2015 NFL Draft: The Complete Guide to Day 3

Alessandro MiglioMay 1, 2015

The second day of the 2015 NFL draft brought us a little more drama than the first, with unexpected players dropping and big moves being made.

We're just about halfway through the draft, yet it feels like it's flying by. The third day brings us the final four rounds of the year, closing out draft season. It'll be over in the blink of an eye.

First, here's the key viewing information:

When: Saturday, May 2, noon ET
TV: ESPN or NFL Network
Where: Auditorium Theatre, Chicago.

Let's look at what lies ahead on Day 3. The first couple of days have a measure of predictability, but the third day is when scouting departments can really shine.

Matt Miller's Top Players Available

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The second day of the draft typically brings out the wild moves and the head-scratchers. Plenty of highly ranked prospects were drafted in the second and third rounds, but others didn't hear their names called.

Whether it's due to injury or character concerns, many top-100 talents on Matt Miller's big board fell into the third day of the draft—24, to be exact.

Latest Rumors

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Randy Gregory's draft stock took a big hit when word got out he failed a drug test at the NFL combine. It prompted him to go on a cross-country tour in April that saw him visit most NFL teams in an effort to prove himself.

Some still thought he was a first-round shoo-in.

As Round 1 came and went, however, word spread that Gregory might be dealing with more than just a boneheaded move at the combine. We first heard some teams might be concerned Gregory wouldn't be able to handle the "mental rigors" of the NFL, per Ian Rapoport and Albert Breer of NFL Network.

Then ESPN's Ed Werder took it a step further, according to NBC Sports' Mike Florio, saying some teams thought Gregory might be dealing with mental health issues.

Hopefully, Gregory can overcome whatever he might be dealing with. At the very least, the Dallas Cowboys got one of the best pass-rushers in the draft at a heavy discount (No. 60 overall), due to the concerns surrounding the former Nebraska outside linebacker.

Meanwhile, as it turns out, Zach Mettenberger isn't demanding a trade after all.

Rumors quickly popped up that he wanted out after the Titans drafted Marcus Mariota with the No. 2 overall pick, but general manager Ruston Webster shot that down under no uncertain terms, per John Glennon of The Tennessean: "We just talked before I came in (to the news conference), so he's up for the challenge. I think one of the things that was important for Zach to understand is that he built up a lot of good equity with what he did. There's a lot of potential there, and we're excited about Zach."

So the Titans have their backup for the foreseeable future...unless another team makes them an offer.

Quarterbacks Aren't All Right

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What fools we were.

Before the draft started, we were told the New Orleans Saints were high enough on Baylor's Bryce Petty to take him in the first round, per NFL.com's Chris Wesseling. That didn't come to pass, but the Saints would have plenty of opportunity to take the heir to Drew Brees' throne.

It turns out his name was Garrett Grayson at No. 75, not Petty. So much for that.

Brett Hundley, meanwhile, went through another full day without being drafted after some had him pegged as the third-best quarterback in the draft. His name wasn't seriously tied to any teams through the first three rounds, but it seems he and Petty are in the same boat.

So what gives? Why did Grayson and Sean Mannion (No. 89 to the Rams) have their names called before Petty and Hundley?

More importantly, how far will Petty and Hundley fall? It has been a precipitous drop for two guys who were borderline first-round picks at various points during draft season.

This will be one of the biggest stories to watch on the third day of the draft.

TOP NEWS

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The La'el Collins Saga Continues

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Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The legal woes for La'el Collins might be clearing up as soon as next week, when the big offensive lineman is set to meet with Baton Rouge police in connection with a murder investigation of a woman police believe to be his ex-girlfriend, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. However, that may have come too late to save Collins' draft stock.

Assuming he is cleared—"he is not considered a suspect, but we are seeking to question him," Corporal Don Coppola told NFL Media's Albert Breer on Thursday—the LSU product had already missed out on being a first-round pick. Heading into the second day of the draft, however, there was still hope a team would take a shot at the first-round talent in the second or third round.

Just before the Day 2 festivities got underway, we had this news from ESPN's Adam Schefter:

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After failing to get his name removed from the draft altogether Thursday, Collins' representatives said Friday he would re-enter the draft in 2016 if he was not selected in either the second or third round. However, an NFL spokesman said Collins cannot enter next year's draft and that if he is not picked this year, he will become a free agent.
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Collins may go undrafted at this point. That was certainly a possibility when news broke of his legal issues, but this added drama adds to it.

Where Will Jay Ajayi Land?

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Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

A slew of running backs came off the board on the second day: T.J. Yeldon, Ameer Abdullah, Tevin Coleman, Duke Johnson, David Johnson and Matt Jones.

Where was Jay Ajayi?

Boise State's leading rusher was a sleeper to be the third or fourth running back off the board, but questions about his knee seem to have torpedoed his draft stock, as Chadd Cripe of the Idaho Statesman elucidated:

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Apparently, the rumblings that concerns about Ajayi's right knee were scaring off some teams were true.
Mike Mayock of NFL Network said on the air that he talked to six or seven teams about Ajayi last week and two or three had taken him off their draft boards because of a knee. Ajayi had knee surgery in 2011 but says he's healthy.
"One team will say, 'He's off the board because he's bone on bone,'" [NFL Network's Mike] Mayock said. "Other teams say, 'That's fine. We’ll get one contract out of him.'"
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The precipitous fall has Ajayi frustrated, at least according to his Twitter account.

Chances are he won't last too much longer on the third day of the draft.

Players Who Could Still Be Traded

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Michael Perez/Associated Press

Mychal Kendricks, LB, Philadelphia Eagles

Evan Mathis, OG, Philadelphia Eagles

Trader Chip had a relatively quiet second day of the draft. Could we see him make some moves on Day 3?

Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly has made some big splashes this offseason—and was rumored to be making even bigger ones that never happened—so more moves could be on the way.

Both linebacker Mychal Kendricks and guard Evan Mathis have been on the trade block in recent weeks, per NFL.com's Dan Hanzus and Kevin Patra, respectively.

Zach Metttenberger, QB, Tennessee Titans

Just because Mettenberger hasn't actually demanded a trade doesn't mean the Titans couldn't move him.

Once heralded as the quarterback of the future in Tennessee, last year's sixth-round pick could garner some interest from teams that are looking for someone to develop or improve the backup role.

Isaiah Crowell, RB, Cleveland Browns

Terrance West, RB, Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns made a nice move to select Duke Johnson in the third round, one of the biggest steals of the draft.

That could make Isaiah Crowell or Terrance West expandable. After all, Johnson is now the best back in Cleveland.

Granted, it could be a three-headed monster in that backfield while Johnson acclimates to the NFL, but the Browns might prefer to replace one of their incumbents with a draft pick.