2026 Post-Draft Thoughts: Rounds 2 and 3
These are my draft notes. This has been one of the site’s more popular pieces over the last few years, and has become an annual tradition. These notes should provide context for the 2026 NFL draft picks - who was a reach, who was a value, and the scenarios that various teams had when they were making picks. Hopefully it will provide a handy reference point in future years. We already recapped Round 1 here. This column will pick up where we left off and evaluate the picks from Day 2 of the draft.
ROUND 2
2.01 (33 overall) - San Francisco 49ers (via NYJ) - De’Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss. Most of the film bros loved this guy and projected him as a second round pick, but I was not able to get behind that based on the analytical profile. My opinion is that this guy got steamed up due to a good showing in the college football playoff, just like Matthew Golden last year. I had a sixth round grade on Stribling, so using this lofty draft capital seemed like a massive reach to me.
2.02 (34) - Arizona Cardinals - Chase Bisontis, G, TAMU. Bisontis is an early-declare with elite athleticism. I had a high second round grade on him, so this was an appropriate pick, especially for an Arizona team that needed to fortify its offensive line.
2.03 (35) - Buffalo Bills (via TEN) - T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson. Parker was projected as a first round pick at the end of the 2024 season, but floundered in 2025. Par for the course for the highly regarded Clemson players this year, I suppose. He’s still a talented pass rusher and an early declare who has strong athleticism and above-average pass rush production in college. This was a solid pick for a Buffalo team that has been looking to find a reliable pass rusher for what seems like a decade.
2.04 (36) - Houston Texans (via LV) - Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State. McDonald was a top-20 player for me, so I love this pick. Houston already had a filthy defense, so the rich get richer. Very smart of them to jump up two spots to get ahead of the Giants, who were looking to replace Dexter Lawrence, whom they traded to Cincinnati last week for the 10th pick.
2.05 (37) - New York Giants - Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee. The final player invited to the NFL draft remaining in the green room, Hood is a great addition to a Giants team that has had weaknesses in the secondary for seemingly forever. Although many had a first round grade on Hood, he was always a high 2 for me, so this is right where he should have gone. The third-year sophomore is an elite athlete and held up well in SEC play.
2.06 (38) - Las Vegas Raiders (via HOU from WAS) - Treydan Stukes, S, Arizona. I had a first round grade on Stukes, albeit as a corner, so this is a good get for the Raiders. He’s a third team All-American and superb athlete (9.95 RAS, 15th-best all time among corners) who graded out above 90, per PFF. I had him as a corner but it appears that the Raiders plan to deploy him primarily at safety, based on how he was announced on the draft card. If there are any nits to pick, it’s that he’s a lot older than you like your rookies to be. He turns 25 at the start of the season, which is the age when most NFL players are receiving their second contract. Also, for what it’s worth, I was surprised the Raiders went with a defensive back instead of an offensive lineman or wide receiver to help out first overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
2.07 (39) - Cleveland Browns - Denzel Boston, WR, Washington. Many in the draft community fawned over Boston, but if I’m being candid, his profile is worrisome. This is a guy who never had 65 catches in a season or 900 yards, despite playing without much target competition the past 2 years. He averaged just 29 yards per game over his first three years (although you could perhaps excuse that due to playing with Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk, Jalen McMillan, and Germie Bernard for part of that time), but even in his best season he failed to eclipse 75 yards per game (85.0 is my typical threshold). He’s also not much of a tackle-breaker, forcing just 8 missed tackles in his best season. He’s below 2.0 yards per route run versus zone. He’s barely above 2.0 yards per route run for his career (2.02). If you like him, you’ll note that almost 80% of his catches last year went for a first down or a touchdown, and that he’s an established red zone weapon. But all of his red flags led me to grade him as a late second/early third round value, so this selection felt high to me.
2.08 (40) - Kansas City Chiefs - R Mason Thomas, DE, Oklahoma. Yeesh. Reach. His 3-cone was terrible and the rest of his athletic testing was just average. He had a good pass rush grade in college (above 90), but never had more than 35 pressures in a single season (which is a bad total). I had him as more of a third rounder, so it was quite a surprise to see him go in the top 40 picks.
