2025 NFL Draft: 5 key takeaways from Day 3

The 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the books. Here are five takeaways from what transpired on Day 3.

After three long days, the 2025 NFL Draft is over.

In the past 72 hours, 257 collegiate prospects now have new homes and will be looking to prove themselves in the National Football League. Now, teams will diligently be scrambling to collect as many undrafted rookies as possible to round out their roster.

Let’s take a look at five big takeaways (a lot of which are quarterback based) from Day 3 of the NFL Draft!

The Cleveland Browns select Shadeur Sanders in the 5th Round

The slide of Colorado quarterback Shadeur Sanders dominated the headlines for the past 48 hours. And I wouldn’t be surprised if that trend continues across news networks and social media throughout the rest of the weekend.

Even though the Browns took Oregon signal caller Dillion Gabriel in the third round and passed on Sanders on six separate occasions, they moved up ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles early in the fifth round to pick him.

According to most analysts and draftniks, Sanders was viewed as a first or second round talent. However, concerns outside his play on the field were the likely culprit in why he endured such a tumble in this year’s draft. From a value perspective and potential return on investment, the Browns have absolutely nothing to lose here.

Sanders joins a quarterback room that has veterans Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Deshaun Watson [who will miss the entire ‘25 season due to injury] and the aforementioned Gabriel. I’m not so sure he will win the starting job as a rookie—considering how steep the learning curve will be—but it’s easily arguable that he has the most talent and upside of anyone in that room.

Running backs and wide receivers dominate the 4th Round

Entering Day 3, teams looking to add talent to skill positions on the offensive side of the ball had to have liked the prospects available on their boards. Considering how the fourth round played out, I think that’s a safe assumption to make. Overall, six running backs and seven wide receivers were selected in the first 32 picks of Day 3—accounting for over a third of the picks made.

But one pick stood out above the rest for me. Even though the Browns took Quinshon Judkins in the second round, they doubled up on the position and came away with Tennessee standout Dylan Sampson. We don’t know who will start for the Browns at quarterback, but whoever is calling the shots will have two talented running backs to lean on this season.

I really like that tandem for them. It certainly has the potential to establish itself as a dynamic force this season and for years to come. Props to Cleveland!

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin offers insight on Aaron Rogers saga

A lot of people had thought that the Steelers could have been a destination for the aforementioned Sanders, but that potentiality didn’t come to pass.

The Steelers’ quarterback room consists of Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, and Ohio State rookie Will Howard who they selected in the sixth round earlier this afternoon. For decades now, the Steelers have been a competitive team. Even in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era enduring evolving door at the quarterback position.

Even though he expressed confidence in the players he had in an interview on NFL Network, it’s hard to imagine they truly feel comfortable with just those three in their quarterback room. Given such, he was asked about ongoing talks with free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Though Tomlin didn’t offer any groundbreaking insight, he did mention the talks the Steelers and Rodgers’ camp to date have been productive.

Pittsburgh hasn’t had a losing season under Tomlin and the last time they did was in 2003. That being said, I’m not sure how many games they can win with the players they have now. For that reason, I’d assume a deal with Rodgers will get done sooner than later.

The Las Vegas Raiders double-dip on FCS quarterbacks in Round 6

This might be a first in the history of the National Football League. At the end of the sixth round, the Raiders took Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott and North Dakota State quarterback Cam Miller. Those two are FCS rivals who played against other multiple times in the subdivision’s playoffs, most recently in this year’s National Championship where Miller and the Bison came out victorious.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mellott make a position switch in the pros, with many analysts thinking he will transition to wide receiver. He’s a plus athlete who registered a 4.39 40-yard dash and also a 41-inch vertical and some pundits have drawn comparisons to Taysom Hill. He has elite running ability and a feel for the game. I don’t like that the Raiders got him. He could wind up being a unique weapon for them that could very well outperform his draft slot.

On the other hand, Miller will stick at quarterback and be a developmental prospect behind Geno Smith and Aiden O’Connell. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, but he is a cerebral quarterback that plays with tremendous toughness and poise and is great with his accuracy in the short-and-intermediate game. As a Bison alumnus, it breaks my heart a bit to see him go to the Raiders, though I’m very happy he got selected and wish him the best in his NFL journey.

I liked what the New Orleans Saints did on Day 3

I’m not a big fan of giving immediate draft grades to teams. We won’t know the true value of any team’s class until a few years down the road. That being said, I did like what the Saints did with their first three selections on Day 3.

Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman was a good value selection at 112 overall and has a chance to be a high-quality starter in the league. Stutsman was a favorite of mine during the draft process and a top five inside linebacker in my rankings. Later in the same round at pick 131, they nabbed Louisville cornerback Quincy Riley. Riley has a knack for making plays on the ball and had some of the most pass breakups of any defensive back in this year’s class.

But my favorite pick? Them getting Kansas running back Devin Neal in the sixth-round. I’m not sure why he fell but I thought he was a sure-fire Top 100 player. Nevertheless, he will have the opportunity to learn from Alvin Kamara and could contest Kendre Miller for the number two running back spot on their roster. I really like that pick by Kellen Moore and the Saints’ staff. I think he is really going to surprise people and perform a lot better than many backs picked ahead of him.