Missing the first-round cut in the NFL draft hardly relegates any player to irrelevance as a rookie.
In 2025, for instance, future Defensive Rookie of the Year winner Carson Schwesinger and two additional finalists for the award – Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori and Atlanta Falcons safety Xavier Watts – were taken after Day 1. On the other side of the ball, a pair of second-rounders in New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson finished as runners-up to Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan.
Even in a 2026 NFL Draft class that was seemingly short on top talent, more first-year surprises from even later on in the order could be on tap. Here are seven under-the-radar players who could turn heads as rookies:
103. New York Jets: DT Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
104. Arizona Cardinals: DT Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana
105. Los Angeles Chargers: WR Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State
107. San Francisco 49ers: DT Gracen Halton, Oklahoma
116. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: CB Keionte Scott, Miami (FL)
117. Los Angeles Chargers: OT Travis Burke, Memphis
119. Jacksonville Jaguars: Edge Wesley Williams, Duke
1 / 19All the picks from Rounds 4 to 7 on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft101. Las Vegas Raiders: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
103. New York Jets: DT Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
104. Arizona Cardinals: DT Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana
105. Los Angeles Chargers: WR Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State
107. San Francisco 49ers: DT Gracen Halton, Oklahoma
116. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: CB Keionte Scott, Miami (FL)
117. Los Angeles Chargers: OT Travis Burke, Memphis
119. Jacksonville Jaguars: Edge Wesley Williams, Duke
A player recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in October might seem like an odd candidate for this list. Even when he's back to full strength, the third-round pick out of Louisville has a gap to close on his development after he was seldom utilized in the downfield passing game.
Yet the opportunity here is virtually unparalleled. The Dolphins' receiving corps is without any established threats, and Bell's size (6-2, 222 pounds) sets him apart from a diminutive group. With new quarterback Malik Willis needing to find some sense of comfort as he takes the reins to the offense, a receiver with a proven track record as a run-after-catch threat might be easier to integrate into the attack than Caleb Douglas, the fellow third-rounder whose game hinges on winning on deep routes. If you're looking for a sleeper candidate to lead his team in receiving yards as a rookie, Bell might be it.