2.09 (41) - Cincinnati Bengals - Cashius Howell, DE, TAMU. A first team All-American who posted PFF pass rush grades above 90 for three straight years, including 2 in the SEC. He has shorter than desirable arms, but he showed in SEC play that it didn’t really matter. This is the infusion to the pass rush that the Bengals desperately needed. The biggest need on the Bengals’ roster was a linebacker, and there were some great values on the board in Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez and Georgia’s CJ Allen. But instead of forcing the issue to fill their biggest need, the Bengals showed us some new stripes by taking the best player available regardless of position. Many pundits expected Howell to go in the first round, and with good reason.
2.10 (42) - New Orleans Saints - Christen Miller, DT, Georgia. The only DT I rated higher than Miller was Kayden McDonald, who went just a few picks earlier. The fourth-year junior was battle-tested in the SEC and is the only tackle in this draft class other than McDonald with a run defense grade above 90. This is a smart selection for a rebuilding Saints defense.
2.11 (43) - Miami Dolphins - Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech. The first team All-American with the recognizable mustache and mastery of the “Peanut Punch” was one of my favorite players in this draft class. He is a maestro at forcing turnovers, particularly fumbles, and should have been drafted in Round 1. Miami is very clearly trying to build a solid core around whatever quarterback it ends up drafting in Round 1 of the 2027 draft.
2.12 (44) - Detroit Lions (via NYJ from DAL) - Derrick Moore, DE, Michigan. A captain for one of college football’s blue bloods? An accomplished starter with a pass rush grade above 92 who can also play the run? A dude who tallied 118 pressures in college and put up double digit sacks in his best season? Yeah, a dude like that is going to get the attention of NFL teams. Moore gets to “stay home” by playing his pro ball in the state of Michigan, where he will aim to start opposite fellow Wolverine Aidan Hutchinson on the defensive line.
2.13 (45) - Baltimore Ravens - Zion Young, DE, Mizzou. Dudes like Young are always more popular with teams than with draftniks. Although he doesn’t have eye-popping stats (good but not great), he does have eye-popping size: 6’6, 262. He was a team captain in the SEC who was stout against the run (86.6 grade) and good enough rushing the passer (82.7). My concern with Young is that he doesn’t have high-level athleticism, as his 10-yard split was slower than average for the position and his jumps showed only average explosiveness. He seems like the sort of guy that could be in the league for a long time but is unlikely to be much of a sack artist.
2.14 (46) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Josiah Trotter, LB, Mizzou. The third-year sophomore has NFL bloodlines (his dad, Jeremiah Trotter, was a star for the Eagles) and he was widely expected to go in Round 2 of the draft. No surprises here.
2.15 (47) - Pittsburgh Steelers (via IND) - Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama. I laughed out loud at this pick. Massive reach. I had a late third round grade on Bernard, and I thought I was being generous. He seems like the sort of guy that will stick around in the NFL a long time, but I have a hard time seeing him blossoming into a star. It’s wild to me that the Steelers traded up to get him.
2.16 (48) - Atlanta Falcons - Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson. I wasn’t as high on Terrell as many others. I feel like he’s getting elevated because of who his brother is (A.J. Terrell). The younger Terrell ran a 4.64 forty-yard-dash, and there aren’t a whole lot of successful NFL corners who have been that slow. There were some rumors that he pulled his hamstring during that run, though, so maybe it’s an artificially slow time. I guess we’ll see!
2.17 (49) - Carolina Panthers (via MIN) - Lee Hunter, NT, Texas Tech. If you watch the tape on Hunter, you love him. If you followed him during Senior Bowl practices, you love him. If you focus on his athleticism… you have some concerns. He’s got a sub-6.00 relative athletic score. The question I have is, how much does athleticism matter at defensive tackle? We’re about to find out. Despite his subpar athleticism, he led all defensive tackles in this draft class with 81 total pressures throughout his college career. I had a second-round grade on the second team All-American, so I guess I’m trusting the tape and stats over the athleticism, but it’s easy to see why he was a Round 2 prospect, not a Round 1 guy.
