This article is part of our NFL Draft series.
I'm a bit late here, on account of some minor illness and travel chaos while trying to get from Guatemala to Denver. I made it, eventually, though I wasn't as patient or optimistic as Malik Willis.
Below we'll look at all the skill-position players drafted Day 3, with a special focus on the position (RB) that might actually produce some fantasy value in 2022. That's not to say the QBs, WRs and TEs should be totally ignored, but any interest for the time being should probably be limited to dynasty leagues or ultra-deep formats. Let's get to it...
Quarterbacks
Bailey Zappe - Western Kentucky - Round 4 (Pick 32)
Zappe set records for passing yards (5,967) and TDs (62) in his one FBS season, after throwing 50 touchdowns in 16 games over his final two years at FCS Houston Baptist. From a fantasy standpoint, he's less interesting, as he's already 23 and lands with a team that drafted a QB in the first round last year. Plus, Zappe had only 17 rushing yards at WKU and then ran a 4.88 40 at the Combine.
Meanwhile, Mac Jones had a solid rookie year, and the Patriots recently gave longtime backup Brian Hoyer a two-year, $4 million contract with three-fourths of the money guaranteed. Then there's UDFA signing D'Eriq King, though the Pats might try the former Miami Hurricane at a different position. Regardless, Zappe will need one heck of a training camp to win the backup job. More likely, he'll start off as the No. 3, with New England hoping he can step up to No. 2 in 2023/4.
Sam Howell - North Carolina - Round 5 (1)
Howell is the most interesting Day 3 quarterback, both because of his landing spot and his history. He's a three-year starter who completed 68.1 percent of his throws for 10.3 YPA as a sophomore in 2020, which led to talk of a first-round selection in 2021. That obviously didn't happen, with Howell dipping to 62.5 percent and 8.8 YPA for the underachieving Tar Heels last season.
The silver lining for Howell is that his team plans to start Carson Wentz, who doesn't have any salary guarantees after 2022. And there was also one positive from Howell's final collegiate season, as he ran for 828 yards and 11 TDs after putting up just 181 and six across his first two years (unfortunately, he didn't run a 40 pre-draft).
Others
Chris Oladokun - South Dakota State - Round 7 (20)
Skylar Thompson - Kansas State - Round 7 (26)
Brock Purdy - Iowa State - Round 7 (41)
Running Backs
Dameon Pierce - Florida - Round 4 (2)
Prior to his pick, Houston's RB room contained Marlon Mack, Rex Burkhead, Dare Ogunbowale, Royce Freeman and Darius Anderson. It's still the worst group of backs in the league, but Pierce at least offers potential to provide some power, unlike all those other guys. Even so, it's hard to get excited about a guy who never reached 600 rushing yards in a season at Florida and barely cracked 4.6 at the Combine (4.59 40 at 5-10, 218).
Zamir White - Georgia - Round 4 (17)
The Raiders drafted White one day after news broke that they wouldn't pick up Josh Jacobs' fifth-year option. White led Georgia in carries the past two years and ran a 4.40 at the Combine, but he was always part of committees, caught only 17 passes in three seasons and already has two ACL tears on his medical sheet. And now he joins a backfield with Jacobs and Kenyan Drake (ankle, fully guaranteed salary), plus third-down back Ameer Abdullah and special teams ace Brandon Bolden.
Isaiah Spiller - Texas A&M - Round 4 (18)
The Chargers got a whole lot from Austin Ekeler last year but not much from Joshua Kelley, Larry Rountree and Justin Jackson. The latter remains unsigned, while Spiller is now a Charger. He ran for at least 946 yards and 5.4 YPC three straight years at A&M, earning Day 2 hype before an adductor strain at the Combine and a 4.63 40 at his pro day. Consider me intrigued, especially given his age (21 in August) and size (6-0, 217)
Pierre Strong - South Dakota State - Round 4 (22)
The Patriots already have Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson and James White (knee), plus J.J. Taylor and now two rookie draft picks. Maybe they trade Harris as he enters a contract year, which would give Stevenson a massive boost while Strong gets a smaller one. The South Dakota State product had 4.527 rushing yards and 581 receiving yards in four years of FCS play, and then ran a 4.37 40 at the Combine in March (at 5-11, 207).
