From April 25 to 27, all 32 teams will load up on NFL draft prospects, addressing big needs and improving their rosters. But how would our draft analysts approach filling out their own lineups? Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates played out a 10-round, 40-pick draft to build their best superteams made up solely of prospects from this year’s class. For the full draft and some spirited debate, check out the newest edition of “First Draft.”
Here’s how this worked: Kiper, Miller, Reid and Yates snake-drafted 40 picks to fill out starting lineups. Each roster had specific required positions: one quarterback, one running back, two wide receivers or tight ends, one offensive tackle, one interior offensive lineman, two front-seven defenders, one cornerback and one safety. Our experts were allowed to draft positions in any order, and they designed their units around whatever scheme they wanted to run on each side of the ball. Versatility is key here.
The superteam draft also provided a unique way of looking at the class, touching on positional value, how each analyst stacks his personal board and which prospects should prove most impactful at the next level. Which team ended up with the best offense and most dominant defense? Let’s start at the top with Kiper and then go pick-by-pick. And you can even vote for the winner of our 2024 NFL draft fantasy league at the bottom.
See all 40 picks of the draft in order
Rosters: Kiper | Miller | Reid | Yates
Vote on which analyst’s team is best
The picks
The draft order was randomized, with Kiper landing the first pick. But because it is a snake format, Yates had back-to-back selections at Nos. 4 and 5, and Kiper didn’t pick again after No. 1 until No. 8. And no trades were allowed.
1. Kiper: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2. Miller: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
3. Reid: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
4. Yates: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
5. Yates: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
6. Reid: Cooper DeJean, S, Iowa
7. Miller: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
8. Kiper: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
9. Kiper: Javon Bullard, S, Georgia
10. Miller: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
11. Reid: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
12. Yates: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
13. Yates: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
14. Reid: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
15. Miller: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
16. Kiper: Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
17. Kiper: Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
18. Miller: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
19. Reid: Troy Fautanu, G, Washington
20. Yates: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
21. Yates: Graham Barton, C, Duke
22. Reid: Trey Benson, RB, Florida State
23. Miller: Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas
24. Kiper: Darius Robinson, DL, Missouri
25. Kiper: Jordan Morgan, G, Arizona
26. Miller: Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M
27. Reid: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
28. Yates: Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
29. Yates: MarShawn Lloyd, RB, USC
30. Reid: Adisa Isaac, EDGE, Penn State
31. Miller: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
32. Kiper: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
33. Kiper: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
34. Miller: Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia
35. Reid: Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
36. Yates: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
37. Yates: Cole Bishop, S, Utah
38. Reid: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
39. Miller: Calen Bullock, S, USC
40. Kiper: Jaylen Wright, RB, Tennessee
Kiper’s team
QB: Caleb Williams
RB: Jaylen Wright
WR/TE: Brock Bowers
WR/TE: Xavier Worthy
OT: JC Latham
G/C: Jordan Morgan
DL/LB: Jared Verse
DL/LB: Darius Robinson
CB: Kool-Aid McKinstry
S: Javon Bullard
Kiper on his team: I’m going to be completely honest here. Don’t vote for my team. I don’t love my roster. This is why the job of a general manager is so difficult, especially when there’s a clock involved.
I made a fatal error early in this draft. Here’s what happened: First two picks — really great. Williams and Bowers are the core of my offense. After that? I got a little frazzled and took my top safety, Bullard, with my third pick. I should have studied the rankings of Field, Matt and Jordan and realized I could have gotten Bullard later. Joe Alt, Dallas Turner, Byron Murphy II and Troy Fautanu — all ranked No. 1 at their positions on my Big Board — were still available. Plus, no safety is going to win a beauty pageant like this.
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Javon Bullard’s NFL draft profile
Check out some of the top highlights from Georgia DB Javon Bullard.
That pick threw me off, although I like what I did in the second half of the draft. Latham and Morgan form an elite O-line duo, and Wright is one of my favorite running backs in the class. But I preach value in my draft grades, so I can’t give myself an “A” here. Luckily I’ve won the past three superdrafts we’ve done, so my job security is still solid.
Miller’s team
QB: Jayden Daniels
RB: Jonathon Brooks
WR/TE: Rome Odunze
WR/TE: Adonai Mitchell
OT: Olumuyiwa Fashanu
G/C: Zach Frazier
DL/LB: Dallas Turner
DL/LB: Edgerrin Cooper
CB: Terrion Arnold
S: Calen Bullock
Miller on his team: The goal for Team Miller was to leave with a top-two player from my board at every position group while also being mindful of positional strength in this draft. I went quarterback early because the drop-off from Daniels to Drake Maye is pretty big in my eyes, and I also wanted to get one of the top three receivers, Turner and Arnold before they all came off the board.
This approach landed me my QB2, RB2, WR2, OT2, IOL1, DE1, LB1, CB1 and S1 in this class without sacrificing draft philosophy. I wanted to wait on positions such as offensive tackle, where there is really good depth in this class. Mel, Jordan and Field will claim they won this draft, but we all know this is the best top-to-bottom roster.
Reid’s team
QB: Drake Maye
RB: Trey Benson
WR/TE: Brian Thomas Jr.
WR/TE: Keon Coleman
OT: Amarius Mims
G/C: Troy Fautanu
DL/LB: Byron Murphy II
DL/LB: Adisa Isaac
CB: Nate Wiggins
S: Cooper DeJean
Reid on his team: I placed an emphasis on high-upside players off my board and wanted to make sure Team Reid was stout in the trenches. And with Fautanu and Mims, we have two sudden blockers who can be people-movers at the point of attack. That’s crucial, because we want to protect Maye — who I believe over time has a chance to end up as the best quarterback of the bunch.
On the defensive side, it all starts with Murphy, and pairing him with Isaac gives me a versatile and explosive front seven. On the back end, DeJean is a do-it-all defensive back who can wear multiple hats in the secondary. I jumped at the chance to land DeJean early because of the drop-off at safety and his ability to move around the secondary. And finally, Wiggins is a true shutdown corner who can run with any receiver drafted here by Mel, Matt and Field.
Yates’ team
QB: J.J. McCarthy
RB: MarShawn Lloyd
WR/TE: Marvin Harrison Jr.
WR/TE: Malik Nabers
OT: Joe Alt
G/C: Graham Barton
DL/LB: Laiatu Latu
DL/LB: Chop Robinson
CB: Quinyon Mitchell
S: Cole Bishop
Yates on his team: Depending on how you look at it, having the fourth pick was either a disadvantage or great edge. I look at it through the latter lens, as I suspected the first three picks would all be quarterbacks. It enabled me to snag the two best non-QBs in the class with Harrison and Nabers and then wait until the end of the exercise to get my quarterback, McCarthy. This team is simply too explosive at the wide receiver spot to be slowed down!
Beyond that, I felt strongly about targeting the top-rated player at each position on my board as often as I could, which led me to subsequent picks of Latu (12th overall on my board, just one spot behind Dallas Turner), Mitchell (my CB1) and Alt (my OT1). Later in the draft, I was also able to land my top-rated safety in Bishop, with a few calculated swings, like Robinson as my second front-seven player. I’m biased, but I love the squad.
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Source: www.espn.com