2.18 (50) - New York Jets (via DET) - DeAngelo Ponds, CB, Indiana. This kid is a dawg. He would have fit into any scheme in the NFL as their nickel corner. The true junior had a lot of great battles during Indiana’s national championship winning season, and acquitted himself well, posting an 89.9 PFF grade. This is a nice get for a Jets team whose secondary didn’t pick off a single pass in 2025.
2.19 (51) - Minnesota Vikings (via CAR) - Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati. I had a second-round grade on Golday, but I must admit, I am slightly concerned about his forty time in the 4.6s. Does he have the speed to play the position at high level in the NFL? Is he going to be able to cover slot WRs or speedy running backs?
2.20 (52) - Green Bay Packers - Brandon Cisse, DB, South Carolina. This is a traits-over-production pick. Cisse was very average during his college career, and had the lowest PFF grade of any corner drafted in the first two rounds (75.2). Most players grades do not improve when they enter the league. Also, he did not complete enough drills to have a relative athletic score, which concerns me that he might not be much other than a straight-line athlete. Gotta be able to flip them hips to play corner at a high level.
2.21 (53) - Indianapolis Colts (via PIT) - CJ Allen, LB, Georgia. Love the player, love the pick, love the fit. I had a first round grade on the former first team All-American.
2.22 (54) - Philadelphia Eagles - Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt. One of my favorite players in the draft, and this is such an excellent team fit. Stowers started his college career as a highly recruited quarterback, but he really blossomed once he transferred and transitioned to tight end. He has the highest PFF grade in the class (86.9), a RAS of 9.46 (Top 75 at tight end since 1987), a speed score of 114 (anything above 112 is elite), and is the only tight end in the class with a career Y/RR average above 2.0 (and he was at 2.34). The people that don’t like him will tell you he’s not much of a blocker, so he’ll only be in on passing snaps. Who cares? Have you noticed how much 12 and 13 personnel the NFL is running these days? This guy is gonna feast on NFL defenses.
2.23 (55) - New England (via LAC) - Gabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois. I originally had Jacas in my top 32 of my big board but moved him down just a tick a couple weeks before the draft. This is a really nice player, though, and a good get for the Patriots. The draft community at large was sleeping a bit on the Illini captain, who has elite athleticism and the stats to match (142 pressures, 28 sacks overall, double-digit sacks in his best season).
2.24 (56) - Jacksonville Jaguars - Nate Boerkircher, TE, TAMU. Biggest reach of the draft so far, hands down. I had an undrafted free agent grade on him. James Gladstone is in over his head.
2.25 (57) - Chicago Bears - Logan Jones, C, Iowa. The first team All-American was a 2x captain at Iowa. Chicago gets really fortunate here, as its starting center, Pro Bowler Drew Dalman, abruptly retired this offseason, but they have the consensus top center fall into their lap on draft day. Value meets need.
2.26 (58) - Cleveland Brown (via SF) - Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo. Another dude who many thought would go in the first round, the third team All-American posted an elite PFF grade (91.9, best among all safeties in the class) and gets to stay in Ohio with the Browns. Strong pick for Cleveland getting a first round talent this late.
2.27 (59) - Houston Texans - Marlon Klein, TE, Michigan. This was a reach. Klein had a 7th round/UDFA grade for me. He’s got a great speed score and elite athleticism but not much else to brag about, other than the fact that he was a captain at Michigan.
2.28 (60) - Tennessee Titans (via CHI from BUF) - Anthony Hill, LB, Texas. The former five-star recruit and second team All-American was the last of the top linebackers on my board. My suspicion is that he’s ticketed for the “Fred Warner” role in new head coach Robert Saleh’s defense.
2.29 (61) - LA Rams - Max Klare, TE, Ohio State. After using a top-50 pick on a tight end last year (Terrance Ferguson), the Rams go back to the well. It’s hardly surprising, though, since they have become one of the league leaders in 13 personnel usage. Klare was an absolute monster at Purdue, though he became overshadowed a bit once he transferred to Ohio State and had to compete with Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate for touches. He’s a better player than his Ohio State numbers would indicate, and was certainly worthy of this selection.
2.30 (62) - Buffalo Bills (via DEN) - Davison Igbinosun, CB, Ohio State. I had a third round grade on Igbinosun, but I’m not going to quibble with the guy getting drafted 3 picks before the third round starts. He’s got good size as a 6’2 corner, good speed (4.45), and outstanding arm length (33”).