Hassan Haskins - Michigan - Round 4 (26)
Haskins is 6-2, 228, and he had seven games with 20-plus carries for Michigan last year. He didn't do much before 2021 and even last year averaged just 4.9 YPC, but it does make sense for the Titan to at least test out a backup with some similarities to Derrick Henry. The other options on their roster right now are Dontrell Hilliard, Jordan Wilkins and Trenton Cannon.
Tyler Allgeier - BYU - Round 5 (8)
In 2019, Allgeier took only 17 carries and made 26 tackles as a linebacker. Between 2020 and 2021, he rumbled for 2,731 rushing yards and 36 TDs. A nice come-up, and now he has another big chance with the young, talent-deficient Falcons. The negatives are a 4.60 40 (albeit at 5-11, 224) and his lack of receiving production at BYU (46-437-1 total). Now he'll compete with Cordarrelle Patterson, Damien Williams, Qadree Ollison and 2021 UDFA Caleb Huntley. It could come down to Allgeier vs. Ollison for one spot as the big back.
Snoop Conner - Ole Miss - Round 5 (11)
Conner was in a committee with Jerrion Ealy, who went undrafted but has since landed with the Chiefs. Not sure there's much to like here, especially after Conner ran a 4.59 40 at the Combine and posted ugly numbers in the vertical jump (29.5 in.) and broad jump (118 in.). He is 5-10, 222... big, but not big enough to make those numbers look much better. Conner will compete for the No. 3 job behind Travis Etienne and James Robinson (Achilles), facing weak competition from Ryquell Armstead, Mekhi Sargent and Nathan Cottrell.
Jerome Ford - Cincinnati - Round 5 (13)
The Bama transfer broke out for Cincinnati in 2022 but now lands with another RB-rich program. The good news for Ford, and anyone who drafts him in dynasty? Kareem Hunt and D'Ernest Johnson both are scheduled for unrestricted free agency this offseason. Also, a Hunt trade would make sense after Johnson's nice showing last year. Maybe the Browns do it if they like what they see from Ford, who ran a 4.46 40 at 5-11, 210.
Kyren Williams - Notre Dame - Round 5 (21)
I'm probably more intrigued by this pick than most, after seeing how awful Cam Akers looked during the playoffs last season (only after rushing back from a torn Achilles, to be fair). Of course, I also liked Akers as a prospect much better than Williams, who ran a 4.65 40 at 194 pounds in March. Williams did have 2,127 rushing yards, 672 receiving yards and 31 TDs his final two years at Notre Dame, earning Day 2 hype before the Combine bust.
Ty Chandler - North Carolina - Round 5 (26)
Alexander Mattison is in the final year of his rookie contract, and Dalvin Cook doesn't have any salary guarantees beyond 2022. The Vikes do also have Kene Nwangwu, the 2021 fourth-round pick who barely played in college but then ran a 4.32 40-yard dash and had two kick-return TDs as a rookie.
Chandler ran a 4.38, at 5-11, 204, but was less impressive in the broad jump (121 in.) and vertical (31 in.), showing he's not in Nwangwu's league for raw athleticism. Still, the Tennessee/UNC product is solidly above-average athletically, and he broke out last year with 1,092 rushing yards, 216 receiving yards and 14 TDs in his lone season for the Tar Heels (after 16 TDs in four seasons at Tennessee). The long college career makes Chandler one of the oldest players in this class, turning 24 later in May.
Kevin Harris - South Carolina - Round 6 (4)
Harris managed only 4.4 YPC and 669 yards last season while dealing with a back injury, following a 2020 in which he rumbled for 1,138 yards, 15 touchdowns and 6.2 YPC in 10 games. There's sleeper appeal here, despite a 4.62 40 time, as Harris showed explosiveness at the Combine with the second-best vertical jump (38.5 inches) and third-best broad jump (126 in.) among RBs. That, at a sturdy 5-10, 221.
