The first round threw us enough twists to keep our brains occupied for weeks, but the developments of the second and third days also end up producing fantasy storylines that will end up mattering in leagues this year. Which picks and players stood out as the biggest potential winners and losers because of picks that happened after the first round?

Fantasy Football Winners

RJ Harvey (RB-DEN) - This running back class didn't really live up to hype when it comes to resculpting the fantasy landscape, but Harvey emerged as the biggest winner from the big third tier that the NFL decided no need to break into until the third day (and for some teams not until late in the third day). Harvey's second-round (pick 60) draft capital bodes well, and he lands on a team with a run-first mentality and a weak enough depth chart that he could lead the backfield in touches in his rookie year. You should feel great if you took him in early best ball drafts.

Bhayshul Tuten (RB-JAX) - Tuten's combination of acceleration, speed, and contact balance didn't crack the second day, but he was one of the earliest third-day picks, and to a team with Liam Coen as the head coach. Coen's Bucs took Bucky Irving in the fourth round last year, and Coen said that he wanted his backs to run the ball like Irving did. We all know what happened in the Bucs' backfield last year and how big of a hit Irving was. Tuten could make this story a rerun.

D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson (RB-CHI) - The Bears were interested in Ashton Jeanty, but that might have been more about Jeanty than how they felt about Swift and Johnson. Perhaps new head coach Ben Johnson's feelings about Swift are more positive than their divorce indicated. The Bears didn't take a running back until the seventh round. This was a very deep and diverse class of backs, so if Johnson had a high priority on taking a back to his liking to possibly eventually overtake Swift and Johnson, he passed on many opportunities to do so. If you don't like Swift, invest in Johnson or the seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai. 

Kyle Monangai (RB-CHI), Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah (RB-DAL), Jacory Croskey-Merritt (RB-WAS) - These third-day picks are worth monitoring because of the potential for them to move quickly up the depth chart. Monangai is a very efficient and hard-nosed back who is also a Matt Waldman favorite. If Ben Johnson doesn't like D'Andre Swift's decision-making as a runner, Monangai is the opposite type of runner. Blue gives the Cowboys' running game speed that Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders lack, and Mafah is a big back who could be a better between-the-tackles option than the veteran duo with some development. Croskey-Merritt is a dynamic mover who was underrated throughout the draft process. Brian Robinson Jr and Austin Ekeler are both free agents next year.

Tyler Shough (QB-NO) - All of the buzz about the NFL liking Shough a lot ended up being true, or at least the Saints liking him a lot. Shough went to New Orleans with the 40th pick and should get a chance to start - maybe even this year, with the Derek Carr situation looking dire. Shough has some dynasty superflex appeal, if only because he'll have a chance to stake his claim as their quarterback of the future. If you don't believe in him because of how many chances he got to fail before succeeding in his seventh year - a chance afforded to few quarterbacks - then be happy that this pick will push him up the dynasty superflex rookie draft board.

Terrance Ferguson (TE-LAR) - Ferguson was taken earlier than expected, and he's kinda sorta the Rams' first-round pick after they traded out of the first and took him with their first pick at #46. Ferguson is more a project than a finished product, but he has above-average athleticism, and obviously, the team sees him as a future starter. The Rams are a good, offensive-minded organization that has maximized production from the talents of mid-round skill position picks.

Isaac TeSlaa (WR-DET) - How badly did the Lions want TeSlaa? They gave up three third-round picks to get him and two sixth-round picks. The team loves his run blocking and his potential as a big downfield target. TeSlaa has the size, speed, and athleticism profile of an alpha outside receiver and was just scratching the surface of his potential at Arkansas after dominating a lower level of competition at Hillsdale. Like the Rams, the Lions have been hitting on skill position picks in the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell era, so this pick deserves our attention.

Geno Smith (QB-LV) - After the Raiders added Ashton Jeanty with their first round pick, they added a great power slot who also loves to block in second round pick Jack Bech, a high ceiling developmental tackle (Charles Grant) and solid swing tackle candidate (Caleb Rogers) in the third, and a big wideout with field-stretching speed (Dont'e Thornton Jr.) in the fourth. They also did not draft a quarterback until the sixth round. The Raiders spent five of their first six picks on offense, and it appears that they are going to give Smith every opportunity to become the entrenched starter of this retooled unit.

Chase Brown (RB-CIN) - The Bengals had Ohio State teammates Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson in for pre-draft visits, but didn't take a running back until the sixth round. Tajh Brooks is a formidable back and could impress if Brown misses time, but the threat of the Bengals adding a back to create a committee has passed. Their 2023 fifth-round pick, Brown, is set up to remain a feature back and should move up in draft ADP, perhaps even a whole round or more from his pre-draft Underdog ADP of 38.

Woody Marks (RB-HOU) - Marks was a third-day pick, but the Texans took him in the fourth round, and he should have a chance to show them he deserves more work in the future. Dameon Pierce is a free agent in 2026, and Joe Mixon is in the autumn of his career, so this is a good spot for a mid-round running back. Marks has passing-down skills that should allow him to carve out a role as a rookie.

