My guys: Day 3 prospects who will turn out to be hidden gems

They won't get the top-tier love in the class, but these guys are more than capable of filling roles at the NFL level for a long time

The 2025 NFL Draft is now just two weeks away, and while names like Cam Ward and Travis Hunter are being penned in at the top of the boards, there are seven rounds for a reason.

Every year, there are Day 3 steals who go on to contribute at the NFL level, likely on their way to second contracts that dwarf that of their rookie deals. We even get a handful of undrafted free agents who do the same.

From just a year ago, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving, Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still, and Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker fit the bill of this description.

This year will be no different. There are only 102 picks in the first three rounds of the draft, and over triple the number of players in the pool to select from. Some quality players are going to fall through the cracks.

Let’s identify some of those guys I’d pound the table for in the later rounds of the draft.

TE Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse

Syracuse tight end Oronde Gadsden II is going to be a niche player. And that is fine. A converted receiver who put on weight (albeit good weight) during his college career, Gadsden is pretty strictly an F tight end.

You do not want Gadsden in-line, nor is he going to give you much H-back versatility either. But as far as a valuable and massive target to plug in the slot and even provide a mismatch against man coverage lined up along the boundary if safeties or linebackers follow him, Gadsden is a threat that can elevate any offense.

He’s as sure-handed as they come (just five drops in four years at Syracuse) and is plus-50% in 50/50 contested situations. Whenever I charted Kyle McCord this year, it became routine to see Gadsden elevating over defenders at the catchpoint to make big plays.

Any team that is looking for a bigger slot receiver (Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, for starters) would be lucky to add Gadsden, who has yet to even turn 22 years old.

OL Bryce Cabeldue, Kansas

I don’t know why there has not been more Bryce Cabeldue love out there. Despite being in a guard’s body, Cabeldue was stuck at left tackle at the University of Kansas playing in front of a quarterback who routinely tested the bounds of his protection with his legs.

Despite that, the stout 6-4 lineman with 32.5-inch arms gave up just three sacks in all of 2024 along the Jayhawks’ offensive line. There is no reason to think that he wouldn’t be an even better guard.

The foot speed is there, the clean and seasoned hands are there, the core strength is there for Cabeldue. Yet he did not even get an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine!

Cabeldue took that personally at his pro day, running a sub-5-second 40-yard dash with a 10-yard split in the 96th percentile, hit 32 inches on his vertical jump, and jumped to a broad jump in the 96th percentile as well.

To me, Cabeldue is a clean projection to the NFL and from tackle to guard after five years in Lawrence.

C Joshua Gray, Oregon State

A sixth-year senior who spent his whole career at Oregon State, even after the death of the Pac-12, Joshua Gray has done it at both left tackle and guard. And the best part is, that’s not even the position he’s projected to play at the NFL level.

Gray played over 3,600 total snaps at the collegiate level for the Beavers.

When I went to the Shrine Bowl in January, Gray was perhaps the best offensive lineman at the event as well. He’s a strong communicator, smart player (who I used as my mental processing superlative when Dalton and I built our ideal interior offensive line prospects in an episode of the Daft on Draft Podcast this week), and a tremendous athlete moving laterally, climbing to the second level, and getting into space.

Gray just has the feel of one of those players who is going to find a great scheme fit and play center for over a decade, despite where he is selected.

DT J.J. Pegues, Ole Miss

The other Ole Miss defensive linemen tend to steal the limelight. Defensive tackle Walter Nolen and defensive end Princely Umanmielen are both expected to be top-64 picks. Jared Ivey is going to get drafted as well.

However, J.J. Pegues deserves his own attention. And not just for his body of work as a short-yardage wildcat quarterback for the Rebels.

As an interior pass rusher, Pegues has serious juice and twitch to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. He can win along the outside shoulder with more oily hips than his testing numbers showed, and he has a fun little cross chop to work with.

The best part? He’s only been playing defensive tackle for four years after being recruited as a tight end by Auburn in 2020.

While Pegues will likely start his career as a situation pass rusher along the interior, there is a solid base as a run defender that must be worked on as he heads to the NFL level. Regardless, a pass rushing interior defensive tackle is well worth a Day 3 pick.

CB Jordan Hancock, Ohio State

Ohio State is known for putting out defensive backs into the NFL, but none of the guys in the 2025 NFL draft are highly-touted. Lathan Ransom and Denzel Burke are both seen as Day 3 picks, as is their hybrid defender Jordan Hancock.

However, Hancock has the potential to be the best of the bunch from this year’s crop of Ohio State defensive backs.

The NFL is dying for defensive backs, and Hancock has experience moving all over the secondary during his time in Columbus. This season for the National Championship-winning Buckeyes, Hancock played predominantly in the slot (323 snaps), but also played a great deal from the box and third level of the defense as well.

This type of versatility cannot go overlooked, and his athleticism that he displayed at his pro day matches the tape. Hancock hit a vertical jump of 41.5 inches, a broad jump of 10-foot-6, and ran a 4.45 40-yard dash with a 10-yard split in the 90th percentile.

The NFL is starving for defensive backs. There is no reason for Hancock to be left off of a 53-man roster and he even has potential to work his way onto the field from the nickel early in his career.