The Great NFL Re-Draft of 2025: What if every NFL player was available?
So imagine the NFL decided to go full fantasy football and empty its rosters after the season. Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson — everybody is now a free agent and eligible to draft. (You can debate whether the NFL should do this. However, the NFL absolutely should impose fantasy-style punishments for last-place owners — bad tattoo for Woody Johnson, 24 hours in a Waffle House for Shad Khan — but that’s a different article.)
Who goes first? Who goes undrafted? Let’s decide, and if you’re a fan of a losing team, let’s dream. A few notes:
This is a franchise rebuild, not an annual redraft. So in this exercise, we’re prizing franchise building blocks over short-term solutions.
Realistically, almost every team would take a quarterback, but that’s no fun, so we started mixing in position players right about when the reliable QB pool ran thin. You’ll see that point below.
We avoided teams selecting their own players even when available, because again, where’s the fun in that?
You are invited, encouraged and expected to disagree with all 32 of these draft picks in the comments and on social media.
We're using the actual draft order for 2025.
Hear that? It’s the “Pick Is In” chime. And with the first selection in the 2025 Reallocation Draft, the Tennessee Titans select…
1. Tennessee Titans — Josh Allen, QB
Not even the Titans could screw this one up. When the reigning MVP is available, you take the reigning MVP.
2. Cleveland Browns — Lamar Jackson, QB
A perfect case study in whether franchises are really cursed, or whether they’ve just had bad players. Jackson would make the Browns instant contenders … in theory.
3. New York Giants — Joe Burrow, QB
He was Joe Cool the first part of his career, and now Burrow can swipe another legend’s nickname and become Broadway Joe II. New York is going to love him.
4. New England Patriots — Patrick Mahomes, QB
Somehow we all knew this was going to happen. Mahomes will win his next five rings in a Patriots uniform. Of course.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars — Jayden Daniels, QB
Jaguars take the first big dice roll of the draft, going with the league’s newest star. Duval vs. Daniels, who ya got?
6. Las Vegas Raiders — Jared Goff, QB
He’s just about the most un-Vegas player in the entire league, but Goff could get the Raiders back to respectability … even if he’d look a little ridiculous in silver and black.
7. New York Jets — Justin Herbert, QB
He might just be the franchise savior that Aaron Rodgers was supposed to be.
8. Carolina Panthers — CJ Stroud, QB
No small irony in this pick given that Carolina passed on Stroud in favor of Bryce Young a few years back. Given a redo, the Panthers go the other way.
9. New Orleans Saints — Jordan Love, QB
A solid upgrade for a franchise that’s struggled to find a reliable post-Brees QB.
10. Chicago Bears — Brock Purdy, QB
Kind of cruel that Chicago had its generational quarterback ripped away after waiting so long, but Purdy is a reasonable replacement.
11. San Francisco 49ers — Jalen Hurts, QB
Recency bias? Perhaps. Or perhaps Hurts continues his surprising march toward the Hall of Fame in the footsteps of Joe Montana and Steve Young.
12. Dallas Cowboys — Kyler Murray, QB
This one might end up happening in real life before too much longer, but for now, we’ll let Imaginary Jerry Jones revel in having a chaos-bringer under center.
13. Miami Dolphins — Baker Mayfield, QB
The Dolphins go from an often-injured QB to a quarterback you can’t injure if you hit him with a locomotive.
14. Indianapolis Colts — Caleb Williams, QB
Having dabbled with unpredictable rookie quarterbacks in the past, the Colts are getting daring again, but Williams ought to be a safe bet.
15. Atlanta Falcons — Trevor Lawrence, QB
Lawrence grew up a little north of Atlanta, and now he returns home. It’s not like the Falcons were going to draft Kirk Cousins.
16. Arizona Cardinals — Tua Tagovailoa, QB
Could be the steal of the middle picks. Could also be injured and out before October. Everything is on the table, much like the Arizona franchise as a whole.
17. Cincinnati Bengals — Dak Prescott, QB
How good is Dak, really? That’s an open question, but he’s definitely still good enough to be one of the QBs selected before teams dip into position players. So there’s that.
18. Seattle Seahawks — Justin Jefferson, WR
The first non-QB off the board is one of the most talented players in the NFL. Seattle can grab pretty much anyone off the street to throw to Jefferson and count on him getting 1,500 yards.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Pat Surtain II, CB
Tampa Bay becomes the first team to build around defense, starting with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. You don’t need much of an offense if your defense is a shutdown crew.
20. Denver Broncos — Micah Parsons, LB
Starting your franchise with a guaranteed shop-wrecker is a strong way to begin.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers — Zach Baun, LB
Jumping across the Keystone State, Baun will find a welcoming fan base in Pittsburgh.
22. Los Angeles Chargers — Myles Garrett, DE
So thrilled to be out of Cleveland, he’ll be jumping for joy on every tackle.
23. Green Bay Packers — Chris Jones, DT
Another solid foundational piece; terrifying quarterbacks is always a good place to start your new identity.
24. Minnesota Vikings — Ja’Marr Chase, WR
If you’re going to lose Jefferson to unexpected free agency, Chase is a good replacement.
25. Houston Texans — Brock Bowers, TE
Bold choice here for Houston, but Bowers, like Gronk and Tony Gonzalez before him, has a way of making even bad quarterbacks look good.
26. Los Angeles Rams — Penei Sewell, LT
Young + one of the best at his essential position = a strong early pick.
27. Baltimore Ravens — TJ Watt, LB
You knew the Ravens were going to select a defensive beast, didn’t you?
28. Detroit Lions — CeeDee Lamb, WR
Lots of options on the table here; the Lions opt for a big-play receiver.
29. Washington Commanders — Michael Penix Jr., QB
The Commanders are hoping to re-create the Jayden Daniels magic with this hopeful-over-proven pick.
30. Buffalo Bills — Nick Bosa, DE
The Bills opt for toughness over finesse in this franchise rebuild.
31. Kansas City Chiefs — Jared Verse, LB
The dynasty of the future begins with the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year.
32. Philadelphia Eagles — Jahmyr Gibbs, RB
Debatable call, taking a running back with literally every other position in need, but when you’re the Super Bowl champions, you’ve bought some goodwill.
So there you have it. There are a whole lot of potentially notable quarterbacks still waiting to be drafted — Bryce Young, Geno Smith, Drake Maye, Sam Darnold, Bo Nix. Plus, running backs like Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey are too enticing to fall far. Defensive stalwarts like Maxx Crosby and Fred Warner should go soon. And some team might take a chance on a short-term last lap from Matthew Stafford, Lane Johnson, Cam Heyward or Trent Williams. The possibilities are endless. Hey, why aren’t we doing this for real?