2.31 (63) - Los Angeles Chargers (via NE) - Jake Slaughter, iOL, Florida. Slaughter was a center in college, but the Chargers listed him as a guard on their draft card. I had a third-round grade on the second-team All-American and Florida captain. His run-blocking and pass-blocking grades were both above 78.0 for three straight years. That’s exactly the sort of consistency NFL teams are looking for.
2.32 (64) - Seattle Seahawks - Bud Clark, S, TCU. I had a late second round grade on the 6th-year senior. He’s got 4.4 speed to go along with an 89.8 PFF grade, as well as a best-in-class 15 picks and 20 pass breakups. The reigning-champion Seahawks love to play 3 safeties, so you know they’re going to find ways to get Clark on the field.
ROUND 3
3.01 (65) - Arizona Cardinals - Carson Beck, QB, Miami. This is a sensible pick for a rebuilding team. They jettisoned Kyler Murray in the offseason, and presumptive starter Jacoby Brissett - who ain’t all that and a bag of chips - wants more guaranteed money. Beck, at this price, is a good gamble. He started a ton fo games in college (42, more than any other drafted QB this year), for two different major programs (Georgia and Miami) and has a QBR above the magic number of 81.5. The problem is, he’s not great under pressure, so that’s going to have to change for him to have any chance of being a quality starter in the NFL. But he should have a floor as a decent backup. If he winds up being better than expected, the Cardinals get a long-term starter for cheap. But if not, the third round is just fine to grab a reliable QB2.
3.02 (66) - Denver Broncos (via BUF from TEN) - Tyler Onyedim, DT, TAMU. I was a good bit lower on Onyedim, and had a fifth round grade on him. I saw a 3-tech who isn’t particularly explosive (1.69 10 yard split) but who can play the run well (83.5 grade). He had 66 total pressures in college, but I think that comes more from playing on a line with Cashius Howell than it does from Onyedim’s innate talent.
3.03 (67) - Las Vegas Raiders - Keyron Crawford, DE, Auburn. Another guy the NFL liked more than I did. I had a 4th round grade on Crawford but he went early in the third. His pass rush grade was okay, but he never had more than 7 sacks in any college season. He only had 14 sacks over his college career, which is a subpar number. I see him as a rotational guy but he was drafted at a starter-level price tag.
3.04 (68) - Philadelphia Eagles (via NYJ) - Markel Bell, OT, Miami. Yet another guy the NFL liked more than me. I think he got the CFP bump. Evaluators see you in more big games, they like you more. But overall, Bell’s skill level doesn’t match his massive size. He’s a dreadful run blocker (66.0 PFF grade) and an above-average pass protected. His success rate is also average. If you like him, you’ll tout the fact that he did not allow a sack as a senior. If you don’t like him, you’ll complain that he had six false starts last year. Many NFL teams cannot tolerate that lack of discipline.
3.05 (69) - Chicago Bears (via HOU via NYG) - Sam Roush, TE, Stanford. Roush is a tremendous athlete (9.94 RAS, top 10 all time) but was not very productive. He’s worth the draft capital due to his size (6’6, 267 lbs.) and athleticism alone, though. This pick tells me that the Bears are looking at running more and more 13 personnel, since they already have Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet.
3.06 (70) - San Francisco 49ers (via CLE) - Romello Height, DE, Texas Tech. I had a fourth round grade on Height. He did not break out until he was a 6th year senior, and likely benefitted from playing on the same defensive front as David Bailey and Lee Hunter. Still, you can’t ignore his explosive jumps (39” vertical, 10’5 broad) and outstanding pass rush grade (92.6).
3.07 (71) - Washington Commanders - Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson. I had a late fourth round grade on Williams. He broke out early in college (age 19) but then never really improved. He averaged 52.48 yards per game over his first three seasons (a really good number), but never eclipsed 65 yards per game in any season. His career Y/RR is below 2.0 and he’s particularly bad against zone, which is strange for a slot-only player. He does have a 6.76 3-cone drill, which suggests elite quickness. My guess is that he plays a role out of the slot for the Commanders, running routes primarily at or near the line of scrimmage, as he is not much of a downfield threat.
