Picking one player to build a franchise around is one thing. The first pick — Aaron Rodgers — probably didn’t even require much thought. The first 15 picks, and 17 of the first 32, in PFF’s Foundation Draft were quarterbacks, as we noted a couple of weeks ago.
But the next few rounds require more thought. If you have that stud quarterback, do you build him a strong offensive line, or give him studlike weapons on the offense? Or do you assume the quarterback can take care of the offense, and instead build him a powerful defense? And what if you missed out on one of the true foundation quarterbacks? Do you just build a great roster and hope some roster-filler QB can make it work? Or do you pounce on one of the middle- or low-tier quarterbacks so you at least have someone?
Basically, is there one way to build a football team?
Those were the questions our analysts had to answer over Round 2 and 3 of the draft, as we continued the draft. The rules were simple: Heading into 2017, we’re starting a new football league from scratch, and the draftable player pool is made up of everyone in the world. Age matters, position matters. Current contracts do not matter. This is not a one-year exercise; drafters were theoretically building a team for now and forever. So maybe some analysts wanted to build a team that might struggle for a year but could be a dynasty as the studs develop, while others might have an eye on a title this year and then who knows, because Flags Fly Forever.
That strategy was up to the individual drafter. Below is the full three-round draft (conducted snake-style), and then below that see a bit of analysis on the process:
| PFF Foundation Draft | ||||||
| First round | Second round | Third round | ||||
| Analyst | Player | Position | Player | Position | Player | Position |
| Steve Palazzolo | Aaron Rodgers | QB | Geno Atkins | DI | Lane Johnson | T |
| Harley Sherman | Andrew Luck | QB | Bobby Wagner | LB | Melvin Ingram | Edge |
| Ben Stockwell | Russell Wilson | QB | Fletcher Cox | DI | Trent Williams | T |
| Bryson Vesnaver | Derek Carr | QB | Arden Key | Edge | T.Y. Hilton | WR |
| Nate Jahnke | Dak Prescott | QB | Chris Jones | DI | Ronnie Stanley | T |
| Josh Liskiewitz | Jameis Winston | QB | Ndamukong Suh | DI | Rashan Gary | Edge |
| Jordan Plocher | Marcus Mariota | QB | Christian McCaffrey | RB | Tyrannn Mathieu | CB |
| Zoltan Buday | Matt Ryan | QB | DeAndre Hopkins | WR | Whitney Mercilus | Edge |
| Louie Benjamin | Cam Newton | QB | A.J. Green | WR | DeForest Buckner | DI |
| Steve Slowik | Kirk Cousins | QB | Derwin James | S | Kawann Short | DI |
| Gordon McGuinness | Tom Brady | QB | Richard Sherman | CB | Travis Kelce | TE |
| Khaled Elsayed | Drew Brees | QB | Cameron Jordan | Edge | Gerald McCoy | DI |
| Bill Douglas | Patrick Mahomes II | QB | Taylor Lewan | T | Leonard Williams | DI |
| Aaron Resnick | Matthew Stafford | QB | Jack Conklin | T | Vic Beasley | Edge |
| Zac Robinson | Sam Darnold | QB | Jamal Adams | S | Dez Bryant | WR |
| Mark Harrington | Joey Bosa | Edge | Mitchell Trubisky | QB | Brandin Cooks | WR |
| Matt Claassen | Aaron Donald | DI | David Johnson | RB | David Bakhtiari | T |
| Jeff Ratcliffe | Khalil Mack | Edge | Carson Wentz | QB | Terron Armstead | T |
| Mike Renner | J.J. Watt | Edge | Jared Goff | QB | Nick Bosa | Edge |
| Brett Whitefield | Von Miller | Edge | Landon Collins | S | A.J. Bouye | CB |
| Vinnie Ronca | Jadeveon Clowney | Edge | Amari Cooper | WR | Ryan Tannehill | QB |
| John Gatta | Luke Kuechly | LB | Michael Thomas | WR | Tyrod Taylor | QB |
