2023 NFL Draft Day 3 Recap: Offense

The 2023 NFL Draft is officially in the books, which means barring a few undrafted rookie free agents, we now know all the landing spots for the latest crop of rookies. If you have not already checked out our offensive recaps of the first two days of the Draft, we have Day 1 and Day 2 ready for you.

NFL Draft Day 3: Most intriguing players

Roschon Johnson

A darling for a lot of fantasy analysts throughout the draft process, Roschon Johnson lands with the Chicago Bears, where he could see a role as a third-down running back, given his above-average hands and his excellent pass protection.

Neither of the RBs already on the Bears’ roster, Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman, are great third-down players, which leaves the door open for Roschon Johnson to take this role. Foreman signed a one-year deal with the Bears this offseason, and Herbert only has two years left on his rookie deal, so Johnson could end up with significant touches over the course of his first 2-3 years with the Bears.

Kayshon Boutte

Just a year ago, Kayshon Boutte was widely regarded as one of the best WRs that could enter the NFL as part of this draft class. Since then, lackluster play as well as a bad offseason of testing at the combine and pro day, has seen Boutte plummet down draft boards.

The Patriots, who have had little success in picking WRs in the draft, scooped Boutte up in the sixth round of the Draft. However, If Boutte buys into the Patriots’ Way, and works hard, he certainly has the makings of a good, maybe even great playmaker, and could be a draft-day steal for fantasy managers who target him later in rookie drafts. If Boutte does not, expect him to be cut during camp.

Deuce Vaughn

Despite having just Tony Pollard, who is recovering from injury, and Malik Davis as the only two RBs on their roster, the Dallas Cowboys waited until Day 3 of the NFL Draft to address the position. They did that with Deuce Vaughn.

Vaughn is small, even for an RB, but has great quickness and elusiveness, which could help him earn a role, as Vaughn proved very productive at the college level. Whether his size is going to hamper him at the NFL- level will remain to be seen, but fantasy managers could draft Vaughn late and hope for the upside, as he is going to be very inexpensive.

Chase Brown

With all the uncertainty surrounding starting RB for the Bengals, Joe Mixon, the fifth-round selection of Chase Brown should certainly intrigue fantasy managers. If Mixon is cut, the Bengals might sign a veteran RB, but Chase Brown could also show the team, that he is worth a shot, should they decide to part ways with Mixon.

Brown is more of a grinder than Mixon, which could lead to an extended role as the main ball carrier if given the chance.

Zach Evans

The former five-star recruit lands with the Los Angeles Rams as a sixth-round selection. Evans is interesting because the Rams have already shown once, that they are willing to bench Cam Akers and let other players try their hand at the starting RB role.

With only Akers and Kyren Williams ahead of Evans, there is a chance that the former TCU and Ole Miss runner sees opportunity, and maybe, just maybe he can dethrone the competition and become a fantasy relevant asset in the future. With where you can likely draft him in rookie drafts, taking a shot at Evans as a stash, should prove very cheap.

NFL Draft Day 2: Best Honorable Mention Players

Other somewhat intriguing players were drafted during Day 3. They may or may not find their way to fantasy relevance, despite being Day 3 draft picks. The following players bear honorable mention:

Evan Hull, DeWayne McBride, Jake Haener, Stetson Bennett, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Eric Gray, Tyler Scott, AT Perry, and Xavier Hutchinson.

NFL Draft Day 2: Most Disappointing Players

Israel Abanikanda

As is often the case, most players taken on Day 3, can hardly disappoint because they were chosen on Day 3 for a reason. As such, they can almost only surprise us in a positive way. However, for Israel Abanikanda his draft stock should come as a disappointment to most fantasy managers.

Prior to the draft, there was some buzz that Abanikanda could even be a Day 2 pick. Instead, he falls to the fifth round and lands with the Jets, where he is firmly behind Breece Hall on the depth chart. Abanikanda might beat Michael Carter for the backup job, but even so, it is hard to see him get nearly enough volume to have a fantasy impact outside of a Breece Hall injury.

Sean Tucker

Early in the draft process, Sean Tucker looked like he could be a top 5 RB in this draft. That was before medical issues apparently tanked his draft stock, and Tucker went completely undrafted. Tucker has since landed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent, which could end up as a good situation, but his fall is a big disappointment, nonetheless.

That’s all there is. You now have recap articles for all three days of the 2023 NFL Draft to dive into. May you draft well and get “your guys” in rookie drafts!