While the 2024 Summer Olympics have come and gone, the NFL season is just around the corner. Many fans have gotten ready for the season in various ways, whether that is managing their “perfect” fantasy football team or getting ready for seven hours of commercial-free football with Scott Hanson. Some fans are even looking ahead to the next Summer Olympics, where flag football is officially in for 2028. While this spells excitement for fans and athletes alike, an interesting question arises: which NFL star would you want on your flag football team? Would you go the fantasy football route and take a running back like Christian McCaffery, take the gunslinger in Patrick Mahomes or go in another direction? The Daily Campus Sports Section will answer this question in today’s roundtable!
Connor Sargeant
Associate Sports Editor
He/Him/His
Garrett Wilson
While some may think I am giving an outlandish take, hear me out. Garrett Wilson has demonstrated the ability to be elite, and that is why I am taking him on my team. While the Jet wide receiver struggled to mount any significant offense last season, he was subjected to nine games of Zach Wilson, four of Mike White and even a little Joe Flacco, for good measure. Despite the unideal quarterback play, Wilson still did his part. The 24-year-old tore up man coverage last year, winning his route at a nearly 80 percent clip, which was better than most other wide receivers whom people consider “elite.” While I severely doubt zone coverage will be played in this event, Wilson still gets it done there, beating his man 83 percent of the time. Since it’s a given that the quarterback play will be elite, I am looking for a player who can get open at a high level, and Wilson fits that billing with some of the best raw talent the league has to offer.
Sam Calhoun
Staff Writer
He/him/his
Tyreek Hill
The fastest man in the NFL would be perfect for this team. Tyreek Hill is so quick that there have been debates of who is faster between him and Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles (by the way, please make a race happen between the two). No matter who’s at quarterback, Hill is one of the best yards-after-catch receivers and would blaze past all defenders. He ranks fourth in yards-after-catch in the NFL with 652 yards. The only receivers in front are CeeDee Lamb, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Rashee Rice. However, what separates Hill from the rest of the NFL is he averaged 112.4 yards per game, which led the league. Along with Mike Evans, he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 13. I don’t think there’s a better argument than the one I made for Hill on Team USA.
Tyler Pruneau
Campus Correspondent
He/Him
Patrick Mahomes
This might be one of the easiest answers to this question but, at the end of the day, who would not want Patrick Mahomes on their team? Mahomes did not get the nickname Mahomes Magic for no reason; he got it because he can make big plays in big time moments, even when it looks like the play will be dead. In the past six NFL seasons, the signal caller has won three Super Bowls and has the opportunity to make history this upcoming season with a three-peat. Other than Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, Mahomes has never really had any massive weapons. In the 2023 season, everyone thought the Chiefs were done because of how poorly the team was playing, but with Mahomes as the quarterback, they were able to win the Super Bowl. A couple days ago, the quarterback for the USA Flag Football team came out and stated that he feels like he is “better than Patrick Mahomes because of [his] IQ of the game”. What makes Mahomes’ IQ different from everyone else’s is that he does not fold under pressure very often and that is something that cannot be taught; you either have it or don’t.
Thaddeus Sawyer
Campus Correspondent
He/Him
Sauce Gardner
Even if the USA plans to go for the gold by outscoring every team by 50, it would still be wise to build up a formidable defense. There’s no better place to start than the best man coverage cornerback in the league, Sauce Gardner. Gardner had the highest coverage grade in the league in 2023, based on rankings by Pro Football Focus, and he also ranked first in passer rating allowed at 63.0. For comparison, the league average passer rating for quarterbacks was 89.0. Not only does he have elite stats, but he also has the traits to show he can do it consistently, as evidenced by his 4.41 second 40-yard dash. It’s a given that the USA will have an elite offense if NFL players can participate, but it won’t matter if they trade touchdowns every drive. Any coverage stat you look at likely has Gardner sitting towards the top of the list, making him the perfect centerpiece for my hypothetical defense.