| Sam Monson | Odell Beckham Jr | WR | Earl Thomas | S | Danielle Hunter | Edge |
| John Kosko | Myles Garrett | Edge | Marshon Lattimore | CB | Jordan Hicks | LB |
| Wes Huber | Mason Rudolph | QB | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | Dexter Lawrence | DI |
| Trevor Lynch | Mike Evans | WR | Le'Veon Bell | RB | Zack Martin | G |
| George Chahrouri | Josh Allen | QB | Marcus Peters | CB | Frank Clark | Edge |
| Scott Barrett | Chris Harris Jr. | CB | Josh Norman | CB | Doug Baldwin | WR |
| Kiernan Hogan | Patrick Peterson | CB | Rob Gronkowski | TE | Chandler Jones | Edge |
| Cam Mellor | Ed Oliver | DI | Jalen Ramsey | CB | Luke Falk | QB |
| Ryan Smith | Brandon Graham | Edge | Antonio Brown | WR | Andy Dalton | QB |
| Eliot Crist | Tyron Smith | T | Julio Jones | WR | Travis Frederick | C |
Pick 1: Steve Palazzolo
Roster:
QB Aaron Rodgers (age: 33)
DI Geno Atkins (29)
T Lane Johnson (27)
There likely wasn’t much debate in the Palazzolo war room about the first overall pick. Even at 33, Rodgers promises to be one of the league’s top players at one of the league’s top positions for a long while yet. After Rodgers, he split the difference, taking premier available players across the offensive and defensive lines. With no foundation player under the age of 27, this team will probably be geared to contend early and then we’ll see down the road.
Pick 2: Harley Sherman
Roster:
QB Andrew Luck (27)
LB Bobby Wagner (27)
Edge Melvin Ingram (28)
By eschewing any offensive linemen in the first three rounds, maybe Luck doesn’t have end up with a lot of help around him — but then that’s been the case over his whole career. The defense has a strong foundation, which Luck also hasn’t had much of.
Pick 3: Ben Stockwell
Roster:
QB Russell Wilson (28)
DI Fletcher Cox (26)
T Trent Williams (29)
“Quarterback, one defensive player, one offensive lineman” was the most common roster construction in this exercise. And it makes sense — quarterback to lead the offense, lineman to keep him upright, defensive captain. With Williams, Wilson already has probably the best offensive lineman he’s ever had.
Pick 4: Bryson Vesnaver
Roster:
QB Derek Carr (26)
Edge Arden Key (21)
WR T.Y. Hilton (27)
Carr-to-Hilton might not be Carr-to-Amari Cooper, but it’s close enough. And Key might be a year away from the NFL, but he was the No. 2 defensive player off the board in our 2018 mock earlier this summer, and his youth means he could anchor a defense for a long time.
Pick 5: Nate Jahnke
Roster:
QB Dak Prescott (23)
DI Chris Jones (23)
T Ronnie Stanley (23)
Before his first pick, Jahnke said he had four players in mind for his fifth overall pick: “(I want) Luck, Wilson, Carr, or Prescott. Want the young franchise QB who has shown a lot last year.” With Rodgers going first, Prescott fell to him.
Analyst comment: “As a rookie, Chris Jones had one of the five best pass rushing seasons we've seen out of a rookie interior defender. Also on that list is J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald.”
Pick 6: Josh Liskiewitz
Roster:
QB Jameis Winston (23)
DI Ndamukong Suh (30)
Edge Rashan Gary (19)
Some rosters are built for right now; some are built for the future. This roster splits the difference, pairing the 30-year-old Suh with the 19-year-old Gary, who isn’t even eligible for the real NFL draft for two more seasons. By NFL rules, there’d be a definite chance Suh and Gary would never actually play together on this roster, but if the youngster is as advertised, it’s a duo who could between them offer a top defensive player for more than a generation of players.
