It’s draft season, folks. With the NBA and NHL having their respective entry drafts in recent days – and NFL fantasy mock drafts in full swing ahead of the upcoming season – theScore’s footy staff decided to participate in a draft of its own. Five editors were given a simple task: build a perfect starting XI.

Participants: Michael Chandler, Gianluca Nesci, Anthony Lopopolo, Daniel Rouse, Gordon Brunt.

Format: In the interest of fairness, a snake format was used. Given that this is an entirely hypothetical concept, it jives with your standard fantasy draft. Each manager had two minutes to make their selections.

Notes: Every footballer on the planet was available for selection. While entry drafts across the major North American sports leagues are complex beasts that see teams take into account multiple factors – immediate improvement, long-term outlook, simple roster holes that need filling, and stockpiling assets for potential trades – the participants in our draft were given one directive: create a starting XI that would win a title match being played today.

Round 1

Analysis: No real surprises at the top. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the best two players alive, and rightly get selected one-two. Picking between Robert Lewandowski and Luis Suarez is a matter of personal preference for many, and Lopopolo’s selection of the Bayern Munich hitman sees Suarez fall into Rouse’s lap. Neymar could have gone as high as No. 3, so Brunt gladly snapped him up with the final pick of the round.

Round 2

Analysis: Luka Modric and Paul Pogba are the first two midfielders taken, while the race for Kylian Mbappe sees Nesci grab the 18-year-old sensation one pick ahead of Chandler, who worships at the altar of the French teenager. As with any draft, knowing who your competitors rate highly is always an asset.

Round 3

Analysis: Gareth Bale, despite his injury problems, remains one of the most explosive players in the game, and Lopopolo being able to grab him at No. 13 feels like a steal. So too does the selection of Alexis Sanchez with the following pick, as the energetic Chilean’s versatility gives Rouse plenty of options, and allows him to go in a couple different directions for the remainder of the draft, depending on who’s available.

Round 4

Analysis: It’s no surprise that the first defender taken in the draft also happens to be Pep Guardiola’s favourite. Italian stalwart Leonardo Bonucci offers Lopopolo the perfect blend of ball-playing skills, stern marking, and leadership, making him an ideal candidate to anchor the backline. With so much attacking talent still on the board, you need to hit a home run if you’re going to take a defender in this spot, and Lopopolo does just that.

Round 5

Analysis: The most eclectic group of picks so far, Round 5 sees the five managers start going in various directions as they shape their squad. The opening rounds are all about taking the best superstar available, but decisions made in the middle rounds of the draft are the ones that will largely determine things like formation and playing style.

Round 6

Analysis: Having flying full-backs who are adept at both locking down the opposing winger and providing a key outlet going forward is critical to success in the modern game. With that in mind, both Brunt and Nesci make moves to solidify their left flanks, with David Alaba and Marcelo coming off the board. The Austrian provides more versatility, while the Brazilian brings superior attacking output, but who you rate higher is largely a matter of personal preference; they’re the two best players in their position.

Round 7

Analysis: Goalkeeper alert. Chandler makes the leap and takes Manchester United shot-stopper extraordinaire David De Gea to kick off the seventh round. How much of a difference does a world-class netminder make? It’s something of a subjective question, but Chandler was obviously confident that he could fill out the rest of his squad adequately in the latter rounds, and prioritised a solid presence between the sticks more than anyone else.

Round 8

Analysis: Round 8 is made up exclusively of defenders, with left-footed studs Alex Sandro and Benjamin Mendy sandwiching three of the world’s top centre-backs. A run on players who occupy the same position is far from uncommon in your typical draft, and our experiment is no different.

Round 9

Analysis: By this point, you’re simply filling remaining holes in your squad. Chandler and Lopopolo answer their right-back questions, while Rouse is unconcerned by Vincent Kompany’s laundry list of muscle ailments, selecting the Belgian to anchor his defence.

