Imagining NFL Expansion - Part 3: Spitfires fill roster, make shock FA signing

With the NHL preparing for the Vegas Golden Knights' expansion draft, theScore's Jack Browne, along with David P. Woods, Daniel Wilkins, and Mitch Sanderson, imagines what a 33rd NFL team would look like - but with some added twists and turns to the league's expansion draft formula.

Imagining NFL Expansion

• Part 1: London Spitfires are born
• Part 2: Unprotected players are chosen
• Part 3: Spitfires fill roster, make shock FA signing

The Spitfires have made their selections and the buzz in the draft crowd is beginning to die down.

Wait, what's this? Breaking news from Adam Schefter mere minutes after the expansion draft is completed!

The Spitfires, clearly aware that there was no starting quarterback made available, have turned the NFL world on its head by signing none other than ...

... Colin Kaepernick!

Social media explodes. Roger Goodell has that dumb expression on his face. Scorching hot takes are everywhere. Skip Bayless is speechless (not literally, unfortunately).

The logic is clear, though: the Spitfires get a legitimate starting quarterback, especially compared to their other options. And Kaepernick gets a real chance to reignite his career, with the media and fans in London relatively uncaring about his political protests.

It's a true win-win, even for the NFL, which no longer has to answer tough questions about whether Kaepernick is potentially being blackballed.

The Spitfires are hailed as heroes by some, idiots by others. But they're the talk of the sporting world, which, for an expansion team, is all that really matters.

With Kaepernick on board, let's look at which players the Spitfires selected in the draft.

Check out Part 2 to see which five players per team were made available

Spitfires roster

Quarterbacks
Colin Kaepernick, C.J. Beathard

The Spitfires make Beathard the lone quarterback selected during the expansion draft, passing on more established passers like Landry Jones, Matt Schaub, and Brock Osweiler. Now, with the signing of Kaepernick, the plan has come into focus.

Kaepernick, at the very least, can be a stopgap until Beathard develops or another option can be found. At best, he could regain his early-career form and provide the Spitfires with a top-20 starter.

Due to the lack of receiving weapons and emphasis on the ground game, Kaepernick's running ability will be an invaluable resource to the offense.

Running backs
Mark Ingram, Matt Forte, Shane Vereen

The Spitfires snag Ingram, hoping he can continue his mid-career jump following a standout 1,000-yard campaign in 2016. While not a prolific receiver, Ingram has solid hands and can stay on the field for all three downs.

When Ingram needs a breather, Forte is the ideal backup. The veteran lacks the explosion and speed he once had, but he still possesses outstanding vision and receiving skills. The Spitfires could look to get both on the field at the same time.

Vereen isn't as good a runner as some of the other options, but he's versatile and should excel as a third-down guy.

Wide receivers
Tavon Austin, Braxton Miller, Victor Cruz, Justin Hunter

Kaepernick's smile drops, just for a second, when he gets a look at his receiving corps. It was always going to be tough to get teams to give up good wideouts, but it was slim pickings for the Spitfires.

Austin has maybe the worst contract in football, and the Rams can't believe their luck when the Spitfires are forced to take him due to the utter lack of other options. Maybe the Spitfires' offensive coordinator can get creative and find a way to best utilize Austin, but it's a hope many have had with him before.

Miller is ideal for the Spitfires. With just three years of experience playing receiver dating back to his college days, he's nowhere near close to realizing his potential. Miller's quickness and size are suited to the slot, but he'll likely be thrown into the deep end out of necessity, with few solid outside receiver options.

Cruz and Hunter round out the receiving corps. Cruz hopefully has one decent season left in him, while Hunter was selected purely out of a need for a size-and-speed guy to balance out a relatively small group.

Tight ends
Jimmy Graham, Coby Fleener, Brandon Williams

Graham, with the Spitfires' poor receivers, might end up being the most targeted player in football. He's arguably the only elite player on the roster - the Spitfires should be eternally grateful that the Seahawks opted to unload his big contract to free up some money.

Fleener is nowhere near worth the contract the Saints gave him last offseason, and New Orleans knew it. But the Spitfires need weapons, even inconsistent ones like Fleener, and he should be well-suited playing second fiddle to Graham.

Expect a lot of two tight-end sets for this offense. Williams was only selected to essentially act as a sixth offensive lineman at times, balancing out both Graham's and Fleener's lack of blocking abilities.

Offensive line
Shon Coleman, Andy Levitre, Pat Elflein, Dan Feeney, Allen Barbre, Jason Spriggs, Jahri Evans, James Hurst

Building a strong offensive line was one of the Spitfires' key priorities, and while we appeared to have fallen short of that goal, the unit is at least respectable.

Shon Coleman at left tackle is maybe the Spitfires' biggest gamble. He barely played during his rookie season, though he did look solid in extended action in Week 17. He'll need a lot of help, hence the decision to put Levitre next to him at left guard. Coleman is undoubtedly the weakest link, but he was the only young tackle available who could still develop into a solid starter.

Rookies man the center and right guard positions. Their inexperience is a concern, but Elflein and Feeney balance each other well. Elflein has been applauded for his leadership skills and worth ethic and boasts above-average skills as a run blocker. Feeney, meanwhile, is maybe the 2017 draft's best pass-blocking guard.

Right tackle Barbre completes the group and gives it a much-needed second veteran. Jahri Evans and Jason Spriggs are both taken, killing the Packers' depth but providing solid backup options for the Spitfires in case the rookies struggle.

Defensive line
Haloti Ngata, Kyle Williams, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Vincent Valentine, Jonathan Bullard

By far the team's weakest group, the chips just didn't fall for the Spitfires on the defensive line. But this was expected and we prioritized the secondary and pass-rushers accordingly.