Analyst comment: “One would have to assume age is why Suh fell this far (he turned 30 this past January), but he is still playing at his peak and with a franchise QB in place we're in a position to win now. Suh posted 57 total pressures in 2016 while finishing 10th among defensive tackles in run stop percentage, all without missing a tackle.”
Pick 7: Jordan Plocher
Roster:
QB Marcus Mariota (23)
RB Christian McCaffrey (21)
CB Tyrann Mathieu (25)
In three rounds of the draft, only four running backs went. McCaffrey, 26th in the second round, was the last of the four, with Le’Veon Bell, Ezekiel Elliott, and David Johnson (in that order) going before him. McCaffrey hasn’t played an NFL snap yet, but if he is the multi-faceted weapon as advertised, his shelf life should be as long as any running back’s.
Analyst comment: After going offense the first two rounds, Plocher said of his third-round pick: “After selecting a QB and a versatile offensive mismatch weapon with my first two picks, I decided to draft a young, talented versatile defensive back. Mathieu's ability to play CB, S or in the slot makes him a valuable defensive piece to build around.”
Pick 8: Zoltan Buday
Roster:
QB Matt Ryan (32)
WR DeAndre Hopkins (25)
Edge Whitney Mercilus (27)
There might be no player in the NFL who more wants this draft to be reality than Hopkins, who would finally have a star quarterback throwing him the ball instead of the middling group he’s had so far in his career. Pairing Ryan with Hopkins could give a team a tremendous offensive duo for a long time.
Analyst comment: “Hopkins graded above 85.0 in two of the past three seasons with far worse quarterbacks than Matt Ryan. In addition, he is still only 25 and just five months older than Odell Beckham Jr.”
Pick 9: Louie Benjamin
Roster:
QB Cam Newton (28)
WR A.J. Green (28)
DI DeForest Buckner (23)
This is sort of the inverse of Hopkins — a receiver always in search of a quarterback — with Newton finally getting a star receiver that he’s lacked for most of his career. We’ll see if Newton can get back to his 2015 self or close, but the presence of Green certainly can’t hurt.
Analyst comment: “No surprise that QBs went early and often, as the first 15 picks were all quarterbacks. Interestingly, eight of the teams picking 17-32 did not select a QB at all through three rounds. I was extremely happy and surprised Green fell to me in the second round, and Buckner is a young talent I can build my defense around for years to come. A strategy I highly considered was passing on QB early, and targeting Jimmy Garoppolo in the third round, but ultimately I couldn't pass on Newton at ninth overall.”
Pick 10: Steve Slowik
Roster:
QB Kirk Cousins (28)
S Derwin James (20)
DI Kawann Short (28)
James was touted as maybe the best defender in college a year ago, but an injury robbed him of most of the season. Now he’s maybe in line to be the first defensive player off the board in the 2017 draft, and could, along with Short, anchor a defense for a long time.
Pick 11: Gordon McGuinness
Roster:
QB Tom Brady (39)
CB Richard Sherman (29)
TE Travis Kelce (27)
If there’s a single roster in here that is the “win now” roster, it’s this one, with a quarterback who turns 40 next week, a 29-year-old cornerback, and a tight end who turns 28 this season.
Analyst comment: “Just like my selection of Brady in round one, I'm thinking short term in selecting Richard Sherman in the second. My team is all in on winning now. In real life, Brady has dominated with the best tight end in football, so I'm going to pair him with another one of the top tight ends in Kelce.”
Pick 12: Khaled Elsayed
Roster:
QB Drew Brees (38)
Edge Cameron Jordan (28)
DI Gerald McCoy (29)
Here’s another team built to win now. If you want to argue Jordan’s at his peak, you at least have to concede he’s looking at the other side of the bell curve sooner rather than later. McCoy, meanwhile, put up a grade of 87.0 that was his second-worst of the last five years, meaning he’s been elite for a long time.
