Undrafted players, such as Vikings safety Anthony Harris, are making their mark

Six of the 22 position players on Pro Football Focus' All-Week 1 NFL team didn't have their names called during that red-blooded, three-day American holiday known as the NFL draft.

That's two more than the number of former first-round picks who made that same PFF team.

"What we preach around here is to forget where you were drafted or if you were drafted," said Vikings safety Anthony Harris, a five-year veteran undrafted out of Virginia.

That's not a sermon that's exclusive to the Vikings. But they have belted a few home runs with the likes of Adam Thielen and a couple of Hall of Famers named Mick Tingelhoff and John Randle.

But the process of turning over rocks never ends. In promoting cornerback Nate Meadors and tight end Brandon Dillon from the practice squad this week, the Vikings head to Green Bay with 13 players who weren't drafted. For nine of them, the Vikings are their first NFL team.

For undrafted players, there seems to be less pressure to succeed because there are no expectations. They don't have to carry the burden of their draft pick around for years, à la Laquon Treadwell, the 2016 first-rounder who didn't survive final cuts this year.

Then again, Vikings undrafted rookie defensive tackle Hercules Mata'afa makes a strong counterpoint.

Point well taken.

The ascendance of Harris' career continued this week when he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his two interceptions and a fumble recovery in the 28-12 win over the Falcons.

"The award feels good an all," Harris said. "But, for me, that's what I expect of myself, to play at a high level. Come back and do it again next week."

If Harris hadn't won NFC Defensive Player of the Week award, chances are another former undrafted player would have.

In a win at Carolina, Rams inside linebacker Cory Littleton had 14 tackles, two passes defensed, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and a key interception late in a one-score game. Undrafted out of Washington, the 25-year-old received PFF's highest rating (94.3) of any NFL player in Week 1.

Not making the cut for PFF's All-Week 1 team was Cameron Wake, the 37-year-old veteran who went undrafted in 2005, was out of football in 2006, starred in the CFL for two years and broke into the NFL in 2009. After 10 seasons in Miami, his Titans debut on Sunday included 2 ½ sacks in a 30-point blowout of an overhyped Browns team in Cleveland.

It's possible Harris could be moving on as well next year. Playing on a one-year, $3 million deal, this former rookie free agent could command star compensation from the Vikings or someone else in 2020.

"I didn't take the draft personal," Harris said. "For me, it was injury. I had just had shoulder surgery. But as long as you get the opportunity, there's always going to be hidden gems who slip through the cracks."