3.08 (72) - Cincinnati Bengals - Tacario Davis, CB, Washington. Late 4th round grade for me. I do not understand what Cincinnati was doing here. Davis has good length (6’4, 33.3” arms) and athleticism, but he was one of the bottom-5 graded corners in this draft class. This felt like Cincinnati reaching to fill a need.
3.09 (73) - New Orleans Saints - Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia. Delp had a crazy-good speed score of 120.56, and a relative athletic score of 9.82 (26th-best all time). That alone was likely going to get him drafted on Day 2. Based on what I saw in the rest of his profile, though - in particular, poor PFF grades and horrendous Y/RR numbers - I had a sixth round grade on him. This is the sort of guy I could easily be wrong on, though, due to that athleticism.
3.10 (74) - New York Giants (via KC) - Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame. I’m a Notre Dame fanboy, but I wasn’t quite this high on Fields. I thought he was more of a 4th round guy. The Notre Dame captain is slow for a WR (4.61 forty), poor against zone (sub-2.0 y/rr), and runs a limited route tree. But if you like him, you’ll note that he dominated Senior Bowl week, and that 75% of his catches were for a first down or touchdown in 2025. He as used as a deep threat in college, but seems to project better as a “big slot” (6’4, 218) in the NFL.
3.11 (75) - Miami Dolphins - Caleb Douglas, WR, Texas Tech. Candidly, I did not have a draftable grade on Douglas. There is nothing special about his profile.
3.12 (76) - Pittsburgh Steelers (via DAL) - Drew Allar, QB, Penn State. The Steelers are reeling in this draft. Rumor has it that they wanted Ty Simpson in Round 1 but never had a chance when the Rams took him at 13. They pivoted to Makai Lemon, and were actually on the phone with him telling him they were going to select him when the Eagles, who were on the clock at the time, swooped in and picked him. So they went to the guy who was, at best, their third choice, Max Iheanachor. In Round 2, they went on tilt and traded up for Germie Bernard, taking him at least a round and a half before he should have gone. And in Round 3, they take a wild swing on Drew Allar, who looks like he was drawn up in a lab but whose play is simply erratic.
3.13 (77) - Green Bay Packers (via TB) - Chris McClellan, DT, Mizzou. I had an undrafted grade on McClellan. His PFF grades were average and he’s not much of a pass rusher.
3.14 (78) - Indianapolis Colts - AJ Haulcy, S, LSU. I had a first round grade on Haulcy. He had 277 tackles in college (more than 40 more than the next-closest safety in this draft class) to go along with 10 picks and 15 pass breakups. He posted an 86.6 PFF grade and has good size at 6’0, 215 pounds. What’s not to like? I am genuinely surprised this player fell this far.
3.15 (79) - Atlanta Falcons - Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia. At one time the top high school wide receiver recruit in America who committed to USC, Branch fell to this point in the draft because he’s small and his production came from schemed-up, gimmicky touches at or near the line of scrimmage. He ran screens on over 25% of his routes. That’s a hard way to make a living in the NFL, especially when you’re 5’9, 177 lbs. Branch is a player in the Tavon Austin mold - he can play a role, but it’s unlikely an offense is designed around him. However, to be fair to him, he did put up a Y/RR versus man coverage of 4.34 in 2025 (and no, that’s not a typo).
3.16 (80) - Baltimore Ravens - Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, USC. This is a really interesting prospect. He’s a true junior who is tall and long and was reasonably productive in college, including a season with 12 TDs. He’s particularly good versus man defenses, with a Y/RR above 3.0 in 2025. His career Y/RR is slightly subpar (1.95), but he had strong target competition from first-round pick Makai Lemon. He seems like he could be a nice complementary piece for an NFL team as its third wide receiver.
3.17 (81) - Jacksonville Jaguars (via DET) - Albert Regis, DT, TAMU. Like his teammate Tyler Onyedim, I just didn’t get the appeal with Regis. He spent five years at Texas A&M and wasn’t particularly noteworthy, generating only 29 total pressures over all that time. If you like him, you’ll note that he had a 1.72-second ten-yard split, which suggests that perhaps he’s got a quick enough get-off to be more productive in the pros than he was in college. Still, this felt like a huge reach. I graded Regis as a late Day 3 prospect.