Analyst comment: “All defenses need guys that can get pressure and Jordan is definitely that type of game. He had the third-highest overall grade of all edge defenders last year while getting the third-highest amount of pressures of all edge rushers. A potential versatile chess piece to build a defense around.”
Pick 13: Bill Douglas
Roster:
QB Patrick Mahomes II (21)
T Taylor Lewan (26)
DI Leonard Williams (23)
Mahomes was a noteworthy first-round pick, going before guys like Matthew Stafford, but there’s a clear strategy here. All three players on this roster are notably very young, and all have high pedigrees—all three were first-round picks in their respective drafts, with Lewan (11th overall in 2014) the lowest pick of the three.
Analyst comment: “Lewan's play has steadily improved over the last three years, posting season grades of 78.1, 82.6, and finishing with an 87.7 grade in 2016 (our fifth-best left tackle). Consider his youth at age 26 and Lewan is precisely the type of player you want to build your OL around.”
Pick 14: Aaron Resnick
Roster:
QB Matthew Stafford (29)
T Jack Conklin (22)
Edge Vic Beasley (25)
Once again, it’s quarterback-offensive lineman-defensive player. Stafford just put up the best grade of his career (85.9) in his first year without Calvin Johnson, so maybe giving him an elite line and maybe not an elite receiver can work out.
Analyst comment: “Beasley's PFF grades aren't as high as other edge rushers who are still on the board, but still only 25 he could just be hitting his prime. Thanks to his freakish athleticism, Beasley converted his pressures into sacks at an abnormal rate of 28.6 percent. While that may not be sustainable, I'm willing to take the gamble on his skillset and that he can force more pressure in the coming years.”
Pick 15: Zac Robinson
Roster:
QB Sam Darnold (20)
S Jamal Adams (21)
WR Dez Bryant (28)
Bryant is a clever third-round pick after taking a combined zero NFL snaps in the first two rounds. Pairing the 28-year-old Bryant with Darnold, who still has a year of college before he’s even NFL-eligible, could be just the veteran savvy a young quarterback might need.
Pick 16: Mark Harrington
Roster:
Edge Joey Bosa (22)
QB Mitchell Trubisky (22)
WR Brandin Cooks (23)
Harrington was the first drafter not to go quarterback in the first round, so he circled back to the position by taking the first quarterback taken in this year’s draft. These three players are a combined 67 years old (for comparison’s sake, the first two picks of Gordon McGuinness’ roster — Tom Brady and Richard Sherman — are 68), and that includes Cooks, who already has three NFL seasons under his belt, and Bosa, who just won Defensive Rookie of the Year. If Trubisky develops like a No. 2 overall pick could, this could be a foundation for a roster for a long time.
Analyst comment: “After going defense in round one, it was time to find a QB before they were all gone. Trubisky fits the mold of what I did in round one going young with high upside. Looking for a big-play receiver who will turn just 24 in September, Cooks fits the bill. He reeled in 544 yards on deep passes (20 yards or more downfield), which was second-most among WRs.”
Pick 17: Matt Claassen
Roster:
DI Aaron Donald (26)
RB David Johnson (25)
T David Bakhtiari (25)
One of only 10 rosters to come out of the draft without a quarterback, this roster has an elite defensive anchor, and two of the top weapons that whatever quarterback might end up here could hope for. It’s maybe a mild upset that Johnson was only the third running back off the board, but if his 2016 performance is his norm, he makes his quarterback’s job far easier.
Pick 18: Jeff Ratcliffe
Roster:
Edge Khalil Mack (26)
QB Carson Wentz (24)
T Terron Armstead (26)
If Wentz lives up to his elite potential, then getting him in Round 2 to pair with a defensive stalwart like Mack could be a huge move for this roster. You want to get a young quarterback a strong line and/or a great receiving corps, so starting off his line with Armstead — once he’s back from injury — makes sense.
