2026 NFL Draft: Day 3 delivers surprises as LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier falls to late in 7th round

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The NFL Draft ends Saturday. Fernando Mendoza was taken first overall, as expected, but there were plenty of surprises sprinkled across the three days of picks in Pittsburgh.

One of the biggest stunners: Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy was still on the board as Day 3 began, but the Las Vegas Raiders remedied that right away, taking the talented cornerback with the first pick of the fourth round.

As Day 3 progressed, there were a few other notable picks. Trey Lance’s brother, Bryce, was selected by the New Orleans Saints late in the fourth round. The wide receiver will join a bevy of new weapons for QB Tyler Shough. His teammate at North Dakota State, Cole Payton, was also selected on Saturday, joining a long list of Bison quarterbacks to get drafted to the league.

Arkansas QB Taylen Green turned plenty of heads with his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine and was taken in the sixth round by the Cleveland Browns, where he’ll join Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel in a jam-packed quarterback room.

Lastly, LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier slipped well into Day 3 before being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 249th pick of the draft (Round 7, Pick 33).

Nussmeier had an inconsistent final season as he survived the death throes of the Brian Kelly era in Baton Rouge. He has plenty of arm and maximizes it with his timing. He can get himself in trouble with his aggression, but he really makes constant good decisions with the football, so it was a bit of a surprise to see him fall into Round 7.