Five impending under-the-radar unrestricted NFL free agents

4. Romeo Okwara, EDGE

Romeo Okwara entered the league as an undrafted free agent, signing with the New York Giants and playing an extremely limited role until he joined the Detroit Lions in 2018. That season, Okwara flashed some very real talent, recording 7.5 sacks in 15 games. However, he was relegated to a reserve role in 2019, and his sack total dropped to 1.5, leaving many to wonder if the prior season had just been a flash in the pan. But in 2020, Okwara reemerged with a career-high 10 sacks despite starting just nine games for the Lions. He earned an 85.4 pass rushing grade from Pro Football Focus and was credited with an impressive 61 total pressures. At just 25 years of age, it’s entirely possible that Okwara’s best and most dominant football remains ahead of him.

3. Mike Davis, RB

Mike Davis wasn’t able to gain a foothold in San Francisco, Seattle or Chicago. Despite a solid 2020 campaign, he may not be able to find one in Carolina, either. The argument against Davis is that he gained just 3.9 yards per carry last season and averages just 3.7 yards per carry throughout his career, all while never coming close to the 1,000-yard mark. All of that may be true, but there’s more than meets the eye here. Davis is a hard runner similar to Derrick Henry or Marshawn Lynch in that he forces missed tackles. In 2020, he forced a mind-blowing 65 missed tackles (43 as a runner and 22 as a receiver), leading to a 75.0 overall grade courtesy of Pro Football Focus. He’s also an excellent option out of the backfield and has a career catch rating of 80.1% (84.3% last season). Someone somewhere is going to get a bargain.

2. Keelan Cole, WR

A one-time undrafted free agent, Keelan Cole substantially boosted his value with a 55-reception, 642-yard performance in 2020 that included five touchdowns. It was Cole’s best season since his rookie campaign in 2017, and it showed that he’s capable of playing multiple roles to success. Although Cole is not likely to secure a WR1 position anywhere, he can be a very productive WR2 or WR3 in the right system, playing both outside and in the slot. He is in the 60th percentile of creating separation, which is something several teams desperately need, and he’s also good at bringing down contested balls (52%). But perhaps the most noteworthy improvement of Cole’s game is ball security — something that was an issue early on in his career but has become a strength over the previous two seasons.

1. Matt Milano, LB

As a fifth-round pick in 2017, expectations for Matt Milano were tempered. However, he rapidly developed into a consistent presence on the Buffalo defense beginning in his second season when he took over as a starter. That continued with a career-year in 2019 before Milano suffered a torn pec this past season and was relegated to a backup role upon his return. However, despite a significant reduction in snaps, the 26-year-old continued to play well, recording a career-high 3.5 sacks while compiling a 78.5 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus. Although the injury clearly derailed Milano and opened the door for others, his entire body of work cannot be ignored. He’s proven himself to be good in coverage and as an ascending pass rusher. If Milano can clean up his tackling, he will become a very underrated signing for someone this offseason.