Pick 19: Mike Renner
Roster:
Edge J.J. Watt (28)
QB Jared Goff (22)
Edge Nick Bosa (19)
The first two rounds here went very similarly to the roster one above this, but pairing Watt with Bosa in the third round makes things very interesting. If healthy, Watt might be the most disruptive force in the game, but his health is suddenly a concern, so pairing him with another potentially elite defensive player could either make this one of the league’s best defenses or provide insurance in case Watt doesn’t bounce back.
Analyst comment: “Rookie seasons aren't always indicative of quarterback ability. Matt Stafford and Derek Carr were awful yet turned into franchise players. RG3 on the other hand was rookie of the year then never regained his form. I'll stick to my college evaluation of Goff until he gets some help offensively and a proven offensive coordinator. Nick was at the same level of performance his freshman season that Joey was before him. There's a tad bit of projection, but he looks every bit the top-five pick his brother was already.”
Pick 20: Brett Whitefield
Roster:
Edge Von Miller (28)
S Landon Collins (23)
CB A.J. Bouye (25)
If you can’t get an elite quarterback — 15 were off the board before this roster got its first pick — it makes sense to give yourself one of the league’s best defenses. These three together will help ensure this team regularly plays low-scoring affairs, making the job a bit easier on whatever offense it ends up with.
Analyst comment: “When drafting I seemingly missed the run on every offensive position so rather than reach on quarterbacks, OL and offensive skill I opted to build an elite defense. Snagging arguably the best outside pass rusher in the league in Miller along with two elite defensive backs both 25 years old or younger. This team is versatile and set up to win against potent passing attacks. Among those drafting in this experiment I boast the only team that features three players who graded as ‘elite' in 2016. I will get three full seasons with all three players in their 20s together. If the draft were to continue there are viable quarterbacks I would target. Sam Bradford, Lamar Jackson, and Teddy Bridgewater come to mind.”
Pick 21: Vinnie Ronca/Tyler Loechner
Roster:
Edge Jadeveon Clowney (24)
WR Amari Cooper (23)
QB Ryan Tannehill (28)
This roster could scarcely be more tantalizing. Clowney has teased the league with elite potential for his career until he popped in 2016; Tannehill has been a borderline upper-level quarterback his whole career, and Cooper could really produce once he’s no longer paired with touchdown vulture Michael Crabtree.
Pick 22: John Gatta
Roster:
LB Luke Kuechly (26)
WR Michael Thomas (24)
QB Tyrod Taylor (27)
This roster shows more faith in Taylor than even his real NFL team has, but pairing him with Thomas could provide the elite combo the Bills have wanted from Taylor and Sammy Watkins, were it not for Watkins’ seemingly ever-present health issues.
Analyst comment: “After securing the leader of our defense in the first, I wanted to scoop a young playmaker with an incredibly bright future. Thomas' rookie season was nothing short of impressive, finishing the year as our sixth-ranked wide receiver. In his first four seasons, Taylor took 128 total snaps as a quarterbacl. Flash forward to 2016 and he has since produced two solid seasons across 1,910 snaps as the signal-caller in Buffalo, ranking seventh and 11th in quarterback grades in 2015 and 2016, respectively.”
Pick 23: Sam Monson
Roster:
WR Odell Beckham Jr. (24)
S Earl Thomas (28)
Edge Danielle Hunter (22)
Here’s another roster without a quarterback, though Beckham’s current NFL quarterback, Eli Manning, went unselected in the draft, so it’s not like there’s no hope. Thomas might have been taken at a bit of a discount here, considering his 2016 injury, and Hunter has been a strong defensive player for two years and doesn’t even turn 23 until late October.
Pick 24: John Kosko
Roster:
Edge Myles Garrett (21)
CB Marshon Lattimore (21)
LB Jordan Hicks (25)
This roster has a total of two seasons of NFL experience, all for Hicks. Garrett and Lattimore both went in the first round of this year’s draft. The upshot is that this has the potential to be one of the league’s top defenses, but it is high-variance, and if Garrett and/or Lattimore fail to develop as expected, there’s risk here.
