| Players Picked at #3 | ||||||||||
| Season | Pick # | Team | Name | Position | College | |||||
| 2025 | 3 | New York Giants | Abdul Carter | DE | Penn State | |||||
| 2024 | 3 | New England Patriots | Drake Maye | QB | North Carolina | |||||
| 2023 | 3 | Houston Texans | Will Anderson | LB | Alabama | |||||
| 2022 | 3 | Houston Texans | Derek Stingley Jr. | CB | LSU | |||||
| 2021 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers | Trey Lance | QB | North Dakota State | |||||
| 2020 | 3 | Detroit Lions | Jeff Okudah | CB | Ohio State | |||||
| 2019 | 3 | New York Jets | Quinnen Williams | DT | Alabama | |||||
| 2018 | 3 | New York Jets | Sam Darnold | QB | USC | |||||
| 2017 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers | Solomon Thomas | DE | Stanford | |||||
| 2016 | 3 | San Diego Chargers | Joey Bosa | DE | Ohio State | |||||
| 2015 | 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Dante Fowler Jr. | DE | Florida | |||||
| 2014 | 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Blake Bortles | QB | Central Florida | |||||
| 2013 | 3 | Miami Dolphins | Dion Jordan | DE | Oregon | |||||
| 2012 | 3 | Cleveland Browns | Trent Richardson | RB | Alabama | |||||
| 2011 | 3 | Buffalo Bills | Marcell Dareus | DT | Alabama | |||||
| 2010 | 3 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Gerald McCoy | DT | Oklahoma | |||||
| 2009 | 3 | Kansas City Chiefs | Tyson Jackson | DE | LSU | |||||
| 2008 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons | Matt Ryan | QB | Boston College | |||||
| 2007 | 3 | Cleveland Browns | Joe Thomas | T | Wisconsin | |||||
| 2006 | 3 | Tennessee Titans | Vince Young | QB | Texas | |||||
| 2005 | 3 | Cleveland Browns | Braylon Edwards | WR | Michigan | |||||
| 2004 | 3 | Arizona Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald | WR | Pittsburgh | |||||
| 2003 | 3 | Houston Texans | Andre Johnson | WR | Miami (FL) | HOF - 2024 | ||||
| 2002 | 3 | Detroit Lions | Joey Harrington | QB | Oregon | |||||
| 2001 | 3 | Cleveland Browns | Gerard Warren | DT | Florida | |||||
| 2000 | 3 | Washington Redskins | Chris Samuels | T | Alabama | |||||
| 1999 | 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | Akili Smith | QB | Oregon | |||||
| 1998 | 3 | Arizona Cardinals | Andre Wadsworth | DE | Florida State | |||||
| 1997 | 3 | Seattle Seahawks | Shawn Springs | CB | Ohio State | |||||
| 1996 | 3 | Arizona Cardinals | Simeon Rice | DE | Illinois | |||||
| 1995 | 3 | Houston Oilers | Steve McNair | QB | Alcorn State | |||||
| 1994 | 3 | Washington Redskins | Heath Shuler | QB | Tennessee | |||||
| 1993 | 3 | Phoenix Cardinals | Garrison Hearst | RB | Georgia | |||||
| 1992 | 3 | Los Angeles Rams | Sean Gilbert | DE | Pittsburgh | |||||
| 1991 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons | Bruce Pickens | CB | Nebraska | |||||
| 1990 | 3 | Seattle Seahawks | Cortez Kennedy | DT | Miami | HOF - 2012 | ||||
| 1989 | 3 | Detroit Lions | Barry Sanders | RB | Oklahoma State | HOF - 2004 | ||||
| 1988 | 3 | Detroit Lions | Bennie Blades | S | Miami | |||||
| 1987 | 3 | Houston Oilers | Alonzo Highsmith | RB | Miami (FL) | |||||
| 1986 | 3 | Houston Oilers | Jim Everett | QB | Purdue | |||||
| 1985 | 3 | Houston Oilers | Ray Childress | DT | Texas A&M | |||||
| 1984 | 3 | New York Giants | Carl Banks | OLB | Michigan State | |||||
| 1983 | 3 | Seattle Seahawks | Curt Warner | RB | Penn State | |||||
| 1982 | 3 | Cleveland Browns | Chip Banks | OLB | USC | |||||
| 1981 | 3 | New York Jets | Freeman McNeil | RB | UCLA | |||||
| 1980 | 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | Anthony Munoz | T | USC | HOF - 1998 | ||||
