Football fans are often familiar with the players taken in the first round of the NFL Draft, and even some of the players taken in the next few rounds during the second day of the draft. But on the third day, rounds 4-7 take place, and many of these players are unknown to fans. But there are some players with whom you are probably familiar. We’ll share with you where some of these notable players ended up.
Bryce Love, RB, Stanford (Redskins, 4th round)
Bryce Love is familiar to many fans for his exploits at Stanford in college. He truly broke out as a junior in 2017, rushing for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns, while finishing second in Heisman Trophy voting that year. He surprisingly decided to return to school for his senior season even though many did not think his draft stock could get higher. He was far less productive in 2018 as he battled injuries. Then as a capper to some bad luck, he tore his ACL in Stanford’s final game, which gave NFL teams pause. Between Derrius Guice and Love, Washington will now have two running backs returning from a torn ACL.
Benny Snell, RB, Kentucky (Steelers, 4th round)
A Heisman Trophy contender last season, Snell goes down as one of the best football players in Kentucky history. He started all three seasons at Kentucky, racking up 3,873 rushing yards and 48 rushing touchdowns, both of which are the most in school history. They played in three straight bowl games while he was there and enjoyed their best season (10-3) since 1977. Snell was a major reason for their turnaround, which appealed to Pittsburgh. He should be able to supplement James Conner nicely.
Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn (Patriots, 4th round)
Jarrett Stidham is a notable draft selection not just because he’s known by fans, but also because of where he went. Any time the Patriots add a quarterback in the draft, it sparks interest due to Tom Brady’s age. Brady turns 42 in August, so the question remains: how long will he play and who will replace him? You can probably add Stidham to the list, along with current backups Brian Hoyer and Danny Etling. Stidham broke onto the scene as a freshman quarterback at Baylor in 2015 when he passed for 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. He transferred to Auburn and had a good sophomore season in 2017 with 3,158 yards and 18 touchdowns. He didn’t quite emerge last season like many expected, but he still finished his career with 48 touchdown passes and only 13 interceptions.
Hunter Renfrow, WR, Clemson (Raiders, 5th round)
After what felt like a decade at Clemson, Renfrow has finally left his school and is going to the NFL. The Raiders took him midway through the fifth round, giving them their third Clemson player to that point. Renfrow developed a reputation among college football fans for a few reasons. One, he began his career as a 155-pound walk-on. Two, he always seemed to come up huge in the national championship game. He had two touchdown catches in the 2016 and 2017 title game.
Gardner Minshew, QB, Washington State (Jaguars, 6th round)
Minshew was a statistical monster for Washington State last season and became a sensation thanks to his style and cool facial hair. He led the nation in completions (468), pass attempts (662), was second in yards (4779) and fourth in touchdowns (38). He lit things up in Mike Leach’s Air Raid system and displayed enough chops with his 70.7 passing completion percentage to convince the Jacksonville Jaguars to take him in the sixth round.
Trace McSorley, QB, Penn State (Ravens, 6th round)
A four-year player and three-year starter at Penn State, McSorley was well known among fans for his prowess as a dual-threat. He passed for 77 touchdowns and 25 interceptions over his career at Penn State. He also rushed for 30 scores, including 12 touchdowns and 798 yards on the ground as a senior. The Ravens make perfect sense as a landing spot; though he’s not as fast as Lamar Jackson, he is a capable running quarterback and a good fit as a backup in their system, along with Robert Griffin III. Much like Jackson, he was asked to switch positions at the combine but declined.
Mike Weber, RB, Ohio State (Cowboys, 7th round)
Those who have watched Ohio State and Big Ten football over the past three years should be familiar with Mike Weber. He teamed with JK Dobbins to form Ohio State’s rushing duo the last two years. His best season arguably came as a redshirt freshman in 2016 when he rushed for 1,096 yards and 9 touchdowns. He finished 15th in Ohio State history in rushing yards for a career with 2,676. The Cowboys have already had success recently with one Ohio State running back in Ezekiel Elliott. They like their Buckeyes.
Myles Gaskin, RB, Washington (Dolphins, 7th round)
Gaskin leaves Washington as the most accomplished back in school history. He is first in school history in career attempts (945), rushing yards (5,323), rushing touchdowns (57), yards from scrimmage (5,788) and total touchdowns (62). He is the only player in Pac-12 history to rush for over 1,000 yards in four straight seasons. The four-year starter helped the Huskies reach the College Football Playoff and win double-digit games three straight seasons. His Combine measurables were unimpressive, which helped explain why he went in the seventh round. He’ll probably fall behind Kenyan Drake and Kalen Ballage on the Dolphins’ depth chart. His consistency and durability seem like positive signs for the future.
Notable players who went undrafted:
– Former West Virginia WR David Sills
– Former Michigan RB Karan Higdon
– Former USC EDGE Porter Gustin
– Former Boise State QB Brett Rypien
– Former Texas WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
– Former Georgia RB Elijah Holyfield