Analyst comment: “Once I missed out on the sure-fire QBs, I decided to build a championship defense. The two most important positions on defense on edge rusher and cornerback, and with Garrett and Lattimore, I'm set for the two foundational pieces of an elite defense. Hicks showed promise in limited action as a rookie and then flourished in a full time role finishing the season as the No. 2 coverage linebacker in the NFL.”
Pick 25: Wes Huber
Roster:
QB Mason Rudolph (22)
RB Ezekiel Elliott (22)
DI Dexter Lawrence (19)
This was one of two rosters to go QB/RB in the first two rounds, theoretically nailing down the offensive backfield before moving to the defense. By going with Rudolph (not draft-eligible until 2018) and Lawrence (2019), this roster has the least overall experience of any in the league, with Elliott’s 2016 season the sum total of the roster’s NFL experience.
Analyst comment: “Within our re-draft scenario, any NFL or college player would be welcomed to a new team with various schematic differences. The initial focus for my franchises is to secure the backfield. I believe the better offenses would determine the pace of the game, possibly dictating the league results during the early re-birth seasons. With elite-level athleticism, the otherworldly speed to wreak havoc on opposing offenses, Lawrence was simply too much to pass on at this stage of the foundation-building process.”
Pick 26: Trevor Lynch
Roster:
WR Mike Evans (23)
RB Le’Veon Bell (25)
G Zack Martin (26)
Again — if you can’t get an elite quarterback, might as well make the job as easy as possible for whatever quarterback you do end up with. This roster ends up with 2016’s top-graded running back and second-graded receiver and guard. Even a mediocre quarterback could find success with that.
Analyst comment: “The first running back comes off the board, with the selection of the most complete back in the game today. Missing 17 regular-season games over his first four seasons is obviously a concern, but he had 3.01 YCO (fifth) and 61 (third) broken tackles. The position might raise a few eyebrows but Martin is one of the league’s safest bets to achieve both of my franchise foundation priorities: level of performance and longevity.”
Pick 27: George Chahrouri
Roster:
QB Josh Allen (21)
CB Marcus Peters (24)
Edge Frank Clark (24)
Allen could be a top-10 pick in next year’s draft, while Peters is a two-time Pro Bowler and Clark just put up a PFF grade of 81.5 in his second year in the league. There’s nothing overly remarkable here, just a solid group of three.
Analyst comment: “In his second year, Peters earned an 85.1 overall grade (10th-ranked cornerback). Only 24, he is already the best play-making cornerback in the NFL; since entering the league in 2015 he has intercepted or broken up 19.0 percent of targets into his coverage, the best mark of any cornerback (min. 125 targets).”
Pick 28: Scott Barrett
Roster:
CB Chris Harris Jr. (28)
CB Josh Norman (29)
WR Doug Baldwin (28)
Two cornerbacks in two picks, and two of the first four cornerbacks off the board in the whole draft. That’s the foundation of this franchise, which — combined with Baldwin — is just looking to control the passing game, elite quarterback or no.
Analyst comment: “Over the past three seasons, Norman ranks among the top two cornerbacks in opposing passer rating and yards allowed per snap in coverage. Among all wide receivers to see at least five targets against Norman over this stretch, only one wide receiver averaged more than 8.0 yards per target or a WR Rating over 85.0. Over the past decade, among all wide receivers to see at least 350 targets, only Jordy Nelson sports a higher wide receiver rating than Doug Baldwin. Last season, he was 10 yards away from joining Adam Thielen and Michael Thomas as the only wide receivers to rank top-20 in yards per route run, yards per target, wide receiver rating, and drop rate.”
