Days 1 and 2 of the draft are behind us as we head into Day 3. This is where the fun begins, as you can truly find some diamonds in the rough. 

Below are three NFL Draft sleepers for Day 3 … Day 3 heroes, you could say. I think these players have a chance to make a significant impact on an NFL team.

Make sure to stay on top of the best players available on Day 3 of the draft, and follow along with our pick-by-pick draft tracker.

As a reminder, you can find all of my organized draft rankings in the Thor 500.

Day 3 Sleepers For The NFL Draft

QB5: Kyle McCord

• Syracuse | 6-3/218 | Comp: Chad Henne

Kyle McCord is an aggressive pocket passer with average arm strength. He has a compact motion and a quick release. McCord is accurate, and his placement and touch hold to the third level. 

McCord had a redemptive final season at Syracuse after getting pushed out at Ohio State. He finished No. 3 among quarterbacks in PFF’s Wins Above Average metric while leading the FBS in big-time throws.

McCord can deliver accurate throws from muddy pockets. He finished No. 4 in PFF passing grade under pressure. But McCord is pocket-confined, and he can be fooled by coverage looks when hurried quickly after the snap. 

The most extreme example of this occurred against Pittsburgh, with McCord pressured on 23 dropbacks—easily the most he saw in 2024. McCord threw five interceptions, including three first-half pick-sixes. 

In the other 12 games McCord played last year, he had a 34/7 TD/INT rate. He profiles as a strong long-term NFL QB2.

RB8: Devin Neal

• Kansas | 5-11/213 | RAS: 8.55 | Comp: Durable Jay Ajayi

Devin Neal is an instinctual slasher in a big package. His feet are elite—choppy, blur-fast, and precise. In space, Neal is slippery and hard to square up.

He adds to the illusion by toggling speeds, messing with defenders’ angles. Neal runs with vision and patience, staying on schedule behind his line. If a cutback lane opens, he’s going to find it. 

Neal caught 51 balls the past two years. The Jayhawks should have been more creative with his usage, and Neal’s career 0.5 aDOT tells that story. He brings untapped potential as a receiver to the NFL.

Neal improved as a pass blocker in 2024. He entered the season with a stated goal of doing just that—if Neal keeps improving in this area, you’ll absolutely be able to trust him doing so at the NFL level.

Neal best fits an outside-zone system. He is a highly intriguing potential NFL starter who could be had on a discount in this stacked RB class.

TE7: Thomas Fidone

• Nebraska | 6050/243 | RAS: 9.45 | Comp: Dawson Knox

Fidone is a former top-40 overall recruit who was the No. 1-ranked tight end in the 2021 recruiting class. He had a snake-bitten start to his career, missing his first two seasons with separate ACL tears. Fidone started the past two seasons before declaring for the draft.

Fidone has an ideal blend of size and athleticism. During the pre-draft process, he completed every athletic test but the bench and checked in as a 94th-percentile athlete. Fidone has plenty of inline experience. He’s a scrappy blocker who wins his share of reps through length and footwork. He’s still working out the kinks with his technique and needs to play lower.

Fidone is an impressive athlete in space, and he’s shown intriguing flashes as a down-the-field receiver. But due to his two lost seasons to injury, and his two seasons playing in a Matt Rhule offense while active, that’s all we’ve seen from him … flashes. 

Fidone has the frame to add muscle, and that’s exactly what he should be doing as he works on his blocking and route-running technique during a redshirt rookie season in the NFL. He’s a worthy mid-round swing on potential after the sure-thing tight ends are off the board.

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