Tyler Badie - Missouri - Round 6 (18)
Badie had three straight seasons with 28 or more catches, and in the last of those three years he finally saw more work on the ground. He made it count, taking 268 carries for 1,604 yards and 14 TDs as a senior, plus 54-330-4 through the air. Badie is only 5-8, 197, which means he's more likely to fill a change-of-pace role than challenge J.K. Dobbins on early downs. Badie could also be the third-down guy, though Dobbins also showed some ability there in his rookie year.
Fun fact: Badie spent five years at Friends School of Baltimore, the same place I attended middle and high school. And now he continues the storied tradition of NFL players from Quaker schools.
Keaontay Ingram - USC - Round 6 (23)
While he never reached 1,000 rushing yards in a season, Ingram did have three separate seasons with at least 700 yards and 22 receptions, splitting his career between Texas and USC. His profile is notable for a lack of glaring weaknesses more so than any specific strength; you might say the most interesting thing about him is that he landed on a team with lousy RB depth. Ingram ran a 4.53 30 at 6-0, 221; nothing special, but neither is Eno Benjamin. There's potential for Year 1 fantasy value here.
Trestan Ebner - Baylor - Round 6 (25)
Ebner played five seasons at Baylor and finished with nearly as many receiving yards (1,515) as rushing (1,690). He also ran a 4.43 at the Combine, and at a size (5-10, 207) that suggests he might be able to block as well as catch passes. Might Ebner be the replacement for Tarik Cohen, who missed all of 2022 with an ACL tear suffered Week 4 of 2021?
Brittain Brown - UCLA - Round 7 (29)
The Free Brittain movement never caught steam like the Free Brittany movement, with Mr. Brown stuck behind Zach Charbonnet at UCLA after a transfer from Duke. The Bruins' backup did average 6.3 YPC the past two years, taking 184 carries for 1,158 yards and 11 TDs in 17 games. But then he ran a 4.66 40 at his pro day, and now he lands on a team that had already added Brandon Bolden, Ameer Abdulh and Zamir White (Round 4) this offseason. Even if Kenyan Drake (ankle) doesn't end up part of the picture, it's gonna be a tough battle for jobs behind Josh Jacobs in Vegas this summer.
Isaih Pacheco - Rutgers - Round 7 (30)
He was barely drafted, but fantasy folks should make note of Pacheco all the same, given that he ran a 4.37 40 (at 216 pounds!) and now lands with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. The Rutgers product averaged only 4.3 YPC with 19 total TDs in a four-year career, playing on teams that went a combined 11-35.
He'll have better blocking now, if he makes the team... which might not be too hard with the KC backfield otherwise consisting of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ronald Jones, Derrick Gore, 2021 UDFA Brenden Knox and 2022 UDFA Jerrion Ealy. It's one of the weakest RB rooms in the league, and I know fellow RotoWire writer Mario Puig likes Pacheco more than a lot of these other late-round backs.
Wide Receivers
Erik Ezukanma - Texas Tech - Round 4 (20)
The Dolphins are set for their top three with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Cedrick Wilson, leaving Ezukanma to compete for depth roles against Preston Williams, Trent Sherfield and others. The Tech product was a starter the past three years, yet never topped 748 receiving yards or six touchdowns. He's big, but not huge (6-2, 209), and ran a 4.54 40 at his pro day. The Dolphins may see something... but I don't. Maybe he's a special teams stud?
Romeo Doubs - Nevada - Round 4 (27)
Doubs had Day 2 buzz, and interests me most of any Day 3 receiver. A knee injury kept him out of pre-draft testing, but there's no indication it'll threaten his availability for training camp, at which point he'll be catching passes from Aaron Rodgers and competing for work in a WR group that lost Davante Adams (169 targets) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (55) in the offseason. Doubs was a four-year starter at Nevada, finishing things out with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. However, he's not as athletic as Packers second-round pick Christian Watson, who ran a 4.36 40 at 6-4, 208.
Calvin Austin - Memphis - Round 4 (33)
Austin is right there with Doubs as an intriguing Day 3 wideout, though he'll catch passes from Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett rather than Aaron Rodgers. The pint-sized Memphis product also finished out his college career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and his phenomenal workout numbers (4.32 40, 39-in. vertical, 135-in. broad jump) are what you need to see from a prospect his size (5-8, 170). Of course, the Steelers drafted a better WR prospect (George Pickens) in Round 2, so Austin may not get a real chance to compete for the No. 3 job behind Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool.