Pick 29: Kiernan Hogan
Roster:
CB Patrick Peterson (27)
TE Rob Gronkowski (28)
Edge Chandler Jones (27)
Under the thinking that Gronkowski, between his receiving and his pass-blocking, can make any quarterback that much better, this roster makes sense as long as Gronkowski is healthy, which could mean a long run of success, or could fall apart if Gronkowski can’t stay on the field.
Analyst comment: “Even with his injury history, Gronkowski was excellent value here. The Arizona product finished sixth in overall grading among tight ends last season, despite playing in less than eight full games, and led all tight ends in overall grading in his last full season in 2015. Gronkowski is an elite receiver and run-blocker, making him an impact player in any offensive scheme.”
Pick 30: Cam Mellor
Roster:
DI Ed Oliver (19)
CB Jalen Ramsey (22)
QB Luke Falk (22)
Here’s another roster with exactly one full NFL season across all three players, belonging to Ramsey in 2016. This is a team built for success in 2019, 2020, and unlikely to be much of a competitor right away. There’s nothing wrong with that, necessarily, but it does mean the picks have to be made just right, lest you throw away the first few years for nothing.
Analyst comment: “My father taught me back in 2001 while watching our beloved Bucs cruise through the playoffs to the ultimate Super Bowl victory that defense win championships. Securing a guy who can stop the run and bat passes like no other in Ed Oliver, and securing possibly the game’s best rising corner to lockdown No. 1 wide receivers in Ramsey was almost a no-brainer. It's clear to see I took the youthful approach here. Falk is a seasoned veteran in today's NCAA-QB-to-NFL-QB world as he enters his redshirt senior season at WSU. He'll have three full years as a starter and enters 2017 with the third-highest adjusted completion percentage in the nation.”
Pick 31: Ryan Smith
Roster:
Edge Brandon Graham (29)
WR Antonio Brown (29)
QB Andy Dalton (29)
The Dalton-to-Brown connection is kind of funny, from a “former rivals” perspective, but Dalton has had plenty of success with A.J. Green, so there’s no reason to think this pairing wouldn’t work as well. Dalton was the last quarterback to go in the three rounds, of 22 total, which feels about right for the Red Rifle.
Analyst comment: “Since breaking onto the scene in 2013 Antonio Brown has never been outside the top six in yards per route run. … While my team may not be incredibly young compared to some, they are all either in or entering their primes with proven NFL production. The positions I selected (ED, WR, QB) can be argued as are the three most important positions on the field, all impacting the passing aspect of the modern game of football. I also debated taking a young running back with his best days ahead of him than can be utilized in multiple facets, such as Penn State's Saquon Barkley.”
Pick 32: Eliot Crist
Roster:
T Tyron Smith (26)
WR Julio Jones (28)
C Travis Frederick (26)
You could do worse than re-creating the recent Dallas offensive lines and add in one of the league’s best receivers. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but why do that when you don’t have to?
Analyst comment: “With the top quarterbacks gone, whoever the future quarterback is set with the best left tackle in the league and the best receiver. Jones is coming off a year where he finished as PFF's top graded receiver. Frederick was PFF's highest-graded center in 2016, earning an elite 90.9 grade. At just 26 years of age my team will be built from the trenches out with a young talented offensive line. Picking last left me at the bottom of the barrel for a quarterback so I decided to wait. Even though through three rounds I still don’t have one, some young talent can still be acquired with a combination of a Deshaun Watson/Carson Palmer type.”
| Results by team | |
| # players | Team |
| 6 | Dallas, Seattle |
| 5 | New Orleans, Philadelphia |
| 4 | Arizona, Carolina, Houston, Kansas City |
| 3 | Atlanta, Cincinnati, New England, Oakland, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington |
| 2 | Denver, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, LA Chargers, LA Rams, Miami, NY Giants, NY Jets, Pittsburgh |
| 1 | Baltimore, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota, San Francisco |
| 10 | College |
That’ll do it for the 2017 offseason PFF Foundation Draft. Which roster was the best? Who built a team destined for failure? Chime in on Twitter.
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