Best players still available on Day 3 of 2026 NFL Draft

Three rounds are down, and four remain in the 2026 NFL Draft, with a lot of highly-scouted players still available on the board entering Day Three. One big surprise remains on the board, along with several other high-upside prospects, giving teams plenty to offer on the final day.

The 2026 NFL Draft has been extremely erratic through three rounds, likely more than anyone could have anticipated. While everybody is monitoring the Jermod McCoy situation, the Tennessee alum is one of a handful of prospects who could have heard their names called earlier in the draft but are still anxiously awaiting their moment on Day Three.

The draft has finally reached the point where scouts truly earn their paychecks. The gems are harder to find at this point, but there are still more than a few potentially elite players up for grabs.

CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

Jermod McCoy is the biggest draft slide of the year so far. After being mocked as a top-15 pick for most of the pre-draft process, McCoy started to raise some late injury-related red flags, causing many to expect him to fall out of the first round. Still, nobody anticipated him still being available on Day Three.

The injuries are the biggest concern for McCoy, but he is still arguably the most talented cornerback of the class at full health. His situation has shades of Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson, who slipped in the 2025 NFL Draft before having a successful rookie season in Glendale. McCoy is easily the best player still available through three rounds.

S Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina

South Carolina’s Jalon Kilgore was a prospect many scouts viewed as a dark-horse safety prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. He was never going to go in Round 1, but a strong performance at the Combine had some anticipating a potential Round 2 landing. Yet, he remains on the board as the top safety available entering Day Three.

With 21 pass breakups and eight interceptions in his three-year career with the Gamecocks, Kilgore is a natural-born playmaker with a high athletic ceiling. The All-SEC safety never once entered the college football transfer portal, a rarity in the modern era, and teams will value that consistency.

RB Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas

Despite some rating him as the second-best running back of the class, Mike Washington Jr. remains ready for the taking at the beginning of Round 4. Scouts do not love his age — Washington turns 23 in July — but his speed and power were evident at the Combine, where he ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash with a 39-inch vertical jump.

Washington is one of many running backs still available, as teams have avoided the position altogether through three rounds. Indiana’s Kaelon Black was the only halfback taken on Day Two after Notre Dame teammates Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price went in the first round. Washington remains available, along with Nicholas Singleton, J’Mari Taylor, Demond Claiborne and Emmett Johnson.

CB Malik Muhammad, Texas

Jermod McCoy’s surprising tumble has affected others in the class, including Texas’ Malik Muhammad. Although Muhammad was always a fringe Day Three prospect, he is another cornerback dealing with injury concerns entering the 2026 NFL Draft. Teams are not going to take a shot on him as long as McCoy remains on the board.

Muhammad is also undersized, which could have pushed him into the Round 4 to Round 5 range regardless of McCoy’s status. However, his fundamentals and technique are on point, and he has the versatility to play all over the field. The All-SEC cornerback has “Day 2 talent and starter-level ability,” according to NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein.

DT Zxavian Harris, Ole Miss

Yet another player affected by injury, Zxavian Harris was trending in the right direction before enduring foot surgery after the NFL Combine. Scouts already had concerns with his character, following multiple arrests during his Ole Miss career, making it no surprise that he is still on the board on Day Three of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Off-the-field issues aside, Harris is a physical, gritty presence in the middle of the field who can still improve any defense. His block-shedding technique could use work, but he has a high motor, relentless pursuit and was an elite run-stopper in college. Harris’ ceiling makes him one of the highest-upside players a team can find in Round 4.

WR Deion Burks, Oklahoma

Few players improved their stock at the Combine more than Deion Burks, who forced himself onto everyone’s radar with nearly every drill. The event was made for athletic specimens like Burks, who ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash — the fourth-fastest among all players — and a 1.49-second 10-yard split while posting a 42.5-inch vertical jump.

Burks has always had all the physical tools; he just struggles to turn them into meaningful production on the field. He never surpassed 629 receiving yards in a single season of his five-year college football career with Purdue and Oklahoma. Still, Burks’ athletic ceiling and big-play ability likely makes him the best receiver still on the board entering Day Three.

CB Keionte Scott, Miami

The 2026 NFL Draft cornerback class has underwhelmed as a whole, and Keionte Scott is one of its biggest victims. Many expected the former junior college All-American to be an early Day Two prospect, with some even slipping him into the 25-32 range of their mock drafts.

But like Malik Muhammad, Scott ended the 2025 college football season with some injury concerns, and teams are not going to look his way until somebody finally ends the Jermod McCoy slide. Scott has all the skills and instincts to be an immediate contributor for any team by Week 1, when his turf toe will be very much in the past.

LB Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh

Discounting Arvell Reese, only six true linebackers have been taken so far in the 2026 NFL Draft, including none in Round 3. That leaves several intriguing prospects still available on Day Three, including Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis, who racked up 179 tackles in his last two years with the Panthers.

The positives of Louis’ game are evident on film. He is an athletic tackler with elite pursuit and was on the field for almost every play in 2025. However, his physical limitations are just as transparent, with many doubting his 6-foot-1 frame, particularly in a class full of small linebackers. Louis will likely not last longer than the first 16 picks of Day Three, as his upside and work ethic are too much to ignore.

WR Elijah Sarratt, Indiana

The defending College Football Playoff National Champions have been well-represented in the 2026 NFL Draft thus far, beginning with Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 overall pick. However, Mendoza’s top target, Elijah Sarratt, continues to wait to hear his name called entering the fourth round.

Sarratt lacks top-end speed, but his fundamental route-running complements his elite hand skills, which Indiana frequently took full advantage of in the red zone. Sarratt led the country with 15 touchdowns in 2025. His fall to Day Three is easily understandable, but veteran players like Sarratt tend to be more NFL-ready than their less-experienced counterparts, regardless of how scouts view their athletic potential.

QB Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

With Drew Allar and Carson Beck getting called on Day Two, Garrett Nussmeier is the clear top quarterback remaining entering Day Three. Nussmeier, who claims he is back to 100 percent after playing hurt for most of his senior season, is the only remaining prospect that teams can feel confident in beginning the year as their backup.

He does not have the athletic potential of Taylen Green or Diego Pavia, but Nussmeier’s leadership and arm talent are the best among the remaining players. He could end up going as early as pick No. 103 to the New York Jets, who have done a lot of work and used a top-30 visit on him.

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