The NFL Draft is over and every draft pick has been made. There were 257 draft selections but plenty more players that did not get to hear their name called. Despite being known as an undrafted free agent, those UDFA’s make up 30 percent of the NFL with many going on to have productive careers.
The Buffalo Bills signed 13 of those players with the hopes that they can make the roster. Whether they make the Bills roster or get a shot elsewhere is anyone’s guess, but they got the invite and know they belong in the NFL.
Some of the players are coming in with injury concerns that may have contributed to them not being drafted. Others may have not been talented enough to be drafted but their lack of injury history and availability may be the reason they ultimately succeed.
Read below for injury histories and analysis.
Note: Many of these players are from smaller schools or have had multiple stops and injury information is incredibly difficult to find or simply does not exist. As more information becomes available, it will be added.
UDFA Injury History
Kennesaw State WR Gabriel Benyard
2024 Kennesaw State
Undisclosed injury vs Louisiana, missed five games.
Benyard suffered an undisclosed injury in the first quarter and missed the following five games.
Virginia Tech DT Kody Huisman
No publicly reported injuries.
Missouri State CB Jordan Dunbar
No publicly reported injuries.
Arkansas DB Kani Walker
2023 Oklahoma
Undisclosed injury, vs Cincinatti, missed 2 games.
Undisclosed injury, vs BYU, missed 1 game.
2025 Arkansas
Undisclosed injury, spring practices.
Walker missed a portion of spring football as he dealt with nagging injuries.
Concussion, vs Ole Miss, missed 1 game.
Walker took a knee to the back of the helmet early in the fourth quarter and needed to be stretchered off the field.
Syracuse OT Da’Metrius Weatherspoon
2022 Howard
Undisclosed season ending injury
Weatherspoon suffered an undisclosed season ending injury while at Howard.
Tennessee Tech LB Theron Gaines
No publicly reported injuries.
Clemson DE Cade Denhoff
2024 Clemson
Undisclosed injury, preseason.
Denhoff was off to the side for preseason practice for an unknown amount of days.
Memphis LB Jayden Flaker
No publicly reported injuries.
Duke OL Bruno Fina
Undisclosed injury, vs UConn, missed 1 game.
Youngstown State WR Max Tomczak
No publicly reported injuries.
Wisconsin FB Jackson Acker
2022 Wisconsin
Concussion/head injury, vs Northwestern, missed 1 game.
Pittsburgh RB Desmond Reid
2023 Western Carolina
Undisclosed injury, vs Chattanooga, missed 3 games.
2024 Pittsburgh
Undisclosed injury, missed 2 games.
Missed two games against Youngstown State and Boston College due to an undisclosed injury.
2025 Pittsburgh
High-ankle sprain, vs Notre Dame, missed 6 total games.
Reid suffered a high-ankle sprain against West Virginia early in the season causing him to miss two games. He returned to play in three games before re-injuring it against NC State and missed one game. He then returned against Notre Dame before injuring it once again, missing the remaining three games of the season.
Kentucky WR Ja’Mori Maclin
2021 Missouri
Arm fracture, fall camp, redshirted.
Maclin suffered an arm fracture in fall camp and missed the entire season before transferring after the season to North Texas.
2024 Kentucky
Core muscle repair, missed portion of spring workouts.
Maclin played through a groin injury in 2024 while at North Texas that eventually required surgery to repair and took three months to rehab from.
2025 Kentucky
Undisclosed injury, vs Tennessee, missed 1 game.
Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis
From what is available, there aren’t many concerns injury wise from this UDFA class.
The most notable injuries are from Benyard, Reid, Maclin, and Weatherspoon. There isn’t any specific injury information on Benyard or Weatherspoon but they are also several years removed from these respective injuries and played the following seasons.
Maclin has some notable injuries including the arm fracture and core muscle repair that cost him time or production in those particular seasons. However, there aren’t any lingering concerns once those respective injuries healed.
Reid looks to have the most significant injury history with multiple games missed over the last three seasons. The high-ankle injury is the most publicized issue and we have seen how those can linger all season, most recently observed with Joshua Palmer in 2025. Once these injuries heal, players can typically return to prior level of performance but sometimes do require surgery to clean up the ankle like Khalil Shakir dealt with this offseason.
Looking at the class as a whole, there’s a lot of talent here. Even going undrafted, they have still earned the opportunity to be in the NFL. Every year, there are players who either make the roster outright or start off on the practice squad and work their way up. The odds are certainly stacked against them, but we should see many of these players find a home in Buffalo or elsewhere as they begin their NFL journey.
I’d like to welcome everyone to Buffalo, to remain healthy this season, and the best of luck in making the roster.
Top Photo Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images
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