Alvin Kamara. Fred Warner. Cooper Kupp. Mark Andrews. Orlando Brown, Jr. Chris Godwin. Terry McLaurin. Trey Hendrickson. Kareem Hunt.
All players taken in the third rounds of their respective drafts over the last few years, and nearly all of them would be first-round (or early second-round) picks in any re-draft.
Maybe you came from a smaller school. Maybe you showed up at combine unready to back up your tape. Maybe you played at a position that has a decreased sense of value in the NFL today. Whatever the reason, just because the league doesn’t deem you worthy of anything more than a third-round selection doesn’t mean that you can’t transcend it with your play on the field.
Among the players selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft, here are the ones I believe most ready to do just that.
Philadelphia Eagles: Sydney Brown, S, Illinois (66th overall pick)
Denver Broncos: Drew Sanders, LB/EDGE, Arkansas (67th overall pick)
Detroit Lions: Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee (68th overall pick)
Houston Texans: Nathaniel "Tank" Dell (69th overall pick)
New York Giants: Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee (73rd overall pick)
Cleveland Browns: Cedric Tillman, WR, Tennessee (74th overall pick)
Indianapolis Colts: Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina (79th overall pick)
Tennessee Titans: Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane (81st overall pick)
Denver Broncos: Riley Moss, CB, Iowa (83rd overall pick)
Miami Dolphins: Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M (84th overall pick)
Los Angeles Chargers: Daiyan Henley, LB, Washington State (85th overall pick)
Baltimore Ravens: Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson (86th overall pick)
San Francisco 49ers: Ji'Ayir Brown, S, Penn State (87th overall pick)
Buffalo Bills; Dorian Williams, LB, Tulane (91st overall pick)
Pittsburgh Steelers: Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia (93rd overall pick)
Cleveland Browns: Siaki Ika, DT, Baylor (98th overall pick)
