The NFL Draft is the biggest treasure hunt in sports. The NFL Draft gives a ton of love to the players selected in the first 60-90 picks, but the Draft really begins in Round 4. This is where you find the heart of your roster from a depth and Special Teams perspective. The 36 defensive players below are outside of my overall Top 105 prospects, but could be the player that puts your squad over the top. I have a strong feeling these guys will be drafted on Day 3, but some like Auburn Edge Rusher Derick Hall or Maryland Cornerback Jakorian Bennett could be selected in the Third Round.
A ton of NFL stars were drafted on Day 3. We focus on elite college stars or athletes who wow at the Combine, but the players who get drafted later usually carry the defense. Zach Thomas (5th RD), Richard Sherman (5th RD), Robert Mathis (5th RD), Rodney Harrison (5th RD), Bryan Cox (5th RD), Kevin Greene (5th RD), Adalius Thomas (6th RD), Eddie Jackson (4th RD), Jared Allen (4th RD), Geno Atkins (4th RD), Antoine Bethea (6th RD) and many others have produced amazing careers even if they weren’t drafted in the first 3 rounds.
If you are looking for positional rankings of the draft eligible players on offense and defense, we have you covered at Spinnable Sports. You can also find my Top 105 NFL Draft Prospects and Mock Draft 2.0: 3 Round Mock Draft in the same spot. The Irrational Confidence Podcast (@IRConfidencePod on Twitter) will be dropping our Live Mock Draft Episode very soon. You can find The Irrational Confidence Podcast on any podcast platform as well as the Spinnable Sports YouTube Channel.
EDGE RUSHERS:
- DERICK HALL. (AUBURN)
- KARL BROOKS. (BOWLING GREEN)
- K J HENRY. (CLEMSON)
- MIKE MORRIS. (MICHIGAN)
- YASIR ABDULLAH. (LOUISVILLE)
- TYLER LACY. (OKLAHOMA STATE)
- VILIAMI FEHOKO. (SAN JOSE STATE)
DEFENSIVE LINE:
- MORO OJOMO. (TEXAS #98)
- ZACCH PICKENS. (SOUTH CAROLINA)
- KEONDRE COBURN. (TEXAS)
- KOBIE TURNER. (WAKE FOREST)
- JAQUELIN ROY. (LSU)
- JONAH TAVAI. (SAN DIEGO STATE)
- CAMERON YOUNG. (MISSISSIPPI STATE)
- GERVON DEXTER JR. (FLORIDA)
- BRODRIC MARTIN. (WESTERN KENTUCKY)
LINEBACKERS:
- DAIYAN HENLEY. (WASHINGTON STATE)
- HENRY TO’OTO’O. (ALABAMA)
- CAM JONES. (INDIANA)
- DRAKE THOMAS. (NC STATE)
- VENTRELL MILLER. (FLORIDA)
CORNERBACKS:
- JAKORIAN BENNETT. (MARYLAND)
- JAYLON JONES. (TEXAS A&M)
- DJ TURNER. (MICHIGAN)
- RILEY MOSS. (IOWA)
- JARTAVIUS MARTIN. (ILLINOIS)
- DARRELL LUTER JR. (SOUTH ALABAMA)
- NIC JONES. (BALL STATE)
SAFETY:
- BRANDON JOSEPH. (NOTRE DAME)
- JI’AYIR BROWN. (PENN STATE)
- JL SKINNER. (BOISE STATE)
- JORDAN HOWDEN. (MINNESOTA)
- DANIEL SCOTT. (CAL)
- RONNIE HICKMAN. (OHIO STATE)
- QUINDELL JOHNSON. (MEMPHIS)
- MARTE MAPU. (SACRAMENTO STATE)
Stay tuned to SpinnableSports.com (Spinnable Sports on Facebook/ YouTube and @SpinnableSports on Twitter) and the Irrational Confidence Podcast as we journey through Draft Season. My Final 3 Round Mock Draft will drop around April 20th. Stay tuned for my look at what the best fits are for the 2023 Quarterback class and what players are underrated in the 2023 NFL Draft.
