The Perfect Draft Experiment: Two Expert 14-Round Builds From Different Draft Positions

"There's obviously no such thing as a perfect draft — until there is." That is the premise of the annual perfect team experiment: ask top analysts to build the ideal roster pick by pick, every single round, from a specific spot on the board. This year, Fantasy Pros ran the experiment with two of their sharpest draft minds — Pat Fitzmorris and Tara Roberts — and the twist is that each built from a different part of the draft. Fitzmorris drafted from the back end of the first round. Roberts challenged herself with the awkward middle: picks five through eight.

Both played out under the same scoring setup: one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, a tight end, a flex, and a bench — no kicker or defense, because as the host put it, "the perfect team would not have a kicker and defense." Fourteen rounds, 28 total picks, and a ton of repeatable strategy. Here is every pick, the logic behind each one, and the roster construction lessons you can take into your own 2026 draft.

Two Draft Positions, Two Very Different Philosophies

The whole point of the experiment is that your ideal build changes with your draft spot. Fitzmorris went in with a clear preference: the back end. "I do my best work when I don't have to think. See ball, hit ball. It's a sweet spot for running backs at the tail end of round one, round two, that turn — pick two running backs, then hit receivers with three or four of the next four picks." His first-round pick came from that general range: Ashton Jeanty.

Roberts, meanwhile, chose the range that gets the most complaints in mock drafts. "We see the most complaints about mock drafters at five and six — everyone wants picks two, twelve, or ten, but no one wants to touch that five, six, seven range," the host noted. Roberts embraced the challenge because the middle is dictated by everyone drafting around you. "I wanted to approach it from that perspective and give us a good look at what you could walk away with from that mid, awkward range." Her build started with Amon-Ra St. Brown.

One key admission from Roberts applies to everyone: she is not comfortable leaving the first two rounds without a running back. "There's no way you can do it," she said. "If you push it to the third round it's very shaky, because you can get into weird territory depending on how many people take running backs in that second round." Keep that in mind — it drives both of the builds below.

Last Year's Perfect Team: The Reference Point

Before the new builds, the show pulled up last year's perfect team contest winner to set the baseline. It was a two-running-back start that was, frankly, chalk — and that is the point. "This isn't what does the best team look like at the best value. You've got to take guys in their general relative range." The winning construction ran through the early rounds like this: Christian McCaffrey in round one, Jonathan Taylor in round two, Jaxon Smith-Njigba in round three, James Cook in round four, George Pickens in round five, Chris Olave in round six, and Ameer Abdullah in round seven — three running backs and four wide receivers by the midpoint, finished with a tight end, a late quarterback, and a couple of streaming defenses. The lesson: build the core early, take players where they're actually going, and use the late rounds for depth and swings.

The Round Nine Hot Spot (Andrew Erickson's Data Point)

The show flagged one of the most interesting data points of the season, courtesy of Andrew Erickson: round nine has been a hot spot for huge value two years running. In 2024, round nine produced Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chase Brown, and Brian Thomas. Last year it featured Drake Maye, Cam Skattebo, Javonte Williams, and Colston Loveland. Pull up this year's real-time ADP and the ninth round is stacked again: Quentin Johnston, RJ Harvey, Michael Wilson, Courtland Sutton, Josh Downs, Stefon Diggs, Bo Nix, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Kenny Gainwell, and Jordan Mason all live in that general vicinity.

"Pay close attention to where both Pat and Tara have their ninth-round pick," the host said, "because maybe they'll be picking the next big player to break out in round nine." Spoiler: both of them did find round-nine players — and one of them picked the exact guy on that breakout list.

Fitzmorris's Perfect Team: Back-End, RB-RB, Heavy on Depth

Fitzmorris drafted as if he owned a back-end pick (roughly picks 10-12 in a 12-team league) and hammered running backs early while stockpiling upside everywhere else. Here is his full 14-round board:

