5 Best Undrafted Free Agents in NFL History

5 Best NFL Undrafted Free Agents Ever

#3 - Warren Moon, Quarterback

Warren Moon with the Houston Oilers

In the NFL, you often find undrafted skill players making teams' rosters, such as receivers or running backs, but rarely do you see a quarterback go undrafted and make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That's exactly what Warren Moon did.

Moon went undrafted during the 1978 draft; instead, he opted to join the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League. After much success in the CFL, he joined the NFL and the Houston Oilers in 1984.

During his legendary career, which spanned from 1984 to 2000, Moon would play for the Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. He would make nine Pro Bowls, was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1990, and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

#2 - James Harrison, Linebacker

James Harrison with the Pittsburgh Steelers

James Harrison went undrafted in the 2002 draft, and after signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an UDFA, he found himself cut three separate times in the space of a year. Harrison signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2003, where he would spend time with Rhein Fire in NFL Europe. But he was cut once again, and after debating walking away from football altogether, Harrison re-signed with the Steelers in 2004.

Harrison's career would take off from there, as he would establish himself as a starter in Pittsburgh, and would go on to make one of the most clutch plays in NFL history, when he intercepted Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner in Super Bowl XLIII and took it back for a 100 yard pick-six, as the Steelers went on to win the game.

Harrison would end his career with two Super Bowl rings, 2x First-Team All-Pro selections, 5x Pro Bowls, and he was named the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

#1 - Kurt Warner, Quarterback

Kurt Warner with the Arizona Cardinals

Kurt Warner's rise to the NFL summit is something all players coming into the league dream about. Warner went undrafted in the 1994 NFL draft, and after being turned away following a tryout with the Green Bay Packers, he stocked shelves in a grocery store in his home state of Iowa for $5.50 an hour.

After three years playing for the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League (AFL), Warner got his chance, signing a futures contract with the St. Louis Rams. Warner was then allocated to play in NFL Europe with the Amsterdam Admirals, where he would lead the league in passing yards and touchdowns.

Then in 1999, following an injury to starting quarterback Trent Green in the preseason, Warner was installed as the Rams' starter for the '99 season. Warner's fairytale would continue as he threw three touchdowns in his first three starts, and would go on to win the 1999 NFL MVP award, as well as passing for two touchdowns in Super Bowl XXXIV as the St. Louis Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans.

Warner's illustrious career would only improve from this moment, as he would win another MVP award in 2001, as well as 2x First Team All-Pro selections and 4x Pro Bowls during his career. He would also lead the league in passing yards twice and make two more Super Bowl appearances, one with the Rams in 2001, and one with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009, unfortunately losing both.

Warner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 after becoming the only undrafted player to win the league MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards, and his story was recently depicted in the movie American Underdog.