3.18 (82) - Minnesota Vikings - Domonique Orange, DT, Iowa State. Big Citrus! Orange is a nose tackle who is average at both defending the run and rushing the passer. To be clear, in this context, I use “average” as a compliment, because I mean “league-average.” That is, Orange can be a reliable part of Minnesota’s defensive line rotation, as he should be able to play on any (or all) downs. He went right around where I had him slotted.
3.19 (83) - Carolina Panthers - Chris Brazzell, WR, Tennessee. Come getcha a little Brazzell Dazzle! The third team All-American was productive at Tulane before transferring to Tennessee. He’s a true vertical threat who generally graded well and exceeded 2.0 Y/RR vs. man and 3.0 Y/RR vs. zone. He’s really, really skinny though, comes out of a gimmicky offense, and lined up almost exclusively to the right side of the formation, which often has a negative correlation to NFL success. Still, this feels like the right time in the draft to take a swing on this type of player. Playerprofiler compares him to Robbie “Chosen” Anderson, and that feels like a good comparison.
3.20 (84) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (via GB) - Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State. Nope. No thank you. The NFL was much more interested in this small school product than I was. I heard Field Yates years ago give a general rule of thumb on evaluating small school prospects - something to the effect of, “If you’re going to come from a D2 school, you’d better be dominant.” Hurst came from a small school, but he was anything but dominant. Never had double digit touchdowns. Never had 1,000 yards in a season. Failed to eclipse 2.0 Y/RR versus man this past year. Barely exceeded 2.0 Y/RR overall for his career. NFL teams like him because he had 34 catches of 20+ yards over the past 2 years, which led the FBS. But big catches against the Future Gym Teachers of America ain’t all that impressive, ya know? I had a 4th round grade on Hurst, and even then, he was steamed up my board due to the overall quality of the class more so than his talent.
3.21 (85) - Pittsburgh Steelers - Daylen Everette, DB, Georgia. The former 5-star recruit just never really put it all together in college. He’s got good size (6’1) and speed (4.38), but his PFF grades leave a lot to be desired (69.7). He was a fifth rounder for me.
3.22 (86) - Cleveland Browns (via LAC) - Austin Barber, LT, Florida. Offensive tackle beyond the early rounds is one of the hardest positions to evaluate. Barber posted an elite run blocking grade (90.0) in the SEC and good athleticism (9.81 RAS). In hindsight, I was probably too low on him with a 6th round grade, but the reason for my concern was that he posted a success rate below 94%, and the hit rate is just really bad for guys that low.
3.23 (87) - Miami Dolphins (via PHI) - Will Kacmarek, TE, Ohio State. More of a blocker than a receiving threat. Seventh round grade.
3.24 (88) - Jacksonville Jaguars - Emmanuel Pregnon, OG, Oregon. I cannot fathom how this first team All-American lasted this long. Top 15 player for me. All of his PFF grades (run blocking, pass blocking, overall) were above 85.0 - the only interior offensive lineman in this class who can boast those totals across the board. He’s also got a relative athletic score of 9.18. Great get by the Jags.
3.25 (89) - Chicago Bears - Zavion Thomas, WR, LSU. No idea what the Bears were doing here unless this was purely a special teams pick. Not productive as a receiver and not a touchdown-maker. I had an undrafted grade on him.
3.26 (90) - San Francisco 49ers (via MIA from HOU) - Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana. What the what? Seriously? Round 3? I had a sixth round grade on the sixth-year senior. He doesn’t catch many passes (only 8 total receptions at Indiana) and isn’t particularly adept at forcing missed tackles. This seems like another draft-day miss at running back from John Lynch & Co. The running backs drafted by Lynch as GM of the 49ers include Joe Williams, Elijah Mitchell, Trey Sermon, Tyron Davis-Price, Isaac Guerendo, and Jordan James. That’s not a great sign for Black’s prospects.
3.27 (91) - Las Vegas (via BUF) - Trey Zuhn III, iOL, TAMU. This is a good bit higher than I had the 2x captain, who was a four-year starter at left tackle for the Aggies. He had a ridiculous 96.8 pass blocking grade in 2025, but it’s hard to discern how that will translate to a move inside. Even though I had a 5th round grade on Zuhn, I do like it that the Raiders are making moves to fortify their offensive line.
