With the 2026 NFL Draft long in the rearview mirror, fans of all teams are excited to find out which of their rookies will make a big splash in the first year of their professional careers. There’s always a lot of hype about the early-round prospects, and rightfully so.
However, how an NFL team drafts on Day 3 can often be the deciding factor between which teams are perennial playoff contenders and which teams win Super Bowls. The ability to find diamonds in the rough can be a difference-maker as front offices look to find young talent that can fill holes on their roster.
There were plenty of intriguing steals to come from Day 3 of the 2026 draft. Using my personal evaluations of each player, combined with the teams they ended up getting drafted by, here are five sleeper rookies from the 2026 NFL Draft who could end up starting in Year 1.
Demond Claiborne, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Over his last two seasons at Wake Forest, Demond Claiborne ran for 1,956 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. He’s a shifty running back with a low center of gravity that helps him stay light on his feet and explode coming out of his lateral movements. His vision in between the tackles is sound, and he has good pick-up instincts in pass protection.
Perhaps being a little undersized for a running back played a role in Claiborne falling to Round 6, but I can see a path for him to take over as a primary contributor for the Minnesota Vikings. Neither Aaron Jones nor Jordan Mason graded in the top 35 in the NFL in PFSN RB Impact Scoring. Jones turns 32 in December, and Mason is a bigger back who needs a speedier complementary weapon. That’s exactly where Claiborne comes in.
Jonah Coleman, RB, Denver Broncos
At 5’8″ and 220 pounds, Jonah Coleman is a bowling ball of a running back. He used his low center of gravity and muscular frame to his advantage, running over defenders to the tune of 3,054 career rushing yards and 37 total touchdowns in college. What he lacks in elite long speed, he makes up for with his patience out of the backfield, his contact balance, his pass-blocking skills, and his underrated pass-catching ability.
Though the Denver Broncos took RJ Harvey in the second round last year, I actually had a higher pre-draft grade on Coleman, whom they drafted in Round 4 this year. Harvey only averaged 3.7 yards per carry, and incumbent starting running back J.K. Dobbins has a long injury history. Assuming the latter goes down again, don’t be shocked if Coleman gets the nod in the starting lineup if his training camp goes well.
Sam Hecht, C, Carolina Panthers
Sam Hecht was a first-team All-Big 12 center at Kansas State last season, having consistently improved over his time at the collegiate level. He’s a coordinated, mobile run blocker who takes precise angles as a reach blocker and shows good timing and placement behind his strikes. His spatial awareness in pass protection is strong, and his well-rounded physical skill set is complemented by a high football IQ.
Hecht might have some flaws like pad level, lower-half flexibility, and lack of positional versatility, but it was surprising to see him fall to the fifth round. His competition for the Carolina Panthers’ starting center spot is Luke Fortner, who ranked No. 33 among 39 qualified NFL centers with a 70.9 PFSN OL Impact Score last year. With a strong camp, Hecht’s path towards a Year 1 starting role will be easier than most NFL fifth-round rookies.
Malik Muhammad, CB, Chicago Bears
An early declaration for the 2026 NFL Draft, Malik Muhammad has the benefit of being at least a year younger than a majority of draft picks, especially compared to other Day 3 selections. He’s a scrappy perimeter cornerback who uses his hands well through a receiver’s stems, does a good job of keeping receivers inside his hip pocket, and diagnosing route concepts to act aggressively and make a play on the ball.
There’s a clear path for Muhammad to start on the Chicago Bears in the long run, though in 2026, he’ll have to go through Tyrique Stevenson. The 2023 second-round pick has seen plenty of playing time but hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, most recently grading just No. 86 among NFL cornerbacks with a 71.3 PFSN CB Impact Score. With him entering the last year of his rookie deal, the Bears could pull the rug early and start Muhammad if the rookie performs well enough in camp.
Genesis Smith, S, Los Angeles Chargers
If your preferred safety is a true centerfield type of defender, Genesis Smith fits the mold. He’s a rangy safety who thrives in single-high coverage with his fluidity, coverage instincts, and playmaking ability. He broke up 14 passes and had four interceptions across his last two years in college, showing off the ball skills to complement his prototypical size and catch radius. However, it’s his struggles as a tackler that saw him fall to Round 4 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
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Though Derwin James has the reputation of an All-Pro safety, he’s been the Los Angeles Chargers’ slot cornerback for quite a while now. Their starting safety tandem is Tony Jefferson and Elijah Molden, which is a duo that returns in 2026. However, Molden allowed a passer rating of 100.9 and missed 16.9% of his tackle attempts last year, and Jefferson is a regression risk at 34 years old. There’s a real chance Smith cracks the lineup.
