We’re two weeks away from the NFL draft, and all 32 teams will look to address big needs across their rosters. But how would our draft analysts fill out an entire lineup of draftees? 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 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 and two defensive backs. All other roster spots were considered replacement level. Our experts were allowed to draft positions in any order, and they designed their units around whatever scheme they wished on each side of the ball. (Spoiler: Kiper went old school 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 could provide the most impact at the next level. Which team ended up with the best offense and most dominant defense? Let’s start at the top with Yates and then go pick by pick. And you can even vote for the winner of our 2025 NFL draft fantasy league at the bottom.
See all 40 picks of the draft in orderRosters: Yates | Reid | Miller | KiperVote on which analyst’s team is best
The picks
The draft order was randomized, with Yates landing the first pick. But because it is a snake format, Kiper had back-to-back selections at Nos. 4 and 5, and Yates didn’t pick again after No. 1 until No. 8. And no trades were allowed.
1. Yates: Cam Ward, QB, Miami2. Reid: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado3. Miller: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado4. Kiper: Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
5. Kiper: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan6. Miller: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State7. Reid: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona8. Yates: Will Campbell, OT, LSU
9. Yates: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State10. Reid: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas11. Miller: Jalon Walker, Edge/LB, Georgia12. Kiper: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri
13. Kiper: Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina14. Miller: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas15. Reid: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia16. Yates: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
17. Yates: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama18. Reid: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas19. Miller: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas20. Kiper: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
21. Kiper: Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss22. Miller: Mike Green, Edge, Marshall23. Reid: Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia24. Yates: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
25. Yates: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina26. Reid: Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina27. Miller: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State28. Kiper: Grey Zabel, G/C, North Dakota State
29. Kiper: Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky30. Miller: Donovan Jackson, G, Ohio State31. Reid: TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State32. Yates: Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M
33. Yates: Jonah Savaiinaea, G, Arizona34. Reid: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State35. Miller: Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss36. Kiper: Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
37. Kiper: Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame38. Miller: Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville39. Reid: Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss40. Yates: Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
Yates’ team
QB: Cam WardRB: Quinshon JudkinsWR/TE: Luther Burden IIIWR/TE: Tyler WarrenOT: Will CampbellG/C: Jonah SavaiinaeaDL/LB: Jihaad CampbellDL/LB: Shemar StewartDB: Will JohnsonDB: Nick Emmanwori
Yates on his team: My mindset was straightforward entering this draft: Grab as many of the top-ranked players at their respective positions. Mission accomplished. In Ward, Warren, both Campbells and Johnson, five of my 10 selections were the players I have the highest grade on at their positions. Moreover, I believed the gap between QB1 and QB2 was among the widest at all positions, so having the first pick was a decided advantage.
We also fundamentally believe at Yates HQ in doing everything we can to make life easier on our young QB, so surrounding Ward with excellent run-after-catch players in Warren and Burden was huge. My question to the other drafters is simple: Who is playing for second?
Reid’s team
QB: Shedeur SandersRB: TreVeyon HendersonWR/TE: Tetairoa McMillanWR/TE: Matthew GoldenOT: Josh SimmonsG/C: Tyler BookerDL/LB: Mykel WilliamsDL/LB: Walter NolenDB: Malaki StarksDB: Shavon Revel Jr.
Reid on his team: With an emphasis on scoring points, I wanted to add some offensive firepower in the early rounds after securing my franchise quarterback. McMillan and Golden provide two go-to options on the perimeter for Sanders to get the ball to consistently. They also complement each other; McMillan is the big-bodied outside X receiver, while Golden can work all other parts of the field.
Protecting Sanders was also a major point for my team, so I drafted my second-best guard in this class (Booker) and added a strong bookend tackle (Simmons). On defense, Williams and Nolen provide a great mixture of run support and explosive pass rush. And I also have a solid back end with Starks at free safety and Revel as a shutdown outside corner. From top to bottom, it’s pretty clear who has the best overall roster.
What to know for the 2025 NFL draft
• Mocks: Kiper | Miller | Reid | Yates• Rankings: Kiper | Miller | Reid | Yates• Team needs | Comps | QB Board | Buzz• Pick order | Scouting evals | More
Miller’s team
QB: Tyler ShoughRB: Ashton JeantyWR/TE: Travis HunterWR/TE: Emeka EgbukaOT: Kelvin Banks Jr.G/C: Donovan JacksonDL/LB: Jalon WalkerDL/LB: Mike GreenCB/S: Jahdae BarronCB/S: Trey Amos
Miller on his team: The focus of this team is speed and versatility. I added six players ranked in my top 11 overall while getting incredible value at each position group. Yes, I waited on a quarterback after Ward was selected first overall, as the value between QB2, QB3 and QB4 in this class is not a wide gap. Waiting until the final round to get Shough allowed me to build a better team around him, including Hunter and Jeanty as the cornerstones of this offense.
On defense, this team continues to fit my philosophy with elite pass rushers and big-time ball hawks in the secondary. Of course, Hunter would be in the mix on that side of the ball, too.
Kiper’s team
QB: Jaxson DartRB: Omarion HamptonWR/TE: Colston LovelandWR/TE: Elijah ArroyoOT: Armand MembouG/C: Grey ZabelDL/LB: Abdul CarterDL/LB: Mason GrahamDB: Maxwell HairstonDB: Xavier Watts
Kiper on his team: Good luck scoring on this defense. With Carter and Graham — both top-three players on my Big Board — we’re going to be getting some serious pressure. I wanted Barron at corner but still ended up with the 4.28 speed of Hairston and the ball skills of Watts (13 interceptions over the past two seasons) in the secondary. I’m not sure any of these other rosters are even reaching double-digit points against this unit.
On offense, I’m moving my guys around. My biggest miss was obviously at receiver. I tried waiting until my seventh pick to get Egbuka or Burden, but I was too late. And rather than reach for TCU’s Jack Bech or someone like that a little further down my board, I decided to double-stack my tight ends. But Loveland and Arroyo are more than that — I can spread them out wide, put them in the slot or bunch them in-line, looking for matchup advantages. They both have the speed to stretch the seams, and Dart has the arm to drive the ball to them. Mix in the three-down abilities of Hampton behind my top-ranked tackle and guard, and we’re going to be just fine moving the ball.
In all, I got five players in my top 11. Picking fourth meant missing the top two QBs and my No. 1 overall player in Hunter, but I like what I was able to do.
