Most undrafted free agents who sign with a team never work out. They went undrafted for a reason, after all. Still, there are occasional times when an organization finds somebody who morphs into a legitimate player. Roy Robertson-Harris, Sam Mustipher, and Jack Sanborn are some of the more recent names that have accomplished this. GM Ryan Poles was active immediately following the 2024 draft, scooping up nine names as of the time of writing this. There are some interesting names, including Illinois defensive tackle Keith Joseph. While he is the favorite of many to compete for a main roster spot, that might not be the case.
The name people should be watching is Jamree Kromah. He was a complete unknown going into the 2023 season, having spent most of his college career in anonymity at Rutgers. That changed when he transferred to James Madison, exploding for ten sacks and 19.5 tackles for a loss. It wasn’t against second-tier competition too. Their schedule featured legitimate programs like Virginia, Troy, Utah State, and Coastal Carolina. Kromah dominated anyway. For somebody so inexperienced, his impact was hard to ignore.
His size, 35-inch arms, explosiveness, and strength finally seemed to coalesce into something serious. The trick is figuring out his best position in the pros.
The Chicago Bears likely have a position switch in mind.
Kromah played defensive end in college but doesn’t seem to have the necessary bend for that spot. On the other hand, his length and lower body power could make for a strong interior pass rusher. The trick is he will have to add weight. He’s only 271 lbs at the most. A defensive tackle in Matt Eberflus’ scheme should generally be at least 290. That is why Kromah feels like somebody who could spend a year on the practice squad reworking his body. That is what Robertson-Harris did a few years ago, and it worked out.
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Then again, Eberflus has never had a problem working with players who have tweener frames. He loves guys who can play inside and outside. They can be so valuable on stunts. Gervon Dexter is a perfect example. Kromah isn’t as big, but he is similar in length and has enough power to offer interesting matchup variety. Much of this depends on how he performs in training camp and the preseason. Yet the numbers don’t lie. The Chicago Bears have a serious prospect here. If he were coming from a bigger school, he almost certainly would’ve been drafted.
@TomWaddleToldYa: “What happened to guys having normal names like Reggie White and Bruce Smith?” This from a guy named Tom Waddle Told Ya, ???
Well, if Kromah did nothing at Rutgers (which is in the big 10, so they face opponents like Penn, Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan), and then went up against Utah State, Troy, and Coastal Carolina, well, that’s a definite drop off in competition level.
That said, if he dominated at the lower levels, then he has a chance in the NFL. Bulk up a bit, keep refining his technique and moves, and he might make the team. As a UDFA, if he becomes a rotational backup that would be a win.
He is definitely one I want to watch during pre-season and see how he handles playing against the top players in the game at the professional level. If he continues to show out during the pre-season and proves capable of handling the talent level and jump at the HFL level, he will be one of the steals of this draft season.
What happened to guys having normal names like Reggie White and Bruce Smith?
There is no chance Keith Joseph makes the team. 😀