Assembling the 2028 Olympic roster for U.S. flag football: Our 10-player roster -- and one go-to play

NFL players are one measurement closer to playing flag football successful the 2028 Summer Olympics aft squad owners unanimously approved a connection for players to participate. Now begins the process of putting the nationalist roster together. What would the eventual U.S. men's emblem shot squad look similar 3 years down the road? Which existent -- oregon aboriginal -- NFL players person the champion accomplishment sets to thrive successful the 5-on-5 crippled with a smaller tract and nary contact?

While USA Football volition make the last call connected who makes the team, I wanted to task the champion roster for the United States successful 2028. The squad is expected to beryllium a substance of emblem shot specialists and NFL talent, but I focused connected conscionable NFL and assemblage shot players successful this exercise.

Olympic rosters are expected to beryllium 10 players deep, with nary bounds connected the magnitude of players astatine each position. For my picks, I utilized NFL FLAG's official positions: quarterback, moving back, wide receiver and halfway connected offense; rusher, antiaircraft backmost and information connected defense. I besides noted my mentation of the indispensable skills for each role, listed alternate players who could slot successful and adjacent suggested 1 violative play for this roster to stroke distant the competition.

To larn much astir emblem football, marque definite to tune successful to the NFL FLAG Championships from July 18 to July 20 connected ABC, ESPN, ESPN+ and Disney+. Let's get into my Olympic roster picks for 2028, starting with a speedy signal-caller who could pb Team USA to gold.

Jump to:
QB | RB | WR | Rusher | DB
One play that could dominate

QB: Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Necessary skills: Accuracy, limb strength, propulsion connected the run, mobility

I looked astatine some Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow here, but Daniels gets the motion owed to his age; helium volition beryllium 27 years aged astatine the clip of 2028 Olympics. Plus, his high-level throwing traits and question skills acceptable large with the emblem shot game.

As a rookie, Daniels completed 69% of his passes, sixth-best successful the league. He's an close thrower from the pouch and tin present the shot against the antheral sum helium would spot successful the Olympics. He besides has the limb spot to thrust throws vertically downfield.

In emblem football, quarterbacks cannot tally connected designed carries oregon scrambles (unless it is handed disconnected first), but they request the mobility to flight the blitz and widen the pouch arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable wrong 7 seconds. Daniels is simply a acceptable present with his velocity and change-of-direction skills (which includes gadget plays), and we cognize helium tin make arsenic a thrower connected the move.

Alternates: Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow

RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

Necessary skills: Elusiveness, short-area speed, receiving skills

Gibbs would beryllium an X origin for Team USA owed to his versatility. I deliberation helium could play a hybrid relation arsenic a moving back/motion-movement people successful the walk game. There is nary blocking successful emblem football, truthful we request a backmost with upper-tier elusiveness and the short-area foodstuff to dart past defenders. That's Gibbs, who had 41 rushes of 10 oregon much yards past season, the third-most successful the league.

Teams are allowed to manus disconnected the shot successful emblem unless they're successful the "no tally zones" wrong 5 yards from midfield oregon 5 yards from the extremity zone. The U.S. discourtesy could get Gibbs escaped connected alert sweeps, reverses, misdirection schemes and enactment plays disconnected wide receiver motion.

As a walk catcher, Gibbs has caught 104 balls implicit his archetypal 2 seasons successful the NFL, and helium tin tally the accepted moving backmost way histrion (swings, wheels, prime routes) oregon align successful the slot for favorable interior matchups. He's a dynamic mover astatine the interruption point, too.

Alternate: Bijan Robinson

WR: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Necessary skills: Route running, sum manipulation, play speed

Jefferson hasn't committed to trying retired for the Games, but helium would springiness Team USA the quality to isolate arsenic a one-on-one perimeter people astatine the accepted Z receiver position. As the league's premiere way runner, helium tin tally each 3 levels of the way histrion with his quality to acceptable up sum and slither successful and retired of his breaks. He tin besides bump wrong to tally the slot fades arsenic an end-zone people for Daniels.

With implicit 1,000 receiving yards successful each of his archetypal 5 pro seasons (and 495 vocation receptions), Jefferson would beryllium the toughest matchup successful the satellite astatine the Olympics.

Alternate: CeeDee Lamb

WR: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State Buckeyes

Necessary skills: Matchup ability, vertical element, drawback radius, shot skills

The Ohio State prima volition beryllium eligible for the 2027 NFL draft, meaning helium could person completed his rookie play up of the Olympics. Team USA should beryllium anxious to bring him successful arsenic a bound X receiver since helium tin triumph connected heavy balls and beryllium a precedence people aft the squad crosses midfield. (Flag shot fields are lone 50 yards successful length, with the aforesaid 10-yard extremity zones arsenic NFL play.)

I'm looking for Team USA to propulsion the 50-50 slice balls here, and Smith tin usage his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame, wide drawback radius and large play spot to finish. And don't hide astir his explosive straight-line velocity aft the drawback connected quicks and crossers.

Smith, who had 15 touchdowns arsenic a freshman for the nationalist champion Buckeyes, has already drawn comps to erstwhile Falcons receiver Julio Jones. I don't disagree with that aft watching the tape. If helium continues his ascension done 2028, this should beryllium a no-brainer for the U.S.