Williams has played some nose tackle in his career and was by far the Spitfires' best option to man the center of the defensive line. His run defense is as good as ever, but his pass-rushing talents have regressed, so the move further inside might be a good one for the 34-year-old. Valentine and Bullard also couldn't have a better mentor than the Bills' longtime standout.

Ngata is a big name, but his play has fallen far from the All-Pro heights he reached early in his career. Still, he was the best of a bad bunch and can at least be counted upon not to make mistakes.

Kpassagnon is the wild card of the group. A second-round pick this year, Kpassagnon has the athleticism and length to make plays from the defensive end position in the Spitfires' 3-4, though his rawness could be an issue early on.

Inside linebackers
Ray-Ray Armstrong, Duke Riley, Kendell Beckwith

The majority of NFL teams spend a lot of their time in nickel and dime packages, so the Spitfires only take three inside linebackers.

Armstrong is the lone veteran and, again with pass defense as the priority, he was picked due to the fact he's more of a coverage linebacker than a downhill thumper.

As mentioned in Part 2, Riley and Beckwith played together at LSU. Neither are slam-dunk starters, and this defense could be very susceptible to the run, but their chemistry could be invaluable.

Riley is undersized but reads plays well, while Beckwith brings physicality and the strength to consistently beat blockers.

Outside linebackers
Brian Orakpo, James Harrison, Jordan Jenkins, Terrell Suggs, Kevin Dodd

Oh boy, oh boy. Sizzle and the Silverback on the same team! The T-shirts just sell themselves.

The Spitfires wanted pass-rushers and the rest of the NFL obliged. The loss of Suggs will be hard for the Ravens to recover from, but the linebacker was the only Pro Bowler it made sense to give up. Harrison likely won't be too happy about having the rug pulled out from under him, but again, the Steelers have more valuable Pro Bowlers and T.J Watt waiting in the wings.

Starting both Harrison and Suggs might not be the best idea, so the former is likely headed for a third-down role as a pass-rushing specialist. Orakpo joins Suggs in the starting lineup, though his struggles against the run could be a concern.

The strong group is rounded out by Jenkins of the Jets and Dodd of the Titans. The Titans shot themselves in the foot by putting up both Orakpo and Dodd, and the Spitfires made them pay. Jenkins looked solid as a rookie and will hopefully push for a starting role, while Dodd has greater upside but needs to prove he can stay healthy and beat NFL-caliber tackles.

Cornerback
Adam Jones, Brent Grimes, Terence Newman, Joe Haden, Rasul Douglas

This group is as risky as it is talented. A starting tandem of Jones and Grimes, with Newman in the slot, isn't exactly youthful. However, all three played at a high level in 2016 and there's no reason to think they can't form one of the better cornerback groups in 2017.

Hopefully, Jones' behavioral issues can be kept in check by the rest of the veterans, especially Newman.

The secondary will be relied upon to force turnovers, and Jones and Grimes are two of the better playmaking corners in the league. The Spitfires might have to live with their more risk-taking style, but turnovers will be needed with such a poor defensive line.

At this point in his career, Haden fits well as a solid backup and Douglas was taken to inject some youth into the unit.

Safeties
Reggie Nelson, Darian Thompson, Marqueston Huff, T.J. Green

Nelson is the only proven starter in the group and his ability to man the center of the field should be a perfect fit for our type of cornerbacks. The 33-year-old might only be good for 2017, but it should give the Spitfires enough time to bring along some of their younger prospects - Thompson and Green.

Thompson pairs up with Nelson in the starting lineup out of necessity. The then-rookie played in just two games in 2016 due to injury, but he flashed talent. However, he might not be the best fit as a run-support safety, meaning the Spitfires will have to adopt a more interchangeable safety system at times.

Huff is a journeyman, but he was the best available. Finally, while Green put together a putrid rookie campaign, it's crazy to write the former second-rounder off this early into his career. He's a risk, but one worth taking.

Special teams standout
Matthew Slater

Somewhere, in a dark room illuminated by a lone TV screen, Bill Belichick sheds a single tear as he watches Slater's best special teams plays. "You sure we can't put up Brady?" he pleads. (Jimmy Garoppolo agrees profusely.)

Can the Spitfires win?

This is nowhere near a playoff-caliber team, and some areas of the roster are woefully undermanned, like at receiver and the defensive line.

However, our goal at the start of the project was to assemble a competitive team, built around the offensive line and running game, as well as a deep pass rush and competent secondary - and considering the players available, that goal was achieved.

When you scroll down the depth chart below, it's hard to argue the Spitfires aren't around the same talent level as the Jets, Browns, or 49ers - the consensus three worst teams in the league. Now, those clubs obviously have more depth, young talent, and cohesion, but as the basis of a roster that can be built upon from now until September, it's a solid start.

The Spitfires should clean up when the other 32 teams trim their rosters at the end of training camp, and in the meantime, they could try to bolster their squad through free agency. Few impact players are left, but this team would be in a much better place if the likes of Anquan Boldin, Perry Riley, Nick Mangold, and Dan Williams were brought aboard.

The Spitfires even managed to capture some stars, like Graham and Kaepernick, who'll be the marketable faces of the newborn franchise - a must to bring in fickle London sports fans.

Of course, in reality, stitching together a team in mid-June would be a near impossibility. And the Spitfires were lucky to be able to take advantage of the Kaepernick situation. But in this alternate timeline where the Spitfires were forced into existence, they should be more than able to hold their own at the NFL level in 2017.

Depth chart

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)