Our NFL Nation reporters gave every NFL team a do-over in building their rosters, re-drafting all 32 foundations through four rounds of selections as though every current NFL player were available.
In those four picks, each pretend GM had to select a quarterback, a non-QB offensive player and a defensive player. The fourth pick was a wild card, open to anything, and the rest of the roster was assumed average-level. The goal was to structure the roster around a five-year Super Bowl window.
Check out the full re-draft here
Our NFL experts have some thoughts on the results. Who was the best pick, and who was the biggest reach? Which roster most looks like a perennial contender, and which has the most lingering questions? Which newly teamed-up duo will be the most fun to watch? And which player was snubbed entirely? Here's what our team had to say.
What was your favorite pick of the re-draft?
Matt Bowen, NFL analyst: Tyrann Mathieu, S, No. 103. In my opinion, the Texans landing Mathieu early in the fourth round is the steal of the draft. With the traits to cover, blitz and find the ball, Mathieu is the model for today's multidimensional defensive back. And he gives you matchup advantages. Mathieu recorded four interceptions and 13 disrupted dropbacks in 2019.
Jeremy Fowler, national NFL writer: Stephon Gilmore, CB, No. 32. Gilmore might have been the league's best player last season, and the Chiefs scooped him up with the last pick of the first round to fortify the cornerback spot. His age (he'll turn 30 in September) might have thrown some teams off, but Gilmore has a few more dominant years. I also really liked Denver's pick of Travis Kelce at No. 50 and Arizona's selection of Chandler Jones at No. 57.
Vince Masi, ESPN Stats & Information: Tyler Lockett, WR, No. 128. The Mr. Irrelevant of the re-draft is hardly that. If Patrick Mahomes no longer gets to throw to Tyreek Hill, why not replace him with Lockett, who over the past two seasons has hauled in 78% of his targets? That trails only Michael Thomas (82%) for best among wide receivers in the NFL. Cincinnati gets a nice offensive duo in Mahomes and Lockett.
Seth Walder, analytics writer: Chris Jones, DT, No. 78. This is an absolute steal. Jones is about as bankable of an elite player as you can get: a 25-year old who has finished in the top four in pass rush win rate in each of the past three seasons. Aaron Donald is the best DT in the league, but Jones is the clear No. 2 and a bargain in the third round for the Buccaneers. (Jones was taken 72 picks later than Donald!)
What was the biggest head-scratcher of the re-draft?
Bowen: Ronnie Stanley, OT, No. 6. Stanley is one of the top offensive tackles in the league, with the footwork to win in pass protection and the power to move people off the ball in the running game. However, with Drew Brees, Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz and Aaron Rodgers still on the board, I would have drafted a quarterback at No. 6. The Chargers could have come back for an offensive tackle in the second or third round of this team-building project.
Fowler: Nick Bosa, DE, No. 10. The Browns passed on Wentz -- again. Look, Wentz is a polarizing figure because of the injuries and the Eagles winning the Super Bowl with Nick Foles rather than him. But he's one of a handful of quarterbacks who can truly carry an offense with an elite set of skills.
Masi: Drew Brees, QB, No. 8. For the purposes of looking at a five-year Super Bowl window, there were other QB options for the Cardinals, such as Wentz, Matt Ryan -- or even younger quarterbacks -- who might have made more sense when picking that high in the draft.
Walder: Drew Lock, QB, No. 15. Lock was a second-round pick in the NFL draft who didn't play particularly well in his abbreviated rookie campaign, recording a Total QBR of 48.2. There were plenty of options on the board who are better than Lock now -- such as Ryan, Matthew Stafford or Kirk Cousins -- and even a player from the same draft class with far better short-term and long-term prospects in Kyler Murray.
Which player was snubbed from the re-draft?
Bowen: Miles Sanders, RB. Sanders has the three-down traits to make an immediate impact at running back. As a rookie in 2019, Sanders caught 53 of 60 targets for 509 yards receiving, in addition to the 818 rushing yards he produced at 4.6 yards per carry. He's a prime fit for today's zone run schemes, and we know he can create matchups as a passing-game target. Too much upside here for Sanders to go undrafted.
Fowler: Aaron Jones, RB. Jones is a top-10 back, which made him more than good value in the last two rounds. He has averaged 5.2 yards per carry through three seasons, and his 19 total touchdowns last year set a single-season Packers record. And he's only 25 years old.
Masi: Joe Mixon, RB. Mixon is one of five players to record 1,400 scrimmage yards in each of the past two seasons (along with Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, Christian McCaffrey and Michael Thomas). He ended 2019 with a flourish, posting the second-most scrimmage yards over the last four games of the season.
