NFL Draft
3/25/25
8 min read
2025 NFL Draft: 3 Potential Day 3 Picks Who Could Contribute As Rookies
The first round of the NFL Draft always gets the most attention, and it’s deserved. Of the 25 All-Pro selections on offense and defense during the 2024 season, 13 were selected in Round 1. Nine were selected on Day 2, and one was undrafted. However, most of the NFL is made up of players selected on Day 3 or not drafted at all.
Every year, a handful of players who slip to Day 3 end up becoming key starters during their rookie seasons. The 2024 list includes players such as Bucky Irving (No. 125), Mason McCormick (No. 119), Tyrone Tracy (No. 166), and Beaux Limmer (No. 217).
So, who might be the top late-round steal in this year’s draft? Here are three players who could fall in the draft but wind up starting as rookies during the 2025 season. For the purposes of this article, we are using the current consensus board and only naming players who are ranked outside of the top 125 selections as of March 25.
Without further ado, let’s get into the list:
Day 3 Picks Who Contribute As Rookies
Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma
Consensus Board Ranking: 139
There aren’t enough quality linebackers in the NFL, and even the average ones are getting big pay-days in free agency. Look no further than Robert Spillane, a 30-year-old linebacker with limited athletic ability who earned a three-year, $33 million contract this offseason. Teams are dying to find competent linebacker play, which is why Danny Stutsman could be a major steal in the NFL Draft.
It’s tough to figure out why Stutsman is being valued so low by the NFL. Stutsman was a consensus All-American during the 2024 season after his third-straight 100-tackle season. And while tackles certainly aren’t the end-all, be-all for linebackers, Stutsman has been incredibly productive at the collegiate level.
He finished his career with 37 tackles for a loss, eight sacks, eight pass deflections, and three interceptions. He was Oklahoma's best defensive player during the last two seasons and improved each year in Norman.
But Stutsman isn't just some college linebacker with good production. He has NFL size and length, measuring in at 6-foot-3, 233 pounds. Unlike most linebackers of his size, he actually has a lot of juice. Stutsman ran an impressive 4.52 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine with an incredible 1.55 10-yard split. That is a faster 10-yard split than what R.J. Harvey (1.57) and Brashard Smith (1.58), two small running backs who rely on quickness.
Stutsman posted a 9.57 RAS, which was among the best in the 2025 NFL Draft class among linebackers. He checks every size, athleticism, and production box that you would like to see for a college linebacker prospect. Yet, he still isn't getting that much national buzz.
There is no question that Stutman needs to do a better job of reading blocks, and he can be fooled by misdirection and play-action. Still, he is incredible at bringing down runners in the open field, and he has NFL strength. He's just a good overall athlete who is still learning the position, but he's productive and the type of player worth gambling on during the third day of the draft.
Stutsman is reminiscent of Leighton Vander Esch, a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker with the Cowboys who won with his size and speed. If Stutsman can get with the right defensive coach and can play behind a good front, there is no reason why he can’t be productive right away, given his athletic traits.
Look for him to be drafted sometime in Round 4 or 5, but to get on the field early as a rookie.
Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State
Consensus Board Ranking: 130
This is not a strong receiver class, and there is a good chance that only two will be taken in Round 1. However, this class does have some depth, especially from Rounds 3-4. And one of the receivers that stands out the most in that range is Kyle Williams, a super productive receiver from Washington State.
There are 16 receivers ranked ahead of Williams on the consensus board, and it’s hard to fathom why that is the case. Williams played the first three years of his college career at UNLV, catching 117 passes for 1,568 yards and nine touchdowns. However, the move to Washington State put him on the NFL radar, and he recorded more than 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in the last two seasons.
Williams is one of the best route runners in this class, and he has exceptional quickness. Defensive backs have an incredibly hard time even laying a hand on him in press coverage, and he does a great job of creating quick separation. He's all very talented at beating press coverage, which is what young receivers struggle with the most coming out of the college ranks:
Unlike most receivers his size, he’s fantastic after the catch and routinely gets the most out of every reception. That's what makes him such a unique receiver. He can create separation with his quickness and route running, but he can also make defenses pay in the open field. That type of wide receiver is tough to find anywhere in the draft, let alone on Day 3.
Williams' size is modest (5-foot-10, 190 pounds), but he ran a 4.40 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and his speed shows up on tape. He projects as a receiver who can play all three positions in the NFL and can do so right away. Williams was the most impressive receiver at the Senior Bowl, as the nation’s top defensive backs had no chance of covering him in the 1-on-1 drills.
The best NFL comp for Williams is Emmanuel Sanders, who posted big numbers at SMU during his college career. Like Sanders, Williams can play in the slot, but he’s a quick enough route runner to win outside. Williams might not have the size and strength to be a No. 1 receiver, but you can bet that he will be productive right away.
Damien Martinez, RB, Miami (FL)
Consensus Board Ranking: 183
There are several running backs who could make an impact in Year 1 that might be drafted on Day 3. Brashard Smith, R.J. Harvey, Devin Neal, Ollie Gordon, and Bhayshul Tuten are five running backs who are likely to be available by the time the fourth round starts, and all possess NFL starter traits.
We're going with Damien Martinez, a highly productive running back from Oregon State and Miami. In the last two seasons, he’s racked up more than 2,500 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns in 25 games. But there are a ton of productive running backs in this class, so what makes Martinez different?
Martinez's size and athleticism are well above average, measuring in at 6-foot, 217 pounds with a 4.51 40-yard dash. He doesn’t have lightning speed, but that is a good time for a powerful back. And that’s the selling point for Martinez. He runs hard and wins by making plays after contact. He might be the best short-yardage running back in the entire class, as he rarely loses yardage.
One of his best traits is his ability to absorb contact and still fall forward. Martinez does a great job of moving piles, and he finishes runs with anger and intensity. He’s not just a power back, either.
Martinez has pretty good vision and allows the blocks to develop in front of him before taking off. And unlike most power backs, he’s actually laterally quick enough to bounce between different gaps, and his overall foot quickness is well above average for a player of his size.
Martinez has the rare ability to run defenders over, make them miss in the hole, and string together multiple cuts before being contacted. There are very few running backs in the NFL who can move piles as he can and completely juke out a defender in the hole 1-on-1.
He’ll be at his best in a gap scheme, where he can show off his patience and then get downhill quickly once the hole opens up. Teams needing a workhorse back with some attitude will fall in love with Martinez on Day 3. He’s got all the traits to be a starting running back in the NFL, and with the right team, has Pro Bowl upside.
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