Ever hear of Jeremiah Byers? Big guy, offensive tackle? From Florida State?
NFL teams do know Byers and undoubtedly scouted him before last month’s draft. Still, he went undrafted.
But his football career isn’t over. The Arizona Cardinals signed Byers as an undrafted free agent, and Pro Football Focus says he could be the Cardinals’ “players to watch” among the NFL's undrafted players.
He played 56 games in college — two years at FSU and four at UTEP. Byers is 6-foot-5, 315 pounds — the prerequisite size for a modern NFL lineman.
The Cardinals offensive line is an area of need the team chose to downplay in the draft. Of its seven draft choices, Arizona only picked one offensive lineman, sixth-rounder Hayden Conner, a guard from Texas. They have signed three offensive linemen among the six undrafted free agents they brought in so far this offseason.
Realistically, making an NFL roster can be a steep mountain to climb, especially for an undrafted player in whom the team has neither a substantial financial outlay nor a proprietary stake.
Last year, 43 free agents made NFL opening day rosters.
Arizona Cardinals Jeremiah Byers’ scouting report
Pro Football Focus’ take on Byers: “Stands out for his consistency across six seasons of college action. He surrendered only seven sacks in that span, four coming in his 2021 campaign …
“All but three of Byers’ 3,328 snaps in college were at right tackle, where Jonah Williams slots in for the Cardinals ahead of a contract year. Byers, if he makes the roster, wouldn’t have to wait long to get a shot at playing time.”
The Seminoles had a horrendous 2024 season, going 2-12, a year after a 13-1 season. Only two FSU players were drafted. Byers will join three former Seminoles in Arizona — edge Josh Sweat, running back Trey Benson and safety Jammie Robinson.
Byers won the FSU’s Bobby Bowden Leadership Award in 2024.
Last year, Colorado wide receiver Xavier Weaver was the only one among three free agents to make the Cardinals' opening day roster. Weaver played two games with two targets and zero receptions.
One of the all-world free agents was former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, who signed with the St. Louis Rams after a college career at Northern Iowa and time he, famously, spent as a supermarket clerk.
Warner went onto a 12-year NFL career that included a Super Bowl victory after the 1999 season. He led the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl after the 2008 season, which ended with a loss to the Steelers.
Warner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.