• Round 1 — Ashton Jeanty (RB): Jeanty's ADP has actually dropped from 10th overall last year to 13th, but Fitzmorris loves the environment: a healthy offensive line with Tyler Linderbaum added, a Super Bowl-winning play-caller in Clint Kubiak, and a rookie quarterback in Fernando Mendoza who should be cooking by playoff time. "You can get him cheaper than you could as a rookie."
• Round 2 — Kenneth Walker (RB): Walker went to Kansas City and gets to play for Andy Reid — the guy who coached LeSean McCoy, Brian Westbrook, and Jamaal Charles. "He looked pretty good handling a full load in the playoffs when he averaged just under 25 touches a game." Fitzmorris ranks him ahead of every other RB2 on the board.
• Round 3 — Amecha Ibuka (WR): "There is WR1 potential for a guy going squarely in WR2 range." Ibuka was WR3 through the first five weeks last year — before both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were hurt — and is the clear number one now. Fitzmorris isn't worried about the lingering toe issue: "Every guy in WR2 range has some sort of minor injury right now."
• Round 4 — Jaylen Waddle (WR): The Broncos traded a first-round pick plus more capital for Waddle, who becomes the focal point of Sean Payton's passing game. Michael Thomas posted three 100-catch seasons as Payton's featured receiver in New Orleans; Fitzmorris sees Waddle in that same featured role.
• Round 5 — Bhayshul Tuten (RB): "This is close to where the bottom drops out on dependable running backs." Tuten is the main back in a Liam Cohen offense — the same system that made Bucky Irving great — and Trevor Etienne is already hurt. Third running back secured before the pool dries up.
• Round 6 — Jameson Williams (WR): People fear the boom-bust profile and worry his production spiked only after Sam LaPorta got hurt. Fitzmorris sees it differently: production picked up after Dan Campbell took over play-calling and started getting Jamo the ball closer to the line of scrimmage. Over 1,100 yards last year, 1,000-plus two straight seasons.
• Round 7 — Jonathan Brooks (RB): The ADP is climbing by the day, but Brooks is still the guy in Carolina — a former second-round pick two years removed from his second ACL repair with a reportedly strong camp. "There's still people shy about drafting a guy with his injury history. I get it, but that is keeping the price down."
• Round 8 — Blake Corum (RB): A depth piece with immense upside. As the 1B to Kyren Williams he's already useful; if anything happens to Williams, "you'd be ranking him top five every week." The Rams are a high-flying offense with a great defense now, which creates run-friendly game scripts.
• Round 9 — Bo Nix (QB): Right on the Erickson hot spot. The Broncos threw at one of the highest rates in the league even with one of the best defenses, and they aren't throwing any less after adding Jaylen Waddle. "Bo Nix is a solid borderline QB1, QB2 — and to get him this late, you can just wait at quarterback and get a productive guy."
• Round 10 — Dallas Goedert (TE): The late-tight-end play. "Goedert has averaged at least four catches a game for four straight years — and that was with A.J. Brown around. No more A.J. Brown." The red-zone need is even bigger now.
• Rounds 11-14 — The Lightning Round: Wan'Dale Robinson (round 11) in a Brian Daboll offense where he could out-target Carnell Tate; Jayden Higgins (round 12) as a year-two breakout candidate who Nico Collins himself has vouched for; Malik Willis (round 13) as a second quarterback averaging 8.5 fantasy points on his legs alone; and Jonah Coleman (round 14) as the Denver back to own once J.K. Dobbins' injury history catches up.

The final Fitzmorris roster: QB Bo Nix + Malik Willis; RB Ashton Jeanty, Kenneth Walker, Bhayshul Tuten (flex) with Jonathan Brooks, Blake Corum, and Jonah Coleman on the bench; WR Amecha Ibuka, Jaylen Waddle, Jameson Williams plus Wan'Dale Robinson and Jayden Higgins; TE Dallas Goedert. A little lighter on the big-name receivers, but the running back room is a fortress.

Roberts's Perfect Team: Middle Picks, WR Anchor, Stack at QB

Roberts drafted from picks five through eight and leaned into the widest receiver depth in the draft, taking a quarterback stack and hedging the flex with receivers. Here is her full 14-round board:

