Day 3 Defensive Draft Picks I Have Good Feelings About.

These are guys who go in the 4th+ round. I may name some because their anticipated to be fringe 3rd rounders. I'm gonna start with defense, simply because its my favorite.

ILB - Jay Higgins (Iowa) : This is one of my favorite guys in the draft. Physically, he's an underdog. But man does he have a nose for the ball. He's always getting there. Very smart in pass protection. He's not going to wow you in physical traits like speed or agility. Just a simple, hard nose, dependable anchor in the middle of your defense that plays extremely smart. Iowa has survived in college football because of their stout defense. Here's their prized jewel. Cooper Dejean missed the season in 2022 and still was a 2nd round pick. Everyone expected their defense to take a hit. But not at all. This guy is a major reason why. Whether its 3-4 or 4-3, he's an ILB. He would also do well as a WILL in a 4-3 but blitzing isn't his strength. Watching the ball is. He'll creep up the depth chart in no time to become a dependable starter. If not a Day 1 starter. If he were SEC, I wouldn't be surprised he was a Day 2 selection.

- Danny Stutsman (Oklahoma) : Remember the days when an ILB could run sideline to sideline and make plays all along the line of scrimmage, but not excel against the pass? Ya. Thats Stutsman. If I had to compare him to someone, it would likely be a poor man's Demeco Ryan. He'll meet the ball carrier at the LOS or the flank. He won't necessarily pick through the blockers to shut down the screen pass at the next level. In a way, perhaps Nick Bolton is another good comparison, but Stutsman is a little less capable agains the pass and struggles a little bit more if an Olineman gets on him. Still a solid choice to somewhat fill the void that a Demarco Davis will leave behind. I'm not the biggest fan of Stutsman, as he feels a little bit underwhelming to me. I don't get excited watching him. But theres no denying he would be good get on Day 3.

- Jamon Dumas-Johnson (Kentucky) : Ahhhh. This guy. Kentucky defense was much like Iowa. Stout as could be. Where Jay Higgins was the center peice, Dumas-Johnson was the 2nd focul point of the defense. Deone Walker manning the Dline allowed this guy to wreak complete havoc if anyone tried to cross the line of scrimmage with the ball. Where Jay Higgins was a bit better at coverage, Dumas-Johnson would shut down anything that touched the football between the numbers within 5 yards of the LOS. Extremely explosive which helps him get to the flank, and his angles are really good. He'll meet that ball carrier along the sideline. The downside is his speed. While explosive, that ball carrier on the sideline will make it an extra yard or two before Dumas-Johnson gets there compared to a linebacker that runs a 4.4 or 4.5. The good news? He's so solid with his angles that he won't get left behind. Dependable. He'll become a starter for someone, somewhere.

WILL/SLB/ILB(3-4) - Sonny Styles (Ohio State) : I really, really like this kid and think he'll be a surprise. He can do it all and is completely versatile. Jack of trades, master of none. He can cover decently in zone and man. He can blitz decently He can run stop well. Some think he should switch to safety. I say No. They're stupid. This guy excels near the LOS in any capacity. You could even put him as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 which would give exceptional capabilities for disguises in coverage and blitz. In a 4-3, he should be a WILL. But in a 3-4? He could be the second ILB, or serve the opposite OLB across from the EDGE rusher. I like this kid. He's too much fun to watch.

- Smael Mondon Jr. (Georgia) : Very much akin to Sonny Styles, but with more speed and athleticism. He also displays a bit more football IQ. For this reason you'll see him drafted, likely no later then 5th round where Styles has a very solid shot of going undrafted. Mondon would also be extremely versatile in a 3-4. However in a 4-3 he too would be stuck likely in a WILL position but also excels going step for step with TE's. Anyone remember when Carolina drafted that undersize outside linebacker Thomas Davis? Solid comparison for Smael Mondon Jr. He would mostly likely excel in a cover 2 or cover 3 defense. While not as athletic as Thomas Davis was, he's just as versatile.


CB - Jason Marshall JR (Florida) : In truth this guy is all over the board in projection. Some have him as Day 2, some on day 3. I've even seen some say he's a 6th round pick. The simple truth is teams will value him very differently from one another. Less of a zone cover corner, and more of a man-to-man cover corner. He's a ball hawk that can stick to anyone and capable of shut down games. So why's he so low or all over the place? He can't play nickel well and he struggles massively in run support. He also struggles against screens. He'll need coaching up to get off blocks and tackle RB's, especially the bigger ones. He's also a liability that will have to sit for a year or opposing offenses will set up screens and runs to him all day long right now. He has the possibility with proper coaching to be a really good all around outside corner. Teams that deploy man to man coverage and will cheat up safeties will likely value him higher, since that would help cover up his liability in the run game. Think how the Ravens Hamilton is often near the LOS. That's the system where he may find the most success.

- Jermari Harris (Iowa) : I might be one of the only people who enjous watching Iowa football. Almost entirely for their defense. This is their corner. Cooper DeJean came out of Iowa last year and he was the full package. I'm still sour that we didn't take him. The Eagles took him roughly 10 picks before our pick, and as soon as they did we traded up for Kool-Aid. Not a nock on Kool-Aid, but Coop was better. So what's special about this guy? Well. He's a zone corner. Don't put him in man to man. But when he can sit back and watch the QB he is something special. Much like Higgins he won't wow you with how fast he is or any type of physical traits. Just a reall smart football player that sits back, watches the play unfold and gets himself into position. We haven't any idea what defensive scheme the next head coach will run. But even if we go with man-to-man, this guy would exceed probably better at a switch to FS then Malcom Jenkins. Let him sit for a year learning from HoneyBadger. Or go with a zone corner scheme and watch him shut his side down.

