🏈 2026 NFL Draft Steals: 8 Day 2 & 3 Picks Who Could Elevate a Super Bowl 61 Contender

Recent Super Bowl history has proven that finding an instant impact rookie outside of Round 1 can help take a contender to another level. 

Last year, it was Nick Emmanwori with the Seattle Seahawks, and the season before, Cooper DeJean of the Philadelphia Eagles. In fact, the last six Super Bowl winners have found a player outside of Round 1 who has helped lead them to the football promised land.

Looking at 2026 NFL Draft steals, I've identified eight Day 2 & 3 Picks, one from each division, who could elevate a Super Bowl 61 Contender.

🏆 Non-first-round rookies who elevate Super Bowl 61 contenders

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📈 8 Day 2 & 3 picks built to elevate Super Bowl contenders

Bud Clark, Seattle Seahawks

• Prospect profile: 6'1" | 188 lbs | 23 years old | RAS: 9.19
• 2025 college stats: 56 tackles, 4 INTs, 7 PBUs
• Pro comparison: Jordan Poyer

Did the Seahawks manage to find another defensive back in the second round who can help push them to their second straight Super Bowl? Bud Clark should compete for a starting safety role in Mike Macdonald's defense as a rookie, thanks to his blend of cover instincts, range, and ball skills, making him an ideal replacement for Coby Bryant. (Bryant led Seattle in defensive snaps last season with 1,163.)

Clark played over 2,700 snaps during his six years at TCU and comes in as one of the highest-IQ rookies in the class. He's a ballhawk who managed 15 interceptions over his final four seasons with the Horned Frogs and held opposing passers to just a 74.2 QB rating in his career.

With Clark's character (three-time captain), instincts, and versatility to line up as a deep safety, nickel, or in the box, he fits the mold of recent rookie DBs who have elevated their teams to Super Bowl wins.

Elijah Sarratt, Baltimore Ravens

• Prospect profile: 6'2" | 210 lbs | 22 years old | RAS: 6.27
• 2025 college stats: 65 receptions, 830 receiving yards, 15 TDs
• Pro comparison: Jakobi Meyers

Though the Baltimore Ravens drafted a rookie receiver in the third round, Ja'Kobi Lane, it's their fourth-round pick who I suspect will have a bigger impact on their offense. Though Elijah Sarratt was renowned for his play on the outside at Indiana, it sounds like he could be deployed as a big slot for the Ravens.

With Isaiah Likley gone - he played 73.2% of his snaps in the slot - and Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman both playing more than 65% of their snaps out wide, the Ravens need a reliable inside pass catcher for Lamar Jackson. Sarratt's underrated suddenness as a route runner, understanding of how to attack leverage, and his feel for finding holes in zone make him a perfect candidate.

He also adds some needed size to Baltimore's wide receiver corps and gives Jackson a talented 50/50 ball receiver who can thrive in the red zone. Sarratt caught 57.4% of his contested targets and hauled in 44 touchdowns during his collegiate career.

Brenen Thompson, Los Angeles Chargers

• Prospect profile: 5'9" | 164 lbs | 22 years old | RAS: N/A
• 2025 college stats: 57 receptions, 1,054 receiving yards, 7 total TDs
• Pro comparison: John Brown

There are two major reasons that Brenen Thompsn is the Day 3 pick I'm highest on in my dynasty fantasy football rookie rankings ... his speed and his fit in Mike McDaniel's offense. The new Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator was fired up to land the fastest wide receiver at this year's NFL Scouting Combine (4.26), and he could help take Justin Herbert to another level.

Despite his size, Thompson predominantly played on the outside at Mississippi State (86.8% of his snaps) and consistently beat press coverage in the SEC. He led the Power Four in average depth of target (18.4) as a true downfield threat and was one of only four pass catchers in the country to go over 1,000 yards while averaging more than 18 yards per reception.

Thompson might not be a starter as a rookie, but his speed can help unlock an offense that didn't have a receiver average over 14.5 yards per reception in 2025. McDaniel has a long history of success with undersized receivers who have elite speed.

Eli Raridon, New England Patriots

• Prospect profile: 6'6" | 245 lbs | 22 years old | RAS: 9.52
• 2025 college stats: 32 receptions, 482 yards
• Pro comparison: Skinny Kyle Rudolph

One of the biggest storylines of the 2026 NFL Draft was the run on tight ends, with eight coming off the board between picks No. 54 and No. 95. The final one to be selected on Day 2 was Notre Dame's Eli Raridon, who enters a situation where he can be productive right away for a New England Patriots offense that didn't select a wide receiver in the draft.

As the NFL leans more heavily on 12 and 13-personnel, Raridon can be a perfect complement to Hunter Henry and a big-play threat down the seam for Drake Maye. While Raridon started just one season for the Fighting Irish, his athleticism makes him an interesting option as an F-tight end. Raridon has an 88th percentile broad jump (123") and an 81st percentile 40 (4.62) at 6-foot-6.

