There was a time last week when I thought this would never happen. And I was happy that we knocked out round one and round two of the July fantasy mock draft before I left for the beach.

I had just about given up.

The 11 bloggers who participated in this month’s mock draft stepped up to the plate and knocked one out of the park. Sorry for the terrible baseball analogy, but without the perseverance of these participants this third round would never have been.

But alas, here it is, round three of the July fantasy mock draft. And, as an added treat, we are about to get through with the fourth — and final — round of the mock, and you can expect to see that by the end of the week.

Please take the time to visit the bloggers who participated in this mock, they did all the work! Hit the jump for third round results.

25. Curveballs 4 Jesus selects Jamal Lewis [RB, Browns]: I almost want to take TJ Houshmandzadeh or Steve Smith here to shore up the receiver spot, but I don’t want to end up starting Ahman Green in my second running back spot.

The “best available” according to the cheat sheets that are out there is Ronnie Brown.  The guy scares me, and I can tell you why in one word: INJURY.  It’s also almost worth taking a chance on Darren McFadden, but who knows what he is going to do in Oakland.  I kind of want to take him because of how Marshawn Lynch did last year with my Bills, but let’s face it: the Bills weren’t that great last year, and the Raiders make them look like world beaters.  He will get all the carries he can handle, but it’s going to be a massacre for a while.  This may mean very few yards per carry and a trip to the injured list.  I am not ready to take that risk on a rookie.

The only other back I really like is Jamal Lewis.  He had a great year last year, plus he holds a special place in my heart as the all-time leading rusher of my Tennessee Vols (at least until the end of this year).  The Browns are explosive on offense, and that field is going to be wide open for everyone, as they don’t have an offensive weapon that isn’t damn good at what they do.  I will take his nearly 1600 all-purpose yards from last year along with his 11 touchdowns straight to the bank.

26. KUBIAK Draft Application selects Marques Colston [WR, Saints]: I believe Earnest Graham has the best fantasy value remaining on the board at this moment and would select him if this league had flex positions (either RB/WR or RB/WR/TE, which is virtually the same thing anyway).  Since we are drafting 4 rounds and have only 2 spots for RB, I will move on to the next most important positions: QB and WR.

I like Marques Colston, Plaxico Burress, and Santonio Holmes best of the remaining WR and Donovan McNabb, Eli Manning, and Tony Romo of the remaining QB.  “Six points for passing touchdowns” rings in my ear like it is being whispered by My Evil Twin from my shoulder but the simple fact is that each team only needs 1 QB (13th QB should be available on the wire for a savvy fantasy manager) whereas each team needs 2 WR (25th WR should be available on the wire) … go with WR.

With the 2nd pick in the 3rd round and the 26th pick overall, Sean McCall / Football Outsiders selects Marques Colston, WR, NO.  The Saints defense is one of the worst in the league, providing opportunities for big receiving yards all the way through the final whistle.

27. Football Burrito selects Tony Romo [QB, Cowboys]: I was debating between MJD and Drew Brees in the 2nd round but I though that Drew Brees might drop to me in the 3rd.

Even though Brees is a better pick than Romo, Romo has good value in the 3rd round and as the 4th QB taken. Dallas is poised for a Super Bowl run and the offense is loaded with T.O., Jason Witten, Marion Barber, Felix Jones and a good offensive line that will give Romo plenty of time to find the open receiver. With 6 points for passing TD’s it is very important to get a good QB.

28. Pancake Blocks select Chad Johnson [WR, Bengals]: I’m going to take Chad Johnson.  There really isn’t much different this season than last, when Johnson was the consensus top receiver.  I absolutely love the depth of the Cincy offensive line – their franchise player may be a backup.  With Chris Henry gone, Ocho Cinco and Housh will continue to get a ton of targets, as always.

There is a perception that Johnson is coming off a down year, but who else gains 1,440 yards in a down year? I haven’t mentioned his off-field issues because I don’t take them seriously.  He wants to get paid more, and the only way to do that is produce his usual top-six numbers.

29. West Coast Nonsense selects T.J. Houshmandzadeh [WR, Bengals]: Well, I was debating which Bengals; receiver to pick, so Johnson off the board makes my job easier. With pick 3.05, I’m taking T.J. Houshmandzadeh. He may not have the big-play potential of Johnson, but he’s become Carson Palmer’s favorite target over the past two years, especially in the red zone.