- Cobee Bryant (KU) : I can't beleive a KU player is making my list, but here we are. My good lord is KU football complete trash. While it would be even better if his name started with a K, don't let it make you think he's a knock off wannabe professional athelete. He can do it all. He can run man to man, play a little zone, blitz and despite his itty bitty tiny size at 170 lbs, he'll put all 170 lbs on you if you run the ball his way. Likely suited for a solid nickel role. Not really special at any one thing, but good at many things. Being from KU however and how bad they are, he stands out like a big fish in a small pond who hasn't really been tested against a lot of NFL SEC calibur talent


S - Sebastion Castro (Iowa) : A trend is forming. It's very simple. Great players on Iowa defense tend to excel in the NFL. The other trend is that none of these players are extremely athletic. But they are hard nose football players. Castro is one of em. Better suited for strong safety that will play close to the line, he can still drop back. Very smart football player always making the stop if Higgins and Black (more on him later) doesn't.

- Jaylen Reed (Penn State) : Reed is a fringe 3rd rounder that may drop back. I think that's too high for him. He's more like a 4th or 5th round pick. Sometimes he stares at the QB a bit to much. When watching him, I have a feeling he's looking also for his stars upfront to see what they're doing so he can figure out where his positioning should be to assist them. This is a good thing. If I'm right, that means he plays off his teammates. If I'm wrong, then he shouldn't be drafted at all. This means he's a bit of a project. So why would we draft him? Man does he fly and shoot the gaps when he's blitzing. He's also pretty good in run support. He's not a ball hawk, and its very likely he never will be. But there is a talent here that an aggressive defensive coordinator could utilize.

- Jeremiah Cooper (Iowa State) : I've seen some say he's a day 2 pick and others a day 3. I'm leaning more towards "It depends on the team". A defense that wants a ball hawk in the back? This is your guy. The downside is he's small and if someone gets deep with the ball in their hands he becomes unreliable to make the stop. But this guy is also someone QB's want to avoid throwing at. So theres some trade off. Its why I suspect we'll likely see him come off the board late 3rd round at the earliest. He's also not the most atheletic football player. Again, another draft stock hit. We know how some of these teams drafting prefer physical freaks. Cooper isn't one of em. But he is someone who'll make QB's hesitate on deep throws. A lot. Reminds me a lot of Marcus Williams but smaller and will likely struggle a bit more making tackles then Williams.

DT/NT Yahya Black : (Iowa) : We made it! One of our most talked about positions so I think I'll start this position group off with a top 5 sleeper IMO. Black is a beast. He is a NT but could also play some 3-tech. Iowa knows defense. Their coach has been there for over 2 decades
and has always put together a good defense. He says Black has the most violent hands he's ever seen. That's a big statement. I've watched this guy anchor one of the most stout defenses in college. Single blocking him? expect to be driven back. Double teamming him? Ok. Still don't run by him. If someone did somehow get past him, Higgins was right there laying the wood. But I've seen this guy take on multiple blockers and turn himself into a containment field, preventing those blockers from doing anything. He comes with a complete "**** YOU" attitude. The only question I have, is he a 3 down player on Day 1, or just an early down player on Day 1? I can't help this nagging feeling that the Chiefs and Spagnuolo or the Patriots and Vrabel will target him a round or so early. The floor for him would be Malcolm Brown who played for us in 2019. But hte ceilling....
well, Im undecided. I wouldn't be shocked at all if he became a top 15 DT against the run in the NFL by year 4. His pass rush isn't great. But considering the space he would eat and the run defense, he would greatly help out other lineman have an effective pass rush. I don't think he would ever come close to Aaron Donald level of play. More like Christian Wilkins. Perhaps thats a good ceilling that would fit.

All the other DT's I like are Day 1, or Day 2 picks (Deone Walker, Kenneth Grant, Norman-Lott, Mason Graham, Alfred Collins)

I can't decide if I'll do an offensive list or not. I'm not the most keen on offense outside of the obvious players. So finding players that I think are undervalued isn't really a strength for me. With that said, I do see a couple

TE Luke Lachey (Iowa) : I actually pretty surprised this guy is so far down the list on most mock drafts. He's 6'5, 245 Lbs. Again, not a complete physical freak but a solid hard nose football player. Hands of glue, really great at finding soft spots to sit in a zone. He was the brightest star in what was an abysmal passing attack. The QB play wasn't even subpar, it was so lacking. Yet this guy would go get the ball in the air. Defenses had trouble covering him. In 2023, he was an expected 2nd round pick. However he season was derailed with an injury and returned for 2024. He did not disappoint in the slightest. Also, Iowa is known for two things NFL talent DB's and NFL stars at TE. Lachey is going to make a roster, and quickly rise to starter by year two, if not by end of year one.

QB Dillion Gabriel (Oregon) : Theres something about this guy and I can't quite put my finger on it. Throw strength? REALLY GOOD. He broke the record at the senior bowl for fastest throw by ALOT. Read defenses? Yup. in fact, not only is he known to read defenses well, he goes through progressions fluidly. Accurate? Also yes. He constantly hits his recievers in stride, while covered and puts the ball where only his recievers can get it. Oregons offense excelled because of him. He can also scramble pretty well. The negative? He's small. His draft stock is taking a major hit for it. But I have a feeling, that if you get this guy into the hands of an offensive genius coach, he's going to be something. His floor? I would say Jake Browning for the Bengals.