| 1979 | 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jack Thompson | QB | Washington State | |||||
| 1978 | 3 | New Orleans Saints | Wes Chandler | WR | Florida | |||||
| 1977 | 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | Eddie Edwards | DE | Miami (FL) | |||||
| 1976 | 3 | New Orleans Saints | Chuck Muncie | RB | California | |||||
| 1975 | 3 | Baltimore Colts | Ken Huff | G | North Carolina | |||||
| 1974 | 3 | New York Giants | John Hicks | G | Ohio State | |||||
| 1973 | 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | Jerry Sisemore | T | Texas | |||||
| 1972 | 3 | Chicago Bears | Lionel Antoine | T | Southern Illinois | |||||
| 1971 | 3 | Houston Oilers | Dan Pastorini | QB | Santa Clara | |||||
| 1970 | 3 | Cleveland Browns | Mike Phipps | QB | Purdue | |||||
| 1969 | 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | Leroy Keyes | RB | Purdue | |||||
| 1968 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons | Claude Humphrey | DE | Tennessee State | HOF - 2014 | ||||
| 1967 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers | Steve Spurrier | QB | Florida | |||||
| 1966 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Dick Leftridge | RB | West Virginia | |||||
| 1965 | 3 | Chicago Bears | Dick Butkus | LB | Illinois | HOF - 1979 | ||||
| 1964 | 3 | Washington Redskins | Charley Taylor | HB | Arizona State | |||||
| 1963 | 3 | Minnesota Vikings | Jim Dunaway | DT | Mississippi | |||||
| 1962 | 3 | Los Angeles Rams | Merlin Olsen | DT | Utah State | HOF - 1982 | ||||
| 1961 | 3 | Washington Redskins | Joe Rutgens | T | Illinois | |||||
| 1960 | 3 | Detroit Lions | Johnny Robinson | HB | LSU | HOF - 2019 | ||||
| 1959 | 3 | Chicago Cardinals | Billy Stacy | DB | Mississippi State | |||||
| 1958 | 3 | Green Bay Packers | Dan Currie | LB | Michigan State | |||||
| 1957 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers | John Brodie | QB | Stanford | |||||
| 1956 | 3 | Detroit Lions | Howard Cassady | HB | Ohio State | |||||
| 1955 | 3 | Baltimore Colts | Alan Ameche | FB | Wisconsin | |||||
| 1954 | 3 | Green Bay Packers | Art Hunter | C | Notre Dame | |||||
| 1953 | 3 | Washington Redskins | Jack Scarbath | B | Maryland | |||||
| 1952 | 3 | Chicago Cardinals | Ollie Matson | HB | San Francisco | HOF - 1972 | ||||
| 1951 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers | Y.A. Tittle | QB | LSU | |||||
| 1950 | 3 | Chicago Bears | Chuck Hunsinger | HB | Florida | |||||
| 1949 | 3 | New York Bulldogs | Doak Walker | HB | SMU | HOF - 1986 | ||||
| 1948 | 3 | Chicago Bears | Bobby Layne | QB | Texas | HOF - 1967 | ||||
| 1947 | 3 | Boston Yanks | Fritz Barzilauskas | G | Yale | |||||
| 1946 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Felix Blanchard | FB | Army | |||||
| 1945 | 3 | Brooklyn Tigers | Joe Renfroe | B | Tulane | |||||
| 1944 | 3 | Brooklyn Tigers | Creighton Miller | HB | Notre Dame | |||||
| 1943 | 3 | Chicago Cardinals | Glenn Dobbs | TB | Tulsa | |||||
| 1942 | 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | Pete Kmetovic | HB | Stanford | |||||
| 1941 | 3 | Chicago Bears | Norm Standlee | FB | Stanford | |||||
| 1940 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Kay Eakin | HB | Arkansas | |||||
| 1939 | 3 | Cleveland Rams | Linus Parker Hall | B | Mississippi | |||||
| 1938 | 3 | Brooklyn Dodgers | Boyd Brumbaugh | B | Duquesne | |||||
| 1937 | 3 | Chicago Cardinals | Ray Buivid | QB | Marquette | |||||
| 1936 | 3 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Bill Shakespeare | B | Notre Dame | |||||
NFL Draft - Overall Pick #3 Only