Why Undrafted?: Tyreak Sapp

This series was created a number of years ago in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. The positive response to “Why Undrafted” and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media expectations led us to create the parallel series “Why the Slide?” and “Was it a Reach?”

The trio of series is back this year. Feel free to email me requests at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.

Over the past couple of seasons, Tyreak Sapp has been a tough and disruptive defender for the Florida Gators. Sapp was strong at the point of attack and showed some versatility to rush as an end or tackle. In 2024, he had seven sacks with two forced fumbles and 46 tackles. Sapp was active but not as special in 2025, but he had a solid Senior Bowl week. Thus, it was surprising when Sapp went undrafted.

Team sources say that medical concerns caused them to put Sapp in the undrafted ranks. Some team sources said their team tried to sign Sapp, but medical considerations caused Sapp to sign elsewhere. “We tried to sign him,” said an AFC director of college scouting. “Love the kid, edgy dude, loves ball.”

After going undrafted, Sapp signed with the Cleveland Browns, and that was an excellent landing spot. Aside from future Hall of Famer Myles Garrett, Sapp will enter a wide-open competition for a roster spot and playing time across from Garrett. He will have to compete with veterans like Alex Wright, Isaiah McGuire, Julian Okwara, and undrafted free agent Logan Fano. Sapp will have a legitimate shot to make it with the Browns, with Cleveland also having a new coaching staff that is not loyal to previous draft picks or signings. While Sapp might be disappointed he went undrafted, he landed in a great situation to carve out an NFL career.