Three things to know about Falcons undrafted rookie QB Jack Strand: The engineering physics graduate making noise in preseason

The National Football Foundation named Strand one of 15 finalists for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy, nicknamed the "Academic Heisman." As part of being named a finalist, he earned an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and a $5,000 grant he could give to the school. He presented the grant to physics professor Ananda Shastri, one of his mentors, in December 2025.

 "You know, I'm still trying to convince him to go into physics," Shastri joked, via Nolan Schmidt of Minnesota-Moorhead's website.

Why did Jack Strand go undrafted? 

Strand already faced an uphill battle as a DII prospect (a level below the FBS and FCS). His chances of hearing his name called on draft day plummeted further when he didn't receive an invite to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. He could've improved his draft stock significantly if he had. 

Listed at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, Strand has the size teams covet in QBs. He also clearly has an above-average arm. Against Indianapolis, he averaged a solid 12.5 yards per attempt. The combination of size and arm strength makes him an intriguing project QB. 

"Strand obviously faces a major jump in competition, but he has an intriguing developmental skill set with a whip for an arm, promising field vision and the processing to spread the ball around the field," wrote The Athletic's Dane Brugler in his scouting report.

What are Jack Strand's chances of making the Falcons 53-man roster

NFL teams will cut their rosters from 90 to 53 players by Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. ET. Strand remains on the bubble, despite his efforts against the Colts. The Falcons' current roster features three other QBs: Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. and Cooper Rush. The team isn't expected to keep all four passers.  

Tagovailoa and Penix are competing for the starting job. On Saturday, Penix was cleared for 11-on-11 drills after missing the first two preseason games due to a partial ACL tear suffered last season. Rush, meanwhile, may have an edge in the QB3 battle with Strand after going 9-7 in the regular season in his first eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. In Saturday's preseason contest, Rush went 10-of-11 passing for 86 yards. 

"I thought [Rush and Strand] made good decisions," Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said in a postgame news conference, per The Athletic's Josh Kendall. "There were some unique looks we got during the game that we haven't seen a ton in the last week, and I thought they both saw it clearly. The ball went where the ball was supposed to go the majority of the time."

Even if Strand doesn't make the final 53-man roster, his NFL career could be far from over. Atlanta may consider adding him to its practice squad if no one picks him up on the waiver wire. The practice squad is a pool of players who don't count against the roster but still practice and serve as emergency replacements. Teams can have up to 17 practice-squad players (one slot reserved for an International Pathway Player participant) and elevate them to the active roster up to three times before signing them.