QUINIX Sport News: 2025 NFL Draft Day 3 winners and losers: Chiefs with huge potential steal; Quinn Ewers plummets to seventh

The 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the books, and every year it’s Day 3 that is the best day of the event. It’s for the real football sickos, as kickers, punters and FCS players find out where their next opportunities are. Not only is there four full rounds of action with picks flying left and right, but this is also where we see some of the real gems in the class unearthed.  

Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was finally selected at No. 144 overall by the Cleveland Browns, even after they drafted a different quarterback in the third round, the Tennessee Titans selected THREE new weapons for No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward in the fourth round, the Las Vegas Raiders selected two FCS quarterbacks with back-to-back picks in the sixth round and the Baltimore Ravens may have drafted their Justin Tucker replacement.

What stood out from the NFL Draft on Saturday? Below, we will break down the winners and losers from the most exciting day of the draft. Let’s begin with one of the deepest positions in this class that was a major headline on Day 3. 

Winner: Running backs

We had two running backs selected in the first three picks of Day 3 and six selected in that fourth round. It was a trend we saw continue through Saturday. A total of 19 running backs were drafted in the final four rounds of the draft.

Running backs drafted in Rounds 4-7

Chubb is still a free agent looking for a new deal, and a return to Cleveland looks more unlikely following the draft. The Browns became the first team since the 2013 Green Bay Packers to select two running backs in the first four rounds, as they drafted Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins at No. 36 overall, and then Dylan Sampson at No. 126 overall.

Judkins had recorded the third-most rushing yards (3,873) in the FBS since 2022, while Sampson rushed for a whopping 22 touchdowns this past season en route to SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors. The running back room in Cleveland has been revamped. 

Winner: Chiefs

The Chiefs started off Day 3 with a player who could be one of the biggest steals of the draft, when they selected Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals with the No. 133 overall pick.

Royals was named First Team All-Mountain West in 2023 after catching 71 passes for 1,080 yards and 15 touchdowns. Those 15 touchdown receptions ranked second in the FBS that year behind LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. Royals played in just seven games in 2024 before a foot injury ended his season, but he recorded an FBS third-best 119.1 receiving yards per game before being shut down. He absolutely should not have fallen this far, and of course he goes to one of the best teams in the NFL!

The Chiefs are good at finding value in Day 3. Remember star offensive guard Trey Smith went in the sixth round back in 2021. Kansas City also added former Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa at No. 156, a converted safety who adds something for Steve Spagnuolo in coverage, and running back Brashard Smith in the seventh round, who is an explosive playmaker. 

Cousins is still a member of the Atlanta Falcons, but most expect him to be dealt to a new team in the near future. Where would that be, though? Many hypothesized a reunion with Kevin Stefanski was in the cards, but the Browns drafted Dillon Gabriel AND Shedeur Sanders. Plus, Cleveland added Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco this offseason. That’s a loaded quarterback room. It would be shocking if Cousins ended up in Cleveland now. 

Winner: Will Howard

There’s no guarantee Aaron Rodgers joins the Pittsburgh Steelers, so could Will Howard have a chance to compete and start immediately? That may not be a hot take, as Pittsburgh’s quarterback depth chart includes just Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson right now. The 23-year-old Pennsylvania native is fresh off a College Football Playoff National Championship, the perfect end to a campaign in which he completed 73% of his passes for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Loser: Justin Tucker

With the No. 186 overall pick in the draft, the Ravens selected Arizona kicker Tyler Loop. Normally, a sixth-round pick like this wouldn’t be much of a headline, but the NFL is currently investigating Ravens kicker Justin Tucker after 16 massage therapists accused him of acting inappropriately. Not only is Tucker facing these very troubling allegations, but he is also coming off the worst season of his career. In 2024, Tucker hit just 73.3% of his field goals, which was much worse than his previous career low of 82.5% in 2015. 

Winner: Titans and Cam Ward

Miami wide receiver Xavier Restrepo was considered an absolute lock to be drafted this year before he ran what was reported to be around a 4.83 40-yard dash at his pro day. It was a shocking time, and he later claimed in a since-deleted social media post that his hamstring tightened up that day before he ran. Restrepo went undrafted, which may have been a blessing in disguise since he was able to team up with his quarterback Cam Ward in Tennessee. 

Ignore the 40 time for a second. Restrepo was one of just THREE FBS players to record 1,000 yards receiving in both 2023 and 2024. He was the Canes’ leading receiver when Tyler Van Dyke was throwing the football, and when Ward was throwing the football, too. This past season, Restrepo caught 69 passes for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns. This is an awesome development for Ward, the Titans and Restrepo. 

Restrepo wasn’t the only weapon Tennessee added for Ward in Day 3. New general manager Mike Borgonzi also drafted wide receivers Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor and tight end Gunnar Helm in the fourth round. According to CBS Sports Research, the Titans are the first team to draft 3 wide receivers or tight ends in a single round since Washington in 2008. 

Loser: Shedeur Sanders

Sorry to pile on the “Shedeur Sanders loser” narrative, but he was obviously thought to be a top prospect in this class who fell to No. 144 overall. Saturday was a dream realized for the Sanders family, no doubt, but the Browns are a weird landing spot given their loaded QB room which now includes five players. Remember, Cleveland drafted a quarterback before deciding to take Sanders in the fifth round. 

NFL Draft overreactions: Steelers have their Week 1 starter? Shedeur Sanders won’t make Browns roster?

Jeff Kerr

Loser: Quinn Ewers

Once upon a time, Quinn Ewers was a top quarterback recruit on the fast track to being a first-round pick. On Saturday, he was the 14th quarterback selected — going No. 231 overall to the Dolphins. What was even more surprising is that the Raiders took two FCS quarterbacks in Tommy Mellot and Cam Miller in back-to-back picks at the end of the sixth round, while the Denver Broncos closed out that round by taking a PUNTER. That had to hurt.

Ewers reportedly had some decent NIL offers around college football, which he could have accepted and potentially further boosted his stock. Instead, he’s a seventh-round pick.