Draft day is basically a long, caffeine-fueled marathon that ends in a blur of names most people have never heard of. While everyone loses their minds over the first round on Thursday night, the real roster building—the stuff that actually wins Super Bowls—happens on Saturday. We’re talking about the nfl draft day 3 order, covering rounds four through seven. It’s where you find your starting guards, your special teams demons, and occasionally, a guy like Brock Purdy who makes every scout in the league look like they were throwing darts at a wall.
The 2026 NFL Draft is heading to Pittsburgh, and let me tell you, the Steel City is going to be a wild backdrop for this. We’ve got the Raiders sitting at the top of the order after a brutal 3-14 season. Honestly, seeing Vegas at No. 1 is a bit of a shock given the talent they’ve had, but the math doesn't lie. They’ll be kicking off the action not just on Day 1, but they’ll be the ones setting the tone when Saturday morning rolls around and the coffee is still fresh in the war rooms.
How the NFL Draft Day 3 Order Actually Shakes Out
A lot of fans think the order is just a copy-paste of the first round. It sort of is, but then it isn't. The NFL uses a "cycling" system for teams that finished with the same record. If you’re tied with three other teams, you might pick 5th in Round 1, 6th in Round 2, and 7th in Round 3. By the time we hit the nfl draft day 3 order, that rotation has flipped a few times.
Then you have the compensatory picks. This is the league’s way of saying "sorry you lost your good players in free agency." The NFL usually hands out 32 of these bad boys. They get tucked in at the end of rounds three through seven. This year, the Baltimore Ravens are projected to be the kings of the comp pick world yet again. They’re looking at potentially four extra selections, mostly in the later rounds. They’ve basically turned this into a science at this point.
The Saturday Morning Kickoff: Round 4
When the clock starts on Saturday, April 25, 2026, the Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock first for Round 4. Following them are the Jets, Cardinals, and Titans. These four teams all finished 3-14, so they’ve been rotating throughout the weekend.
The middle of the fourth round is where the trades start getting really weird. We already know the New York Jets have an extra pick here from Indianapolis. On the flip side, the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, and Jacksonville Jaguars have already moved some of their high-value Day 3 capital in previous trades. If you're a fan of those teams, don't be surprised if your GM is just sitting there eating a sandwich for the first hour of Saturday while everyone else is picking.
Who Owns the Late Rounds?
If you want to see a team that is absolutely loaded for Day 3, look at the Houston Texans. They’ve been wheeling and dealing like a fantasy owner who’s had too much sugar. They picked up an extra third-rounder from the Giants, which gives them massive flexibility to move up or down in the nfl draft day 3 order.
The New Orleans Saints are also in an interesting spot. They’re sitting at the No. 8 slot naturally, but they’ve got a history of being aggressive. They currently have picks in the 4th, 6th, and two in the 7th. It’s a lot of darts to throw at the board.
- Las Vegas Raiders: Holding the pole position.
- New York Jets: Multiple picks in the 4th and 6th rounds.
- Baltimore Ravens: The compensatory pick masters (expect a flurry of names late).
- Pittsburgh Steelers: The home team with a decent stash, including a 3rd from Dallas that keeps them relevant early in the weekend.
Why You Should Care About Pick 250+
The "Mr. Irrelevant" tag is a bit of a joke, but in 2026, the 257th pick (roughly) will be a life-changing moment for some kid from a school you can’t find on a map. The draft order in the 7th round is a mess of trades and compensatory additions. For example, the Saints have a pick from the 2025 trades that finally settles here.
The strategy for teams late in the day is usually "Best Player Available" or "Speed." You can’t teach a 4.3 forty, but you can teach a guy how to cover a kickoff. Most GMs use these picks on guys they don't want to fight over in the undrafted free-agent frenzy that happens ten seconds after the draft ends.
Strategy and the "Wait and See" Approach
Teams like the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles often treat the nfl draft day 3 order as a secondary market. They’ll trade a 5th rounder this year for a 4th rounder next year. It’s about building a sustainable pipeline.
One thing to watch in 2026: The "Soft" Deadline impact. The NFL changed some rules regarding underclassmen eligibility earlier this year. We saw 42 players get special eligibility. This actually thins out the talent pool for the following year but makes the 2026 Day 3 order much deeper than usual. There’s a lot of "meat on the bone" in the 5th and 6th rounds this year because of that influx.
Actionable Insights for Draft Weekend
If you’re tracking the nfl draft day 3 order at home, keep these things in mind to stay ahead of the broadcast:
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- Watch the Comp Pick Gap: Between the end of the 6th and the start of the 7th, there’s usually a massive run of compensatory picks. This is where teams like the Ravens and Vikings do their best work.
- Monitor the "Trade Up" Teams: If a team like the Texans or Eagles starts moving up in the 4th round, they are usually targeting a specific "falling" prospect who had a 2nd-round grade.
- The Home Team Factor: Pittsburgh is hosting. Expect the Steelers to be active. They love to reward the home crowd with a splashy move, even on a Saturday.
- Special Teams Value: By the time the 6th round hits, stop looking at "needs" like Quarterback or Left Tackle. Look at who was a captain or a standout on punt coverage. That’s who is getting drafted.
The beauty of the Saturday order is that it’s unpredictable. One minute you’re watching a commercial for truck tires, and the next, your team has drafted the guy who will lead them in tackles for the next five years. It’s chaotic, it’s long, and it’s where the real rosters are born.
To stay on top of the moving pieces, keep a live trade tracker open starting at 10:00 AM ET on Saturday. The picks fly much faster than they do on Thursday night, and if you blink, you’ll miss three trades and a compensatory pick announcement. Focus on the teams with high volume, like the Ravens and Saints, as they often dictate the flow of the late-round market.