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2025 NFL Draft Day 3 Recap: Browns take Shedeur Sanders, Titans add pass-catchers

Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft has wrapped and there were several skill players with a fantasy impact taken. This is instant analysis for fantasy-relevant Day 3 picks.

Browns end Shedeur Sanders’ slide in fifth round

Phew. The discourse around Shedeur Sanders’ slide was stopped by the Browns with the No. 144 overall pick in the fifth round. He is the Browns’ second quarterback taken after Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel was selected in the third round.
Strictly on-the-field, Sanders finished last season at Colorado with a 90.9 PFF grade, No. 4 in the FBS. He is a pocket-passer who had a 74-percent completion percentage and just a 1.3-percent turnover-worthy play rate. The off-the-field criticisms played a role in Sanders’ slide, and he will now join a quarterback room with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Deshaun Watson, and Gabriel. He has a legitimate chance at competing for the starting job, but the late-round draft capital provides an obstacle. Sanders is worth a fantasy draft pick as a rookie in a murky quarterback room but he won’t be the immediate starter candidate he was once thought to be.

More QB movement on the edges

Outside of Sanders, there was plenty of quarterback movement to be had. During the fifth round, the Seahawks dealt Sam Howell to the Vikings - he will be a crucial backup in case J.J. McCarthy is not ready just yet. Two other notable backup situations to keep an eye on are Ohio State’s Will Howard to the Steelers and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard to the Colts.

Howard joins a quarterback room that still does not have a starter. Though the talent and draft capital indicate Howard won’t be starting, the Steelers may be forced to start him if they don’t sign Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph does not cut it.
Meanwhile, the Colts decided they want their quarterback room to be elite at running the ball. Leonard finds himself behind Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, two guys who have struggled as starters but can run the ball well. It would not be a surprise to see Leonard gain some fantasy value with usage in run-game packages.

Bhayshul Tuten, Cam Skattebo begin RB picks on Day 3

The second pick of Day 3 was Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten joining the Jaguars. He tested with good burst traits at the combine, including a 4.32 40-yard dash. Tuten tallied 1,150 yards on 183 carries with 15 touchdowns last season and was a consistent pass-catcher with 78 receptions over his last three college seasons. He joins a Jaguars backfield where Travis Etienne’ contract expires after 2025 and Tank Bigsby is not a workhorse. The Jaguars added more of a receiving back in Syracuse’ LeQuint Allen in the seventh round, but Tuten enters a situation where he can be this season’s Bucky Irving with a chance to overtake an inefficient starter and compete for a long-term starting spot.

Similarly, Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo will get a chance with the Giants, who selected him No. 105. Though he lumbered to a 4.65 40-yard dash, he ran for 1,711 yards on 293 carries for 21 touchdowns, while adding 45 receptions for 605 yards last season. Skattebo’s 93.3 PFF grade and 50 broken tackles were both No. 2 only to Ashton Jeanty. A grinding back, Skattebo should challenge Tyrone Tracy Jr. for both carries and targets. Barring an injury to Tracy or Devin Singletary, Skattebo won’t be an immediate fantasy option but will have the opportunity to be a long-term back for the Giants.

Several complementary backs were taken between Skattebo and Dylan Sampson. Trevor Etienne (Panthers), Woody Marks (Texans), and Jarquez Hunter (Rams) won’t start for their teams but are in line to spell their starters with carriers or targets.

Titans continue to add pass-catchers for Cam Ward

With arguably the league’s worst pass-catching group, the Titans needed to add pieces to support No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. They started with Florida’s Chimere Dike, who is a speedy receiver but may have more of a special teams impact.
Tennessee’s other two fourth-round picks were Texas TE Gunnar Helm and Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor. Helm caught 82.2-percent of his targets for 786 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He tested poorly at the NFL Combine, though he injured his ankle while running the 40-yard dash. Helm isn’t the best athlete but will be a solid safety-blanket target for Ward and is worth a look in Dynasty fantasy football leagues.

