Let’s talk about this 2025 TBL draft like we’re in the ESPN green room and the mics are hot. Some of y’all ate, some of y’all grazed, and a couple of you showed up at a steakhouse and ordered salad. I'm Ryan Clark, and this is my rundown of the 2025 TBL Entry Draft. 

The Board Told a Story: RBs early, value later

Four of the first five picks were backs—Jeanty to the Rebels, Hampton to the Kamikazes, Henderson to the MadDawgz, Harvey to the Warlords, and then Kaleb Johnson to the Yinzers. That’s old-school TBL energy, setting the tone for everything that followed...

Teams that got better the second they clicked “Draft”

Rebels – When you pair a workhorse profile like Ashton Jeanty with a twoâ'way cheat code in Travis Hunter and then stack upside QBs (Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe), you’re drafting for weekly ceiling. That’s how you win Sundays in this league. Jeanty at 1.01, Hunter at 1.07, Dart at 2.11, Milroe at 3.01—those are tone setters.

Mercenaries – Egbuka/Tre Harris double tap in Round 1, then Oronde Gadsden in Round 4 and Will Howard as a Round 5 stash? That’s value discipline with a side of “don’t overthink it.” It’s the kind of portfolio that wins in December when bodies are sore and bye weeks get rude. 

Atoms – Quietly hoarded middle round equity: Skattebo, Arroyo, then a Round 4 triple—Mykel Williams, DJ Giddens, Dillon Gabriel—and came back for KeAndre Lambert Smith and Trevor Etienne in Round 5. Depth wins wars. The Atoms just stocked the armory. 

Steals that made me sit up in the chair

• Tetairoa McMillan at 1.06 (Kamikazes): WR1 traits at a mid-first price. That’s a “walk to the podium” pick. 

• Quinshon Judkins at 1.11 (RockStars): If you believe in volume and nose for paydirt, that’s late for a bully at the stripe.

• Cam Ward at 2.02 (Conquerors): Starting caliber QB outcomes sitting in Round 2? Can’t coach that availability. 

• Malaki Starks at 3.12 (Arsenal): That’s an IDP who plays like he’s got the answers to the test. Late third is theft.

• Dillon Gabriel at 4.08 (Atoms): QB room glue guy—steady hand at a patience price. 

Head scratchers (I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed)

• Double TE splash in Round 1 (Dealers/Conquerors): Loveland at 1.09 and Tyler Warren at 1.10 screams positional premium faith. If your board says “difference maker,” fine—but WR value was still rich there. 

• Back to back MadDawgz TE investments (R2/late R2): Mason Taylor and Terrance Ferguson are solid players, but with Dylan Sampson sandwiched between them, you’re threading a narrow needle on weekly start rate. 

The IDP Minute (because defense wins you matchups when the group chat is loud)

• Rebels snagged Abdul Carter early—alpha traits, immediate splash potential. 

• Yinzers kept it balanced with Jalon Walker mid-third and Shemar Stewart in Round 5—range and juice in the front seven. 

• Believers took a big swing with James Pearce Jr. in Round 5. That’s a bet on pressure translating to fantasy pain for your opponents. 

QB Room Vibes

• Conquerors did it the right way: Cam Ward early enough to matter, Shedeur Sanders later to chase the ceiling. That’s portfolio building, not wish-casting.

• Rebels with Dart + Milroe is a “pick your matchup” luxury. You can play weather, opponent, and hot hand. 

Rookie WR Run: the room knew

McMillan, Hunter, Egbuka, Golden, Tre Harris—five wideouts in the back half of Round 1 told you managers are chasing alpha profiles and YAC over TE security. That’s the modern game, and y’all drafted like it. 

Late Round Grown Man Picks

• Devin Neal (Dealers, 4.09): Workload résumé with goal line utility. That’s Sunday insurance. 

• Kyle Monangai (Goats, 4.13): Downhill finisher with committee-proof traits when the weather turns ugly. 

• Damien Martinez (Believers, 5.10) & Trevor Etienne (Atoms, 5.11): Two backs who can flip a matchup on 15 touches. That’s how you steal Mondays. 

Quick Grades (because y’all love receipts)

• Rebels: A- — Blue chips plus flexible QB room. Identity established. 

• Mercenaries: A- — “Best player, sensible cost” clinic across five rounds. 

• Atoms: B+ — Depth monsters; if one of the Round 4/5 swings pops, this ages like cabernet. 

• Conquerors: B+ — TE premium gamble, but the Ward/Shedeur stack balances the portfolio. 

• Kamikazes: B — Hampton + Tâ'Mac is a power start; need Jarquez Hunter/Jacory to hit to justify the RB volume. 

• MadDawgz: B- — Love Henderson and Campbell, but the double TE path is tightrope stuff. 

• Yinzers: B- — Kaleb Johnson early is bold; IDP adds were smart. Need a WR2 to emerge beyond Higgins. 

• Everyone else: C+ to Bâ' — A few spicy singles, fewer doubles. September usage will separate the poets from the plumbers.

Final Word

If your strategy was “collect weekly spike week players and let the math work,” you walked out smiling. If you drafted safe at a fragile position (hello, Round 1 tight ends), you better be right—and often. Because in this league, respect isn’t given; it’s taken on third and short when everybody in the room knows what’s coming.