3.28 (92) - Dallas Cowboys (via SF) - Jaishawn Barham, LB, Michigan. This is an appropriate range for the Michigan defender. He had a run defense grade above 90 and has functional athleticism (8.82 RAS). His pass rush is still a work in progress but he has the explosiveness and short-area quickness to improve in that area with the right coaching. I thought he was more of a fourth rounder, but at the end of the third, close enough.
3.29 (93) - LA Rams - Keagen Trost, RT, Mizzou. I openly celebrated this pick. A lot of mock draft “experts” had Trost with a late Day 3 grade, but I stuck to my guns and kept him in Round 3, so I felt vindicated by this selection. Trost, as you might expect from a 7th year senior, is a good bit older than most rookies (25), but his performance of late has been great. He posted his best PFF grades during his time at Mizzou (following stops at Morgan State, Indiana State, and Wake Forest), with a 92.0 PFF grade this past season, bolstered by a 91.4 run blocking grade and an 85.4 pass blocking grade. The third team All-American also had a success rate above 96%, which is an elite number for offensive tackles. Nice get by a team that always seems to maximize the value of their midround selections.
3.30 (94) - Miami Dolphins - Chris Bell, WR, Louisville. This is appropriate for a talented player coming off a torn ACL. I had heard some rumblings that Bell was getting late first round consideration, but that never made sense to me given the late breakout and the knee injury. Bell racked up an impressive 31% target share and posted a career Y/RR above 2.0, so he hits the metrics we like to see. If there is cause for concern, it’s that he averaged fewer than 35 YPG over his first three seasons, which generally is a bad sign for his prospects as an NFL star. He also averaged fewer than 85 YPG in his best season, although just barely (83.4), and who knows what would have happened if he didn’t get injured as a senior, when he was dominating. It is concerning that he wasn’t a big touchdown scorer in college though (never more than 6), but, again, he got injured his senior year. Another potentially concerning issue is that he played exclusively on the right side. Typically guys who line up exclusively on one side of the formation have trouble adjusting to the NFL.
3.31 (95) - New England Patriots - Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame. I’ve watched nearly all of the great tight ends that have come out of Notre Dame in the past 20 years. Raridon is at the low end of that phylum. I didn’t like him as much as last year’s 5th rounder, Mitchell Evans. He looks the part, but his play always left me wanting more. He seems somewhere on the spectrum between Durham Smythe and Troy Niklas, if you’re wanting comps to former Irish tight ends.
3.32 (96) - Pittsburgh Steelers (via SEA) - Gennings Dunker, G, Iowa. The most beautiful man in the draft, sporting a trademark ginger mustache and flowing ginger mullet. It helps that he’s a darn good football player, too. I had a second round grade on Dunker, so this was a steal at the end of round 3 for the Stillers. He was exclusively a right tackle in college, so there is a bit of a projection, but I feel good about the player. He had PFF grades above 90 both overall and in pass blocking.
3.33 (97) - Minnesota Vikings - Caleb Tiernan, OT, Northwestern. I had a fourth round grade on the Northwestern captain. The fifth-year senior is an excellent pass blocker (88.9), but is a little below par in run blocking (74.8). He is a good athlete and is ideally suited for a swing tackle role, as he had significant experience in college playing on both the right side (502 snaps) and left (2,437 snaps).
3.34 (98) - Minnesota Vikings (via PHI) - Jakobe Thomas, S, Miami. Good value. Thomas was a fourth round talent for me, and posted a solid 87.3 PFF grade. He’s another guy whose profile was probably slightly elevated due to a deep run in the college football playoff.
3.35 (99) - Seattle Seahawks (via PIT) - Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas. I had a 4th round grade on Neal, so pick 99 is right in that range. He has good size, speed, and athleticism.
3.36 (100) - Jacksonville Jaguars - Jalen Huskey, CB, Maryland. I had Huskey graded as a safety, and an undrafted one. The Jaguars wild draft continues. Huskey had only 1 pass breakup while in the Power 4 (he spent 2 years at Bowling Green and 2 years at Maryland), but had 11 picks throughout his college career.