Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Several NFL teams face mounting pressure as Day 3 of the 2026 Draft approaches, with key roster gaps still unfilled after controversial picks in the first two rounds.
- Each team has a clear opportunity to pivot their draft narrative with a single strategic selection that addresses their most pressing need.
- Success on Day 3 could mean the difference between a draft remembered as a disappointment and one that sets the foundation for a playoff-contending roster.
We're through the first two days of the 2026 NFL Draft, and for some fan bases, the optimism with which they started the week has already given way to panic — or, in some cases, outright nihilism. The first three rounds have been filled with more than their fair share of head-scratching picks, seemingly putting some teams behind the 8-ball with precious little time to make up ground.
But the clock has yet to strike midnight; there are four more rounds remaining, after all, and while finding diamonds in the rough gets tougher as the draft goes along, there's still a lot of talent out there who can turn a team's weekend from failure to success. Here are some of our least favorite draft classes so far, and how they can turn that narrative around on Day 3.
Arizona Cardinals: C Sam Hecht, Kansas State
The Jeremiyah Love pick felt like a drastic miscalculation for a team that's still yet to put a stable offensive foundation in place, and while I understand the idea behind taking a swing on a quarterback in Round 3, choosing Carson Beck in particular — a guy with arm-strength concerns post-elbow surgery who has a nasty habit of putting the ball in harm's way — feels doomed to fail.
Despite making three picks on that side of the ball already, it feels like Arizona is hardly any closer to putting a stable foundation in place offensively. Guard Chase Bisontis will help, but there are still questions at right tackle and center, and while they may have already missed the boat on the former, they can still address the latter by taking Hecht. For my money, he's the best center in this class, and he'd help stabilize the interior for whoever the QB of the future winds up being.
Buffalo Bills: S Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina
Brandon Beane did shrewd work on Day 1, moving out of the first round entirely while replenishing Buffalo's draft capital. But eventually you need to convert this picks into, you know, actual players, and the Bills have yet to do a particularly compelling job of that so far. Clemson EDGE TJ Parker should help juice this pass rush, but Ohio State corner Davison Igbinosun isn't the sort of versatile inside-outside corner this team could really use, and there are still holes at linebacker, nickel and receiver that need to be addressed.
Taking a shot on a vertical wideout like North Dakota State's Bryce Lance — someone who can allow DJ Moore to occupy more of a possession role — would help as well, but the guy I'd be banging the table for is Kilgore, a monster athlete out of South Carolina who seems to have big nickel written all over him. He's not the same caliber of player as his fellow Gamecock, Nick Emmanwori, but his size makes him a menace both in man coverage and in run defense, and Buffalo needs to give new DC Jim Leonhard to more secondary bodies to work with.
Chicago Bears: EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State
It's been a very hit or miss draft for Ryan Poles so far. Dillon Thieneman was a down the fairway pick in Round 1, and blocking tight end Sam Roush is a dream fit in Ben Johnson's offense. But center Logan Jones and receiver Zavion Thomas were big reaches, and Chicago enters Day 3 in need of taking some real developmental swings along the defensive front.
Enter Dani Dennis-Sutton, who needs to flesh out his pass-rushing bag but profiles as the type of speed rusher that the Bears could really use opposite Montez Sweat. Both edge and defensive tackle stick out as areas of need on Day 3, and Dennis-Sutton has the highest ceiling of the bunch.
Jacksonville Jaguars: LB Kendal Daniels, Oklahoma
I understand why Jacksonville hit the positions it did with four picks on Day 2 — this team needed to beef up the trenches on both sides, so a blocking tight end plus a defensive tackle and a guard made sense. I just didn't love the specific players they chose, although Emmanuel Pregnon has the potential to be a true road-grader.
There's still one glaring need remaining entering Day 3: linebacker, where the Jags need to both replace Devin Lloyd and get ahead of Foyesade Oluokun's aging curve. Daniels has some developing to do as a converted safety, but the fact that he only played one year at off-ball linebacker should have Jacksonville's staff licking its chops. The physical tools are all there, and if they turned Lloyd into an All-Pro, imagine what they can do with a 6-foot-5, 242-pound menace?
Los Angeles Chargers: G Jeremiah Wright, Auburn
The Chargers did need pass rush help as Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack both enter contract years, but it's concerning that the interior of the offensive line — the glaring need all offseason — remains so unsettled entering the final day of the draft. (Florida's Jake Slaughter is a fine player, but I don't really understand why they took a center convert after signing Tyler Biadasz.)
If nothing else, Wright will bring some much needed beef up front at 6-foot-5 and 331 pounds. His quickness will be tested at the NFL level, but he moves better than you think, and he profiles as a good fit for the man blocking schemes that Harbaugh loves to deploy. Los Angeles can't afford to let Saturday go by without taking at least one more swing at guard.
New York Jets: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
Look, it would be easier to list the positions at which the Jets don't have a need entering Day 3, even after making four picks in the top 50 overall. D'Angelo Ponds is a very Aaron Glenn corner, but other than that, nothing New York has done so far should preclude them from simply taking the biggest swings possible to get talent in the building wherever they can find it.
Which brings us to McCoy, a top-10 talent when healthy who finds himself still on the board due to long-term concerns around the health of his surgically repaired knee. Teams are worried that the knee might continue to bother him moving forward, or require another surgery that could require another year of recovery. But that is by no means a sure thing, and the Jets should be thinking on a long enough timeline that they don't need to sweat those questions in the same way. If he hits, you have a Pro Bowl-caliber corner; if he does need to go under the knife again, well, are you really contending in 2026 (or 2027) anyway?
San Francisco 49ers: S Zakee Wheatley, Penn State
Love anything in life the way San Francisco loves inexplicably spending mid-round picks on off-the-board running backs. The 49ers added a much-needed body at EDGE in Romello Height, but the Kaelon Black pick — as well as the decision to prioritize receiver in the second round rather than later on — leaves serious needs to be addressed on Day 3.
The offensive line could use some depth as well, but the list starts at safety, where Malik Mustapha's injury concerns and Ji'Ayir Brown's looming free agency make for a tenuous situation. Wheatley is one of the best remaining at the position, maybe second only to Kilgore, and he brings true versatility in his alignment. Add more talent in the defensive backfield, and you can start to feel good about this defensive reload.
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