The Five Best Late-Round Steals Of The 2026 Draft (Not Named Nussmeier Or McCoy)

The two most-discussed Day 3 stories of the 2026 NFL Draft were Garrett Nussmeier sliding to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 249 and Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy falling to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 101 after a torn ACL and degenerative-knee concerns wiped out a projected top-15 grade. Set those two aside — they have been written to death — and the back half of the board still hid genuine value. Five players in Rounds 4 through 7 came off later than the tape said they should, and each gives a roster a specific, repeatable skill at a rookie-minimum price.

Start with the pick a national outlet flatly labeled the steal of the draft. The Washington Commanders took Tennessee edge rusher Joshua Josephs at No. 147 in the fifth round, and USA Today's Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz singled him out as the draft's biggest steal, citing the difficulty of finding edge rushers past Day 2 with the athleticism to actually pressure a quarterback. Josephs is 6-foot-3, 242 pounds — undersized for a three-point stance — but a four-year Tennessee contributor with 9.5 career sacks, a long wingspan, and a rapid first step. Pass-rush juice at pick 147 is the definition of late-round value.

The fourth round produced a name with NFL bloodlines and FCS dominance. The New Orleans Saints selected North Dakota State wide receiver Bryce Lance at No. 136 — the younger brother of Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 draft. Bryce was the No. 1 FCS prospect in the class, a first-team AP All-American in 2025 with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and a school-record 17 receiving touchdowns in 2024. At 6-foot-3 he ran a 4.34 40-yard dash with a 41.5-inch vertical at the pre-draft testing. A receiver with that production and those numbers landing on Day 3 is the kind of slide that only happens to FCS prospects.

Penn State's all-time leading rusher went later than his résumé. The Washington Commanders — who also grabbed Josephs — took running back Kaytron Allen at No. 187 in the sixth round. Allen finished his college career with 4,180 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns at a 5.4 per-carry clip, a four-year contributor and a Third-Team All-American in 2025. Running back has become a position teams refuse to pay early, which is exactly why a productive, durable back with that volume of college carries was available in the sixth round. For a Commanders backfield, he is rotational value at a throwaway cost.

The combine riser who still slid to the seventh round is the cleanest traits bet of the group. The host Pittsburgh Steelers took Oklahoma safety Robert Spears-Jennings at No. 224, despite a 4.32 40-yard dash that ranked second among all safeties at the combine. He is a downhill box defender who led the SEC with four forced fumbles in 2024 and finished his career with 178 tackles, five forced fumbles, and two interceptions. A rangy, physical safety with sub-4.35 speed surviving until the 224th pick is the sort of value a defense backfield builds special teams and sub-package depth around.

The fifth steal is a developmental quarterback with rare physical tools. The Cleveland Browns opened the sixth round by taking Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green at No. 182. Green is 6-foot-5 and ran a 4.36 40-yard dash — a Boise State transfer who finished his college career at Arkansas and arrives as one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in the entire class. The passing tape is uneven, which is why he lasted into the sixth round, but a 6-5 quarterback with 4.36 speed is the kind of athletic clay teams happily spend a Day 3 pick to develop. For a Browns room sorting through its quarterback future, he is a low-cost lottery ticket.

The common thread across all five is the modern Day 3 logic: the board does not fall on ability, it falls on the things the combine measures and the things a team is unwilling to pay for early. Josephs lacked ideal size; Lance played FCS competition; Allen plays a devalued position; Spears-Jennings was a traits-over-production projection; Green's passing needs work. Every one of them brought a clear, NFL-translatable skill that simply did not fit the slot the consensus assigned. The teams that bought late were buying the gap between what a player has proven and what the testing numbers say he might become.

None of this guarantees a single snap. Day 3 is where most draft picks become camp bodies, and four of these five will have to earn roster spots on special teams and motor. But the value proposition is asymmetric: the cost is a late-round pick, and the upside — a pass-rushing edge, a 4.34 receiver, a 1,000-yard college back, a sub-4.35 safety, a 6-5 dual-threat quarterback — is the kind of return that turns a draft class from good to great when one of them hits. Excluding the two names everyone already argued about, these were the five best bets the 2026 draft left on the table after the cameras moved on.