After bringing aboard their largest NFL draft class since 2010, the Patriots aren’t likely to go hog wild in undrafted free agency.
But New England will add at least a few UDFAs before organized team activities kick off next month. An undrafted rookie has made the Patriots’ Week 1 roster in each of the last 19 seasons, with special teamers Brenden Schooler and DaMarcus Mitchell making the cut last year.
With the 2023 NFL Draft now complete, follow along with this tracker for updates on each reported UDFA signing.
QB Malik Cunningham, Louisville
Cunningham started 47 games at Louisville and offers an intriguing dual-threat ability, having rushed for more than 1,000 yards during the 2021 campaign and scored 32 rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons. He had a quiet year as a passer in 2022, completing 62.4% of his passes for 1,568 yards and eight touchdowns with five interceptions over nine starts.
Cunningham is small for an NFL quarterback at just under 6 feet and 192 pounds, but he’s a great athlete. His 4.53-second 40-yard dash ranked in the 95th percentile for QBs, per Mockdraftable, and his 10-yard split was in the 97th percentile. According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, Cunningham told teams during the pre-draft process that he’s “willing to do whatever it takes to get on the field and help a team win,” so perhaps a position change is in his future. The Patriots signed a hybrid QB after last year’s draft (D’Eriq King) but cut him before OTAs.
If Cunningham sticks to the position he played in college, he’ll join a highly scrutinized QB room that features Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe and veteran newcomer Trace McSorley.
The Patriots paid a hefty sum to sign Cunningham, giving him a $30,000 signing bonus and $200,000 in total guarantees, per Doug Kyed of A to Z Sports. That’s not much for a standard NFL player, but it’s an eye-popping value for an undrafted rookie.
TE Johnny Lumpkin, Louisiana-Lafayette
Lumpkin was a four-year starter who caught a total of 36 passes in 51 career games. So, he’s a blocking tight end, which is the type of player the Patriots could use behind Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki. The 6-foot-5, 264-pound Lumpkin spent two seasons at Hutchinson Community College before transferring to Louisiana in 2018, so he’ll be a 26-year-old rookie.
LB Jourdan Heilig, Appalachian State
Safety-sized at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Heilig played mostly on special teams in his 51 career appearances for App State. He was not among the 1,893 prospects listed in Dane Brugler’s comprehensive draft guide for The Athletic.
Heilig confirmed his signing on social media.