Drake Maye (QB-NE) - After the team added the first offensive lineman drafted with the #4 pick, the Patriots took a speedy running back who is excellent in pass protection (TreVeyon Henderson), a speedy wide receiver (Kyle Williams), and an athletic center (Jared Wilson) on the second day. The directive to build around Maye is clear, which gives him a better chance to succeed.

Will Howard (QB-PIT) - We shouldn't get too excited - Howard did last until the sixth round in the quarterback desperate NFL draft - but with only Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson on the roster at his position, he has a chance to start at some point in the next year or two. Howard is big and athletic, and he can execute the play when it works. He's not going to elevate the offense or be a playmaker at quarterback, but in superflex leagues, he could have some value in the future.

Fantasy Football Losers

Shedeur Sanders (QB-CLE) - It's hard to know exactly what happened, but clearly the reports of Sanders turning teams off in interviews were accurate. We just didn't know exactly how accurate until Sanders was still there in the fifth round. He did go to a team with a vacancy at quarterback but wasn't even the first quarterback the Browns selected - that's Oregon's Dillon Gabriel - so Sanders is going to have to show that he has learned from this experience to make the opening day roster. It doesn't seem like other teams would be rushing to sign Sanders to the active roster if he ends up on the practice squad. He's either going to be one of the best values because the NFL unfairly disrespected him, or he'll be a falling knife, a wasted pick for the Browns and anyone who takes in dynasty rookie drafts.

Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson (RB-NE) - These backs aren't compelling enough to keep second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson on the sidelines. Stevenson should plummet in best ball drafts, and Gibson might not be draftable. It's too bad for Gibson, who had a chance to take over the backfield if the team didn't add anyone of consequence, although there were reports that the team wanted to add explosiveness in the backfield before the draft.

Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson (RB-CLE) - At the end of the second day, Judkins looked like he could become the new Nick Chubb for the Browns. By the end of the fourth round, his prospects looked more like that of a poor man's David Montgomery. The Browns double-dipped in this running back class, adding the quickness and burst of Sampson to the power and bad intentions that Judkins runs with. It's possible that Judkins could distinguish himself enough that this won't a true committee, but at least for this year Jerome Ford and his passing down abilities are still around. The Browns are also the least exciting offense in the league and may not be moving out of the basement anytime soon.

Tank Dell (WR-HOU) - Dell was already looking like a long shot to play in 2025 after suffering his second catastrophic season-ending leg injury in two years. The Texans took both Iowa State wide receivers (Jayden Higgins in the second and Jaylin Noel in the third) in a development that could be an indication that they aren't counting on anything from Dell in the future.

Blake Corum (RB-LAR) - It seemed like the Rams liked Corum enough to play him more than a mere backup going into the 2024 season. Now it's not clear how the Rams feel about Corum after they gave up a sixth-round pick - which they know how to turn into a contributor - to move up 10 spots in the fourth round to add Jarquez Hunter, a good back between the tackles. We'll be monitoring the competition for playing time between the two in camp this summer.

Jaylen Warren (RB-PIT) - The Steelers only had two picks on the first two days after trading for DK Metcalf. Their first round pick was spent on defense (one pick before the Chargers took Omarion Hampton), so Warren only needed the team to forgo a pick in the third round to avoid one of the top backs in the draft joining the team. Instead, they spent their third-round pick on Kaleb Johnson, considered one of the best zone runners in the draft and good enough to relegate Warren to the 50-50ish committee he had with Najee Harris last year. Johnson is powerful enough to be the short-yardage back, and he could also take over games if the team goes with a hot-hand approach.

Travis Etienne Jr.., Tank Bigsby (RB-JAX) - Normally, a fourth-round running back isn't seen as a big threat to the incumbent backs, but Liam Coen's fourth-round running back last year - Bucky Irving - took over the backfield. Bhayshul Tuten is good enough to become the preferred early down option by the end of the season, with Etienne on his way to free agency next year and Bigsby more of a complementary back than a lead in his first two seasons. Tuten has a high ceiling as a speed back who can get yards after contact, so Etienne and Bigsby's value may decline as the season goes on.

Colston Loveland (TE-CHI) - How does a day one winner turn into a day two/three loser? When his team takes one of the most talented receivers in the draft early on the second day. Before the second round, Loveland had a chance to be the primary replacement for Keenan Allen in the slot. Now the team has a playmaking slot receiver in Luther Burden III, who just complicates a pecking order and widens a target tree that was already going to have DJ Moore and Rome Odunze at the top. It's not an ideal spot for Burden, either, but at least the offensive quality of the Bears head coach and young quarterback in Caleb Williams to grow with balances out the mouths-to-feed problem for at least the next 2-3 years.

Breece Hall (RB-NYJ) - Hall tweeted a cryptic fingers-crossed emoji before the draft after there were rumors that he was on the trade block, and new head coach Aaron Glenn indicated that second-year backs Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis would get a lot of work in the backfield. That seemed to give credence to the idea that Hall had been told he would be in a committee. Surely, he would be hoping to get traded to a team that wanted to give him more work than his new head coach promised him. That no one would give enough for Hall for the Jets to make the trade isn't a great sign for how the back is viewed in NFL circles. There are still some believers out there, but Hall's ADP should drop from its current spot of 32 in early Underdog drafts.