Walder: Jadeveon Clowney, DE. I'll always beat the drum for Clowney, who is a more impressive pass-rusher than his sack totals would indicate. No qualifying player was double-teamed as an edge rusher more often over the past two seasons than Clowney.
Which team has the best re-draft roster?
Bowen: Detroit Lions. They hit on key positions with ascending talent. At quarterback, Lamar Jackson's dual-threat ability creates conflict for any defensive scheme in the league. And with wide receiver DJ Moore, Detroit gains a dynamic target who brings explosive juice to multiple levels of the route tree. Now flip over to the defense, where we see the impact talent of safety Derwin James. He's your versatile defensive weapon to pair with the high-end coverage skills of cornerback Tre'Davious White in the secondary.
Fowler: Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens smashed this draft. Matthew Stafford is an immense talent who never won anything in part because he's in Detroit. Now he goes to a winner, and he's throwing to arguably the best receiver in football (Julio Jones). Getting Stafford and Jones with picks 28 and 37 is immense value. J.J. Watt (No. 92) is still a top-five defensive lineman when healthy, and Stefon Diggs (No. 101) has the flair for the big moment.
Masi: Los Angeles Rams. Why not take one of the most versatile running backs in Christian McCaffrey late in the first round and still get a quarterback who went to a Super Bowl in Round 3 with Jared Goff? Dante Fowler Jr. gets to return to a team where he posted a career-high 11.5 sacks, and Bobby Wagner is still one of the best tacklers in the game.
Walder: Detroit Lions. That's the best team. An elite quarterback who can beat you through the air and on the ground paired with a good young receiver in Moore, plus two elite talents to defend the pass on the other side.
But the Lions did have an edge with one of the top picks in a draft with four clear-cut top QB picks. So can I also give a shoutout to the San Francisco 49ers for excellent drafting? Among teams that went with the later-QB strategy, I thought landing George Kittle, Myles Garrett and an underrated Grady Jarrett knocked it out of the park. And Jameis Winston is better than some of the QBs drafted ahead of him.
Which re-draft roster has the most questions surrounding it?
Bowen: Kansas City Chiefs. I can't question the first-round pick of Stephon Gilmore. He brings top-tier coverage traits and ball skills in a league that is trending toward more man coverage. However, with the Chiefs then drafting Dalvin Cook and Nick Chubb, before landing QB Tyrod Taylor at No. 97 overall, I question the strategy of building a team in this scenario with multiple running backs.
Fowler: Carolina Panthers. At No. 7 overall, they eschewed the chance at a franchise quarterback in favor of Joey Bosa -- who is a great player, but the pass-rush class is deep enough to wait. And there's nothing sexy about the rest of the draft with DeForest Buckner, Jarrett Stidham and Jedrick Wills Jr. This doesn't scream playoffs to me.
Masi: Arizona Cardinals. This team had better win in 2020. The youngest of the four draft picks is Patrick Peterson, who will turn 30 by the time the season starts. There could have been younger and more talented selections to help satisfy the five-year Super Bowl window.
Walder: Kansas City Chiefs. I can't get on board with using one pick on a running back in this scenario, let alone two. Outside of having Lamar Jackson at quarterback, a run-first strategy is the equivalent of surrendering on offense. It's hard to do that and only use a single pick on defense.
What is the most exciting teammate duo on either side of the ball?
Bowen: The Baltimore Ravens' Matthew Stafford and Julio Jones (and Stefon Diggs). Baltimore has the makeup of a 7-on-7 team with Stafford's aggressive throwing ability and the big-play potential of both Jones and Diggs. Throw crossers to Diggs here, attack vertically and then scheme one-on-ones for Jones in the red zone. This group will score some points.
Fowler: The New England Patriots' T.J. Watt and Frank Clark. Typical Patriots, getting high value on picks outside of the first round. Watt is a superstar, so going No. 42 is about right for him. But Clark at No. 106 is big. He's a $20 million-per-year player for a reason. Opposing quarterbacks will have a difficult time with the quickness off the edge.
Masi: The Carolina Panthers' Joey Bosa and DeForest Buckner. The Panthers made it a priority to rush the quarterback and to get a premier outside (Bosa) and inside (Buckner) rusher. It just solidifies their defensive line.
Walder: The Detroit Lions' Derwin James and Tre'Davious White. In this world where most players are average, there are plenty of defenses that will be carved up by the strong QB-WR combinations on these rosters. That won't happen to the Lions with these two on the field together.