Caleb Harris
The phenomenon of Day 3 draft picks surprises as rookies take shape each year in the NFL.
Last year, Puka Nacua was all the rage, and with good reason. Aidan O’Connell held his own in a long audition as the Raiders’ starting quarterback. Heck, sixth-round pick DeMario Douglas — who was highlighted in this article last year — led the Patriots in receiving.
In 2022, it came via Dameon Pierce, Jack Jones, Romeo Doubs, Tyler Allgeier, Braxton Jones and Tariq Woolen.
In 2021, it was Amon-Ra St. Brown, Evan McPherson, Elijah Mitchell and Trey Smith.
The year before, it was L’Jarius Sneed, Gabriel Davis and Darnell Mooney. In 2019, Gardner Minshew, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and Maxx Crosby were instant hits.
While all of the 2024 Day 3 selections listed below are not guaranteed to succeed as rookies, they have the best chance to make an instant impact due to their talent and opportunity on their new teams.
Franklin’s hyper-slender frame — nearly 6 feet tall and less than 400 pounds — must be the reason he fell to the fourth round, right? Yes, everything was very publicized and open for the Oregon offense in 2023, but it’s not like the NFL adopted many of these principles or that Franklin never ran any NFL-type routes while in college.
And didn’t three years of ascending production with the Ducks, culminating in a career high of 81 grabs, 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns, get him called up within the first two days?
If anything, perhaps there was more rawness to Franklin’s routes – or NFL Believes so – from what my eyes have found, and if that’s the case, it’s tremendous that he landed with his college quarterback, Bo Nix, in Denver. When it comes to route subtleties, Nix will be familiar with them and can adjust accordingly.
While he has a unique shape, this is still a burner with a slow 4.4-second 40-yard dash speed who has flourished after the catch and, of course, in the third level of the defense. With Jerry Jeudy in Cleveland, Franklin could step into a WR3 or WR2 role immediately with the Broncos.
I got an early grade in the second round at Baker. I loved him all draft season, even after his average workout at the combine, highlighted by a 4.54-second time in the 40-yard dash. Oh, and back then: Let’s not forget that Baker is no feather under 180 pounds on the field.
He weighed what is now a reasonably hefty 6 feet and 200 pounds. He was a skilled hitter in press coverage at the line, ran fluidly when positioning defenders in his routes, and his 56.3% win rate on contested catches – 9 of 16 – was higher than that of Ja’Lynn Polk, Brian Thomas Jr., Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette, Malik Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr.
Yes… Baker can go up and get it.
Plus, he walks into the Patriots’ receiver room with Douglas, Kendrick Bourne and fellow Polk, as well as journeymen like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Reagor. Sure, there’s some promise in the room, but Baker certainly could have fallen into a more crowded situation with more established stars at receiver. And if there’s one thing Baker doesn’t lack, it’s confidence. (He already believes he is a top 10 WR.)
For the life of me, I can’t pinpoint why Hicks was the 133rd pick in this draft and the 11th safety off the board. 11th! He had 75+ tackles in both contributing seasons at Washington State, with 10 pass breakups and 3 picks. There were a few touchdowns scored in the vicinity of his coverage, but not an egregious amount.
At nearly 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, Hicks had a 37.5-inch vertical and a super-fast time of 6.88 seconds in the three-cone drill. And he’s still only 21. With late secondary schemer Steve Spagnuolo calling the defense in Kansas City, this big, imposing hitter with some coverage skills will excel in a multi-dimensional role that will likely feature him closer to the line of scrimmage.
He’s not considerably different from veteran Justin Reid, who he’ll likely support and spell from time to time in his first year in Kansas City.
Abrams-Draine was my only “outlier” candidate, someone I had rated significantly higher than the NFL saw him. His performance in Missouri earned him a first-round rating on my board. He’s uniquely sized at just under 6-foot-1 and 179 pounds, without elite-measured explosiveness — 33.5-inch vertical placing just in the 17th percentile among cornerbacks — but on film, he’s a lightning bolt for the football and ran 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
At Missouri, over three stellar seasons, Abrams-Draine lined up on the boundary and in the slot. All he did was produce at a high rate every year. In total, the agile and strong defender defended 34 passes and managed 3 picks. He’s the exact type of cornerback to combat the recent trend of small, lightweight splitters entering the league — think Tank Dell and Jordan Addison.
If healthy, Abrams-Draine will become a gem for the Broncos defense in the fifth round. He had no business going so late anyway.
If Solomon was an inch or two taller, he was probably drafted somewhere in the third round. I really believe that. And frankly, isn’t height one of the least important attributes at the edge rusher position? It’s typically a problem in a prospect’s profile because lack of height is usually associated with lower weight and minimal length, and both of these attributes are absolutely important.
Solomon weighs 246 pounds — almost exactly the same weight as first-round pick Dallas Turner and new Bills teammate Von Miller — and comes with unconventional 33- and 7/8-inch arms. Miller’s were 33 and 1/2 inches at the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine, for perspective.
Of course, measurables aren’t all that matters. And Solomon was a production machine in Troy. He led college football in sacks last season with 16, so he could clearly finish. And in his last three collegiate seasons, in a whopping 818 pass rush opportunities, Solomon recorded 124 pressures, which represents a strong 15.1% pressure creation rate.
He’s the exact kind of quick, quick winner the Bills needed, and he can win with burst, bend, a surprisingly powerful bull rush, or one of the few pass rush moves he can deploy.
Laube led the FCS in overall yards per game with 194 during the 2022 season. He then recorded 68 receptions for 699 yards with 7 touchdowns in 2023, which included an epic 12-hurdle, 295-yard, two-score masterpiece against the Central Michigan.
He’s a stocky but elusive scatback who ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash and had a 6.84-second three-cone drill that ranked in the 85th percentile among running backs. This is not an unathletic overachiever. Laube has NFL-caliber physical traits and can be considered a dangerous receiver out of the backfield when he’s not carrying the rocket.
The Raiders will enter the 2024 season with Zamir White as the leader and not much more substance in front of Laube on the depth chart. As a Round 6 pick, Laube will contribute – and greatly harm defenses – in 2024 and beyond.