• Round 1 — Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR): Three straight finishes as the overall WR3, 100 receptions, a minimum of 140 targets, double-digit touchdowns, and no injury liability. "Rather than sitting there trying to figure out what you're doing in the second round at receiver, invest in your overall WR1 in round one." Detroit's soft schedule — and their banged-up secondary — point to shootouts.
• Round 2 — Omarion Hampton (RB): "All of my drafts are dictated by the Chargers. If I miss out on Hampton, I'm taking the Chargers pass-catcher." Don't believe the three-man-committee talk: Hampton is the RB1, Keaton Mitchell is the change-of-pace, Kamani Vidal is the handcuff. Legitimate top-three upside in a bounceback season with a healthy offensive line.
• Round 3 — Zay Flowers (WR): The clear, unquestioned first look in Baltimore — 116 and 118 targets in back-to-back 17-game seasons, with Mark Andrews declining and Isaiah Likely gone. "If Lamar Jackson is healthy, this is an incredible pick."
• Round 4 — DeAndre Swift (RB): Second running back locked up by round four. Swift was RB16 in points per game last year with just 223 attempts, finished below RB28 only three times all season, and the Kyle Manungai injury makes the pick even sweeter. The Bears lean goal-line work to their backs, not their quarterback.
• Round 5 — Terry McLaurin (WR): "I hate the fifth round. It's a weird range, so I tend to be flexible and take whatever value drops." In a three-receiver format she still leans receiver, and McLaurin is the 1A with Stefon Diggs arriving as the 1B. Healthy Jaden Daniels and a healthy Terry was a 13-touchdown combo in 2024.
• Round 6 — Parker Washington (WR): The first of the buzzy hype picks. Washington was WR16 from week nine on with six top-20 performances, and Trevor Lawrence has fallen in love with him in the slot. "I know it might feel scary because he doesn't have the name recognition of Brian Thomas Jr., but he legitimately could be the WR1 of this offense."
• Round 7 — Trevor Lawrence (QB): The first quarterback off the board — and a deliberate stack with Parker Washington. Lawrence was the overall QB1 from week five through the end of the season, with rushing upside and a bevy of receivers in the Liam Cohen offense.
• Round 8 — Chris Godwin (WR): Fifth receiver, and no harm in core depth at the position. With Amecha Ibuka as the Z, Godwin works the slot for 120-plus targets and 900-1,000 yards. "Round eight is the perfect range to gamble on him having a healthy year."
• Round 9 — Jacory Croskey-Merritt (RB): The exact round-nine breakout candidate from Erickson's list. "Ironically I was anti-JCM last year. Hopefully I'm right again in that this is now the opportunity to buy in." He reportedly made a leap as a pass-catcher, has priority on short-yardage work over Rachaad White, and could become a three-down back. "If he does, he could be an RB1."
• Round 10 — Dallas Goedert (TE): Same late-TE answer as Fitzmorris. Goedert caught 13 of 15 red-zone targets last year — eight inside the five, most of any tight end — for seven touchdowns. "He's going to miss a couple of games, but at this value in the double-digit rounds, it's worth it."
• Rounds 11-14 — The Lightning Round: Deon Stripling (round 11) as the 49ers handcuff with opportunity; Jalen Coker (round 12) as the clear second look in Carolina with good volume; Denzel Boston (round 13) as the high-upside Browns rookie who stays on the field in two-receiver sets; and Jonah Coleman (round 14) — "100% agree with you guys. When Dobbins goes down, Coleman gets inserted in the Dobbins role for solid RB2 production and maybe more."

The final Roberts roster: QB Trevor Lawrence; RB Omarion Hampton, DeAndre Swift with Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jonah Coleman; WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Zay Flowers, Terry McLaurin as the starters, Parker Washington at flex, and a bench of Chris Godwin, Deon Stripling, Jalen Coker, and Denzel Boston; TE Dallas Goedert. Heavy at receiver, safe at the onesie positions, and fully stacked.

Where the Two Builds Agree (And What That Means for You)

Two analysts, two different draft positions, two different philosophies — yet the overlap is striking, and it is the most actionable part of the experiment.

• Running backs early, non-negotiable. Roberts said flat out she won't leave the first two rounds without one. Fitzmorris took two backs in the first two rounds. Both had at least three running backs by round nine — and both drafted a fourth and a fifth for the bench.
• The ninth round is a value goldmine. One took a quarterback there (Bo Nix), the other took a breakout running back (Croskey-Merritt). If your board lines up the same way, don't panic when your queue empties at round nine — this is where the league winners fall.
• Late tight end is a legitimate strategy. Both passed on the top-tier tight ends and landed on Dallas Goedert in round 10. Goedert's red-zone role, now without A.J. Brown, is the exact profile that wins the position late.
• Both picked Jonah Coleman in round 14. The Denver backfield was dysfunctional by the playoffs last year, J.K. Dobbins has an alarming injury history, and both analysts independently landed on the same lottery ticket. Sometimes consensus at the bottom of the board is a signal.
• Draft for injury survival. Fitzmorris's closing line is the whole philosophy: "August has been a good reminder that injuries are going to ravage us once the season hits. There's always more replacement value at the onesie positions — quarterback and tight end — than at running back and wide receiver. So get those guys. Do not cut corners in the draft."

Build Your Own Perfect Team

Neither of these teams is a script to copy — they're a demonstration of how the same framework adapts to your spot. The best way to internalize it is to rehearse it. Use the mock draft simulator to practice building from your actual draft position against AI managers on a live clock — it includes a snake order, a 60-second timer, a player queue, and auto-pick when you freeze. Then run your finished roster through the fantasy team analyzer to stress-test the construction with position grades, win projections, and playoff odds before you ever walk into the real draft.

If you want the full position-by-position roadmap, pair this with our 2026 draft cheat sheet, which breaks down a round-by-round plan for every draft slot from picks 1-2 all the way to 11-12. The perfect draft doesn't exist — but a perfectly prepared drafter does.