 157 games, he had 68 interceptions, and six were brought back for touchdowns. He is in the Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor and is also in the Hall of Fame.

The NFL number one undrafted free agent is Kurt Warner

Kurt Warner is unique due to being the only football player in history to win a Super Bowl and an Arena Bowl. In addition to that, he is also in both perspective Hall of Fames.

Kurt Warner started his career with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994. He came from Northern Iowa with not many credentials; in turn, he started his career on the practice squad.

Warner didn’t make it in the NFL at that time, so he signed with the Iowa Barnstormers in 1995. In three years, he was a two-time first-team All-Pro and compiled a crazy amount of stats. Warner threw for 10,465 yards and had 183 touchdowns on only 43 interceptions. With his passer rating of 107.84, it proved he was ready to try the NFL once again.

Greatest Show on Turf

In 1998 Kurt Warner came to play for the St. Louis Rams, and this is where history was made. Warner was named Most Valuable Player in 1999 and 2001 and led the league in passer rating and touchdowns both years. He was also a Pro Bowler three times with the Rams and one time with the Arizona Cardinals. He won his Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl 34 and was named the Super Bowl MVP.

Warner ended his career after five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. During his illustrious career, he compiled 32,334 yards, 208 touchdowns, a completion percentage of 65.5, and a passer rating of 93.7. He retired in 2010 and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.

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