NY Jets: 4 undrafted free agents who could make the 53-man roster

2. Hamilcar Rashed Jr., DE, NY Jets

Hamilcar Rashed Jr. was once considered a potential Day 1 or 2 draft prospect following a standout junior season that saw him finish with a Pac-12-best 14.0 sacks en route to being named first-team All-American.

Rashed looked like a potential star in the making until a disappointing senior season saw him tally zero sacks in seven games. It dropped his stock so much that he went from a possible top-50 pick all the way to falling out of the draft entirely.

The Jets were fortunate to scoop him up, though, and he's made some plays this summer. On a defensive line ravaged by injuries, Rashed has been asked to play a sizable role and he's done well for himself.

In the Jets' first preseason game, Rashed recorded 1.5 sacks impressing against a porous Giants offensive line. And this past Saturday, he recorded four tackles (second-most on the team) despite missing a few series after briefly leaving with an injury.

Ultimately, however, the reason Rashed has such a good shot of making the team is due to injuries around him.

Carl Lawson and Vinny Curry are officially out for the 2021 season. Kyle Phillips might miss the start of the year and hasn't practiced all summer. The same could be said for Jabari Zuniga who, even if healthy, would likely struggle to beat out Rashed for a roster spot.

Right now, Rashed is likely one of the Jets' four best defensive ends that are healthy. And he has the versatility to double as a linebacker that could drop into coverage as well, given his history at Oregon State.

There's likely a better chance than not that Hamilcar Rashed finds his way onto the 53-man roster to begin the year.