NFL's undrafted-rookie share tracking toward non-pandemic decade low

As of Friday, Sept. 4, 45 of the NFL’s 259 rookies on active rosters were undrafted, about 17.4% of all first-year players. If that share carries into Week 1, it would mark the lowest undrafted rookie rate in the past decade, excluding the COVID-altered seasons of 2020 and 2021, when undrafted shares were 15.5% and 13.1%. From 2017 onward, most years have had at least one-fifth undrafted representation, peaking at 24.5% in 2024. This year’s lower figure is visible in Miami’s approach: the Dolphins have 12 drafted rookies, the league-high, including first-round picks Kadyn Proctor and Chris Johnson.