Meanwhile, Ayomanor is an athletic outside receiver that surprisingly fell to the late fourth-round. He was a contested catch specialist at Stanford, completing 14-of-29 contested targets last season. Athleticism (9.71 RAS) and good size (6’2/206) make Ayomanor an intriguing outside option in the Titans offense.

Browns double-dip at RB with Dylan Sampson

The Browns stacked picks in this year’s draft, double-dipping at running back with Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson in the fourth round after taking Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins in the second. Sampson is a smaller back (5’8/200) with jump-cut abilities, burst, and huge college production (1,491 rushing yards last season). He was seldom used as a pass-catcher, but his elusiveness makes him an interesting matchup against linebackers.

Although this pick makes the Browns’ backfield crowded, Sampson is only 20-years-old. He has room to develop and emerges as a long-term fantasy investment. Jerome Ford seems to be the odd man out soon with one year left on his contract and the Browns adding two backs in the first four rounds. Judkins has the best chance to start, but Sampson’s traits are too good for him to not get a shot at some touches as a rookie. He very well could be a Judkins slow start or injury away from getting valuable touches in 2025.

Chiefs add Jalen Royals, Brashard Smith to offense

Can the Chiefs offense return to an exciting level of play again? Kansas City took a step towards addressing the question on Day 3, first adding Utah State’s Jalen Royals.

Scoring a 9.01 RAS, Royals has burst and enters the Chiefs’ depth chart as WR4. Working behind Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown, and Xavier Worthy, Royals will get time to develop as a rookie before eventually taking on a bigger role if Brown leaves next season. He serves as a late-round high-upside fantasy pick.

The Chiefs also added SMU’s Brashard Smith in the seventh round. It’s hard not to get excited about a running back in the Chiefs offense with soon-to-be 30-year-old Kareem Hunt, former seventh-rounder Isiah Pacheco, and Elijah Mitchell off a major hamstring injury in the backfield. Monitor training camp news closely for this backfield as Smith adds a skillset the Athletic’s Dane Brugler likened to “SMU’s version of Isiah Pacheco.” He began his career as a pass-catcher and will have value as a late-round fantasy pick in point-per-reception leagues.

More impact RBs taken on Day 3

Day 3 is where running backs live for fantasy. This is where we see handcuff running backs get added to teams, all it takes is a starter injury or training camp emergence for them to turn into fantasy-relevant starters.

The Cowboys double-dipped at the position, taking Texas’ Jaydon Blue in the fifth round and Clemson’s Phil Mafah in the seventh. Blue is an immediate home-run threat who can take touches away from the incumbent Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. He can especially contribute as a pass-catcher to add some burst to the backfield.

The Dolphins added Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon to their backfield, a shift from their speedy incumbent backs. Though he has just O.K. burst, Gordon is bruiser back who led the FBS with 1,732 rushing yards in 2023. He can find touches in the Dolphins offense as a different type of back from De’Von Achane or Jaylen Wright.

Other Day 3 backs, like Jordan James (49ers), Devin Neal (Saints), Tahj Brooks (Bengals) and Damien Martinez (Seahawks) are less likely to have an immediate impact. Though they can work themselves up the rotation, fantasy handcuff is likeliest outcome as these backs are headed for backup/depth roles.

WRs Tory Horton, Tez Johnson slide to late Day 3

Though Day 3 receivers don’t have the best fantasy football success rate, guys that slide late can be diamonds-in-the-rough to target. Colorado State’s Tory Horton is one such example, going to the Seahawks in the late fifth-round.

Testing with a 9.83 RAS, he has the speed and size to be a contributor as an outside receiver for the Seahawks. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein praised Horton’s stop-and cut quickness and ability to slip tacklers. Seattle has Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, both guys who have been at their best in the slot. Horton has a shot for outside reps as a rookie.

Lastly, Oregon’s Tez Johnson was scooped up by the Buccaneers in the seventh round. He fell due to his small stature (5’10/154) and athletic testing that did not make up for it. However, Johnson was highly productive in college, with 2,080 receiving yards in two seasons at Oregon. He projects best as a slot receiver and it will take him time to crack the Bucs’ deep pass-catching rotation, but he can make the roster as a return specialist and move up as he develops past his rookie season.