Khalil Shakir - Boise State - Round 5 (5)
Shakir finished out his college career with three straight seasons of at least 700 yards and six TDs, peaking in 2021 with 77-1,117-7 in 12 games. He's average in terms of size (6-0, 196) and didn't test all that well at the Combine (besides a solid 4.43 40), but Shakir does have the benefit of being paired with Josh Alen, even if he'll likely start off as the fifth or sixth receiver in Buffalo.
Others
Montrell Washington - Samford - 5 (19)
Kyle Phillips - UCLA - 5 (20)
Jalen Nailor - Michigan St. - 6 (12)
Mike Woods - Oklahoma - 6 (24)
Bo Melton - Rutgers - 7 (8)
Dareke Young - Leonir-Rhyne - 7 (12)
Samori Toure - Nebraska - 7 (37)
Tight Ends
Cade Otton - Washington - Round 4 (1)
Otton was a four-year starter but never topped 344 yards or three TDs in a season. He also didn't run a 40-yard dash, and isn't particularly big for a tight end (6-5, 244). I assume Otton's tape is better than the numbers, and he did at least land in a decent spot. The Bucs currently are relying on one old guy, Cameron Brate, and hoping another (Gronk) wants to keep playing.
Daniel Bellinger - SDSU - Round 4 (7)
At 6-5, 255 pounds, Bellinger ran a 4.63 40 and also had the best broad jump (125 in.) of any tight end at the Combine. He never reached 400 yards in a season in his college career, but that's a bit more excusable in SDSU's extremely run-heavy system. Consider me intrigued, especially after Bellinger landed with a team that seems to have no real plan at tight end (Ricky Seals-Jones? Jordan Akins? Anyone over 6-2 with a decent work ethic?). To be fair, Brian Daboll has made it work without much at TE before... though Dawson Know's emergence in Buffalo certainly helped.
Charlie Kolar - Iowa St. - Round 4 (23)
Kolar is 6-7, 252, making him the tallest TE in this year's class. He's also one of the more familiar names to most, after putting up at least 697 yards and six TDs in three straight seasons to close out his college career. He ran a 4.62 40 at his pro day, and could replace Nick Boyle as Baltimore's No. 2 tight end. The fantasy appeal is limited, of course, as Mark Andrews is still the Ravens' main guy. Also, they ended up with another TE before the end of Round 4...
Jake Ferguson - Wisconsin - Round 4 (24)
Ferguson finished with between 305 and 456 yards in each of his four seasons at Wisconsin, instantly earning a big role and ultimately leading the team in receptions as a senior. A 4.81 40 suggests he'll never be a top receiver, but the Cowboys probably like his chances to become a good No. 2 TE behind Dalton Schultz. We'll also note that Schultz signed his franchise tag and still hasn't signed an extension.
Isaiah Likely - Coastal Carolina - Round 4 (34)
Despite his 912-yard, 12-TD senior season, Isaiah isn't likely to find fantasy relevance anytime soon with the Ravens. In addition to the obvious problem, Mark Andrews, the Ravens still have veteran blocker Nick Boyle and fellow fourth-round pick Charlie Kolar (discussed above). Likely had Day 2 hype at one point, but that ended when he ran a 4.83 40 at his pro day... at 238 pounds. Not ideal, and neither is the landing spot for fantasy purposes. On the other hand, those senior-year stats are massive for a college tight end.
Chig Okonkwo - Maryland - Round 4 (38)
Okonkwo is this year's "project" TE of note, boasting the best 40 time (4.54) from this year's TE class after just one season of significant playing time at Maryland. He's small for the position - 6-3, 238 - but should have time to develop in Tennessee behind Austin Hooper and Geoff Swaim.
Others
Cole Turner - Nevada - 5 (6)
Teagan Quitoriano - Oregon St. - 5 (27)
James Mitchell - Virginia Tech - 5 (34)
Andrew Ogletree - Youngstown St. - 6 (13)
Grant Calcaterra - SMU - 6 (20)
John FitzPatrick - Georgia - 6 (35)
Ko Kieft - Minnesota - 6 (40)
Nick Muse - South Carolina - 7 (6)