Alternate: Malik Nabers

C: Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

Necessary skills: Shotgun snap, catch-and-run traits, shot bearer vision, open-field speed

The halfway is eligible to tally routes and drawback the shot aft helium snaps. So we are looking for a middle-of-the-field agelong enactment who tin marque plays aft hauling successful a pass. Chase fits owed to his electrical question quality successful the unfastened tract and lower-body power to portion done pursuit angles.

Last season, Chase led the NFL successful receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and touchdowns (17). He tin triumph astatine each level and make instant chaos for opposing countries connected underneath throws.

Alternate: Garrett Wilson

Rusher: Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys

Necessary skills: Closing speed, lateral quickness, range

Team USA tin unreserved with a defender arsenic agelong arsenic helium is designated pre-snap and starts 7 yards down the enactment of scrimmage. With elite closing speed, Parsons tin devour up writer successful a hurry to onslaught the quarterback, and helium has the scope and change-of-direction quickness to lucifer mobile passers successful abstraction and instrumentality down their flags.

Parsons has 52.5 sacks implicit his 4 seasons successful the league (fifth-most successful the NFL successful that span), and helium would gladly instrumentality a escaped unreserved each play since determination are nary blockers successful emblem football. Plus, if Team USA wanted Parsons to lucifer successful sum oregon play arsenic a rover successful the debased reddish zone, helium tin easy bash that. Parsons' chap Penn State alum, Abdul Carter, is simply a large secondary enactment if helium makes the leap that's expected from him astatine the adjacent level.

Alternate: Abdul Carter

DB: Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos

Necessary skills: Field vision, signifier matching, modulation speed, shot skills

The prototype astatine the position, Surtain has the velocity and high-level method to lucifer up with the world's champion walk catchers. More importantly, he's a agelong sum country who tin pattern-match from an off-position, arsenic the "no contact" regularisation successful emblem shot eliminates the quality to play property coverage.

In 4 pro seasons with the Broncos, Surtain has 11 interceptions and 39 walk breakups. He could beryllium a antiaircraft game-changer for Team USA.

Alternate: Derek Stingley Jr.

DB: Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars

Necessary skills: Field vision, signifier matching, modulation speed, shot skills/playmaking traits

There's nary mode Hunter wasn't going to beryllium connected this list, arsenic Team USA tin easy physique successful a bundle connected discourtesy for the two-way star. Still, Hunter's main relation successful the Olympics would beryllium connected the antiaircraft broadside of the ball, wherever helium tin bring a playmaking constituent to the field.

Hunter, who had 9 interceptions implicit 3 assemblage seasons, has elite shot skills and the sum instincts to make turnovers for the U.S. He tin get a leap connected throws and instrumentality the shot away. Plus, interceptions tin inactive beryllium returned for touchdowns successful emblem shot -- don't beryllium amazed if Hunter sprints 1 backmost to the house.

Alternate: Sauce Gardner

DB: Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles

Necessary skills: Field vision, signifier matching, change-of-direction speed, shot skills

DeJean could besides spot reps connected discourtesy fixed his shot skills and punt instrumentality ability, which translates good to the emblem shot crippled since you request vertical acceleration and the elusiveness to marque radical miss successful space. But we are focusing connected DeJean arsenic a slot country for this team.

He tin lucifer inside, tally with the seams and country routes and usage his change-of-direction velocity to bounds underneath concepts (especially adjacent the extremity line). His rookie portion successful Philly was excellent, and a pick-six successful the Super Bowl disconnected Patrick Mahomes highlighted his interaction ability. DeJean is simply a rising prima who would person 3 much afloat NFL seasons to turn his crippled earlier the Olympics.

Alternate: Trent McDuffie

S: Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Necessary skills: Coverage ability, second-level range, blitz ability

Kyle Hamilton would beryllium a truly bully acceptable here, though helium teased his interest successful playing for South Korea and was calved successful Greece. So let's pivot to Winfield, who brings versatility to the tract arsenic a multilevel defender.

Winfield has the skills to make on-the-ball accumulation successful coverage, and helium tin way down receivers successful abstraction to bounds the hostile discourtesy aft the catch. If Team USA wanted to lucifer Parsons successful coverage, Winfield could besides beryllium deployed arsenic the walk rusher oregon play from extent arsenic a heavy defender (remember, quarterbacks get 7 seconds to throw).

In 5 pro seasons, Winfield has 7 interceptions, 20 walk breakups and 17 sacks. He's a earthy disruptor who is often astir the shot for a reason.

Alternate: Xavier McKinney

One play this roster should run: Mesh instrumentality (alert to station corner)

Let's acceptable up Daniels with a conception designed to onslaught antheral coverage, utilizing a saltation of mesh with the 5 players connected the field. Daniels tin spell done a progression work with Gibbs (H) arsenic his archetypal enactment connected the instrumentality route. On a escaped backfield release, with a defender having to bubble implicit the interior crossing route, Gibbs could wide aboriginal for Daniels connected a speedy propulsion up the boundary. If the look isn't determination connected the wheel, Daniels could enactment the 2 leveled crossing routes wrong from Jefferson (Z) oregon Smith (X).

The extremity present is to pick/rub the defenders, creating an unfastened catch-and-run target. At center, Chase would tally the vertical wide arsenic an "alert" for Daniels, who tin instrumentality the matchup connected a heavy treble determination (post corner). Good luck stopping this.