Day 3 draft picks no sure things
Late-round picks are not certain to become starters
Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek works from the sideline during the second half of an NFL game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) Everyone loves late-round draft steals.
But it’s not always easy to accomplish. For every Maxx Crosby, there are a dozen Day 3 picks who flame out. A recent X post by NFL Researcher shows how difficult it is to score big on players drafted from rounds four through seven.
The formula was players who were drafted in the final four rounds in the past five season to start 10 plus games in the 2025 season. Here is the list: Players drafted in Rounds 4-7 since 2021 to start 10+ games last season (by position)… 🔸CB – 12 🔸TE – 11 🔸LB – 11 🔸OT – 8 🔸OG – 8 🔸S – 8 🔸WR – 7 🔸RB – 6 🔸DT – 5 🔸C – 4 🔸DE – 2 🔸QB – 0 (Brock Purdy started 9) #NFLDraft — NFL Researcher (@NFL_Researcher) April 25, 2026 So, it shows, it can be difficult to turn late-round picks into solid starters. Let’s see how the Raiders’ 2025 third-day picks develop.
In other Raiders’ news: Will Fernando Mendoza start Week 1? NFL. com examines the possibility if the No.