30. Bruno Boys select Steve Smith [WR, Panthers]: Smith was targeted as the top fantasy football wide receiver in 2007, but an injury to Jake Delhomme led to an revolving door at quarterback in Carolina and a decline in Smith’s production.  From the opening gate, Smith was off to the fastest pace of his career, as he had 271 receiving yards and four touchdowns (50 fantasy points) through just two weeks.  However, after the arm injury to Delhomme, Smith could muster just 731 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns over the seasons final 14 weeks.

Despite all of the bad news 2007 brought to Smith, with Delhomme looking sharp in offseason workouts and the Panthers signing receivers D.J. Hackett and Muhsin Muhammad, Smith should be able to take advantage of more single coverage. If this is the case, you can expect him to regain his superstar form and once again be a top option at the wide receiver position.

Drafted at number 30 overall, Smith should have no problem outperforming his draft position and don’t be surprised if he climbs his way back into being a top five performer at the wide receiver position.

31. The Hazean selects Brandon Marshall [WR, Broncos]: High time I grabbed a wide receiver. After taking Marion Barber and Willis McGahee in the first two rounds, my lineup needs a boost elsewhere and Marshall has the potential to be a fantastic receiver this year after his breakout campaign last year.

However, his off-the-field issues have been well documented this offseason and could be the reason he has slipped so far into this third round. I have a feeling the drafter at No. 12 had her eye on Marshall, but I was not about to let him slip any longer.

32. Football Jabber selects Plaxico Burress [WR, Giants]: Watching all the WR’s go off the board hurts in five of the last six picks.  My plan here has me going with the best available at WR and RB.  Since I feel there is going to be more of a drop off at WR that is the route I’m going to take.

With the #8 pick Football Jabber is going to go with Plaxico Burress.  Burress says he will be in camp (and has shown up) but that he won’t be happy.  Well, I don’t ever expect Burress to be happy so I’m going to add him to the squad issuing him the warning that there will be kicks to the shins if he is out of line.

33. Fantasy Football Fools select Edgerrin James [RB, Cardinals]: While the fire sale on WR is still going strong, I’ll take this chance to snag a RB that will fortify my team. I would have tried to take a QB here, but with Romo and Brees off the board, I’ll wait. When I look at the RB available, Reggie Bush stands out still up for grabs, but I like my RB to run, not dance.

With the 3.09 pick, Fantasy Football Fools takes Edgerrin James. I have a feeling that Arizona will put the team back in the hands of Matt Leinart. Unlike Kurt Warner, Leinart doesn’t want to feel like a starting pitcher at the end of every game — and might even be nursing a hangover every now and then — so he’ll be handing off the ball to Edgerrin James like he did at the beginning of last season. I’ll take that consistent production and, hopefully, some increased action in the endzone. James it is.

34. The Fantasy Football Geek Blog selects Torry Holt [WR, Rams]: With all the receivers getting picked over at this point, I guess it’s time for us to take one that is in an upper tier since we already have two RB’s.

For our third round pick, we’ll go with with Torry Holt, with the hopes that he has at least one more year in the tank. He should still get plenty of looks in the offense, as I don’t see Drew Bennett stepping up and taking many more of his receptions.

35. Fantasy Football Goat selects Santonio Holmes [WR, Steelers]: I am not that excited about any of the running backs left – i still can’t believe it – and I think there is some good value at QB to be had in the later rounds. So, I am going to take Santonio Holmes.

He’s a number one on a fairly pass happy team and he seems to get a little better every year. In my opinion, he is a very solid WR2 (arguably even low end WR1).

36. Fantasy Football Librarian selects Reggie Bush [RB, Saints]: Without any RBs on my team yet I’m grabbing two solid RB2s here – with the 3.12 pick I’ll take Reggie Bush – would be an even better grab in a PPR league but I think he’s a bit undervalued this year and am pleased to see him land here. With 4.01 I’ll take Ronnie Brown. I know he won’t be the great runner he was at the start of last season but I’m willing to take a gamble on him, especially in the 4th round.