We've seen Josh McDaniels' offense thrive while utilizing two tight ends in the past, and Raridon basically split his snaps between the slot (47.9%) and in-line (46.6%) at Notre Dame. New England needs a pass catcher to step up, and Raridon has the goods.

Kayden McDonald, Houston Texans

• Prospect profile: 6'2" | 326 lbs | 21 years old | RAS: N/A
• 2025 college stats: 65 tackles, 9 TFLs, 3 sacks
• Pro comparison: Travis Jones

The NFL simply should not have let this happen. A Houston Texans defense that was arguably the best in the NFL in 2025 - it allowed the lowest EPA per play (-0.13) - added the best run-stuffing defensive tackle in the entire draft. Kayden McDonald is a slam-dunk addition for DeMeco Ryans and the non-first-round pick I think will make the biggest impact for his Super Bowl-contending team.

McDonald is the definition of a space-eating nose tackle/1-technique who can occupy blocks to keep his linebackers clean, while still offering the stack-and-shed ability to penetrate and blow up run plays himself. In his lone season as a starter at Ohio State, McDonald led all interior defensive linemen in run stops (30) and run stop rate (13.8%).

Even if he isn't starting as a rookie, McDonald should be in the Texans' interior D-line rotation, alongside Sheldon Rankins, Tommy Togiai, and Logan Hall. Expect McDonald to make an impact early in run downs and take Houston's elite defense up a notch.

Logan Jones, Chicago Bears

• Prospect profile: 6'3" | 299 lbs | 24 years old | RAS: 9.70
• 2025 college stats: 1 sack, 3 pressures allowed
• Pro comparison: Drew Dalman

Having a high-IQ center with the ability to climb to the second level and create movement in the run game is paramount for Ben Johnson's offense. We saw it with Frank Ragnow when Johnson was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, and it was the reason the Chicago Bears signed Drew Dalman to a 3-year, $42 million deal when Johnson took over in the Windy City.

Dalman was among the most important players in Chicago's turnaround, so the Pro Bowler's abrupt retirement forced the Bears to trade for Garrett Bradbury as a stopgap. However, I'm not sure he'll be starting for long with rookie Logan Jones entering the picture.

Jones is the perfect replacement for Dalman, who was even my pro comparison for the Iowa center as a prospect. The Rimington Trophy winner checks the boxes for athleticism (88th percentile broad, 86th percentile 3-cone), IQ (he made the calls for Iowa's Joe Moore award-winning O-line), and experience (51 collegiate starts, 2,800-plus snaps).

Jaishawn Barham, Dallas Cowboys

• Prospect profile: 6'3" | 240 lbs | 22 years old | RAS: 9.52
• 2025 college stats: 32 tackles, 10 TFLs, 4 sacks
• Pro comparison: Dont'a Hightower light

The Dallas Cowboys clearly wanted to upgrade their defense in the 2026 NFL Draft, and had they stopped after making their two first-round picks, Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence, their efforts would have been applauded. But landing Jaishawn Barham in the third round was a boon for new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.

Barham is one of the most violent football players in this rookie class and gives the Cowboys' defense a chess piece in the front seven. In his first three collegiate seasons, Barham played 79.7% of his snaps as an off-ball linebacker, but in his senior season, he played 81.1% on the defensive line. 

The Cowboys are expected to play him as an off-ball linebacker, where his power and heavy hands give them a potential impact run defender, something they're in need of on the second level of their defense. He could also be an X-factor as a blitzer, too, for a Dallas defense that's poised for a major leap in 2026.

Keionte Scott, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Prospect profile: 5'11" | 193 lbs | 24 years old | RAS: 9.78
• 2025 college stats: 64 tackles, 13 TFLs, 5 sacks, 2 INTs
• Pro comparison: Mike Hilton

Thompson landing with the Chargers was my favorite Day 3 pick on offense from a team fit perspective, and I have similar feelings about Keionte Scott landing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Todd Bowles loves hyper-physical defensive backs who can be deployed in a myriad of ways. Just look at recent non-first-round picks like Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jacob Parrish. 

Bowles is big on using his defensive backs as blitzers, which is why Winfield was top five among defensive backs in pressures this past season (15) while Parrish was third in pressures among cornerbacks as a rookie (9). At least two Buccaneers have finished in the top 20 in pressures among defensive backs in three straight seasons.

Scott is one of the best blitzers in the secondary in recent memory, leading the Power Four in pressures (20) and sacks (5) among defensive backs in 2025 at Miami. Bowles could use him all over as a blitzer and nickel run defender, too -  Scott was No. 2 nationally in run stops among cornerbacks last season (19). He can be a weapon for a Tampa team looking to win the NFC South for the fifth time in six years.

🏗️ Blueprint in action: Non-first-round elevators on Super Bowl champs