Round 10

Analysis: Explosive right-back Benjamin Henrichs is the standout name in Round 10, the 20-year-old likely proving to be the most surprising pick in the entire draft. Three rounds after De Gea was taken, Brunt makes Manuel Neuer the second shot-stopper to come off the board.

Round 11

Analysis: Three teams waited until the final round to grab their goalkeeper – the fantasy football equivalent of a kicker, if you will – while Brunt’s attack-heavy XI gets even more electric with the selection of Raheem Sterling, who closes out the festivities.

Here’s how the five teams shape up:

Team Chandler

Having Cristiano Ronaldo spearhead the attack gives Team Chandler an immediate advantage on the rest of the field. No matter how stingy your backline, he’ll find a way to tear it down. Just ask Juventus.

Speaking of the Bianconeri … pairing Paulo Dybala with Kevin De Bruyne gives the side a terrifying level of creativity, while the presence of both Toni Kroos and Sergio Busquets will provide a calm, composed duo to anchor the XI. While the four attack-minded men do their thing, those two will sit in the middle, directing traffic. There may be a slight concern over their lack of pace should the ball be turned over, but with Danny Rose and, particularly, Hector Bellerin among the fastest full-backs in the game, opportunities on the break will be limited against Chandler’s squad thanks to their ability to race back into defensive position.

Sergio Ramos and Laurent Koscielny provide a wonderful blend of aerial dominance (at both ends) and on-the-ball talent, while David De Gea is arguably the best shot-stopper alive, justifying his status as the first goalkeeper taken in the draft.

Team Nesci

Good luck trying to get the ball away from this team.

With Toby Alderweireld distributing from the back, Marco Verratti dictating play in midfield, Isco popping up wherever holes develop, and Lionel Messi drifting inside and doing whatever he damn well pleases, this lineup is loaded with creative talent that is multi-faceted enough to dominate in various ways.

Those passing wizards can put you to sleep before cutting you open, while the absurd pace and trickery of rising megastar Kylian Mbappe, and the finishing prowess of Alvaro Morata, give the side a more direct option when “death by a thousand paper cuts” isn’t quite working. Arturo Vidal’s tireless, dogged work rate will help balance the side from a defensive standpoint, while Marcelo and under-the-radar stud Benjamin Henrichs provide blistering speed and a willingness to dart up the flanks as Messi and, to a lesser extent, Mbappe tuck inside and interchange with their fellow attackers. Jerome Boateng will be relied upon heavily, but he’s arguably the best defender in the world, so it’s a worthwhile gamble.

Explosiveness, craft, speed, and even some bite. This team has it all.

Team Lopopolo

Team Lopopolo’s biggest strength is its harmony.

Securing one of Luis Suarez or Robert Lewandowski with the No. 3 pick was a must. Team Lopopolo considered the fact it’s becoming more and more difficult to find a true No. 9 in the modern game, and whether you rate Lewandowski ahead of Suarez is a matter of subjectivity. In this case, Lewandowski’s pure goal-scoring instincts made the difference.

Gareth Bale was an obvious and perhaps fortunate choice to make at No. 13. Although injuries have restricted him, he still has the legs and the directness to penetrate the most resolute backlines.

Questions over Angel Di Maria’s selection are valid, but on his day, he is a fantastic playmaker who can alternate wings.

The midfield is comprised of standout players who carry out three different roles. Paul Pogba has the freedom to bomb forward and join the attack, N’Golo Kante has the stamina to cover lots of ground, and Ivan Rakitic has the licence to create from deep-lying positions. They all complement each other.

The defence is just solid. In Leonardo Bonucci and Diego Godin, Team Lopopolo has both ball-playing and no-nonsense defenders. And on the flanks are two full-backs who can deliver exceptional crosses.

As a collective, this XI is the clear winner.

Team Rouse

Team Rouse has fashioned easily the best midfield of the bunch, and if the Champions League final – and Real Madrid, really – taught us anything, it’s that a superior midfield can make all the difference. Radja Nainggolan provides the box-to-box presence and the occasional crunching tackle, Thiago Alcantara is the resident pass master, and Luka Modric simply does everything at an elite level. It’s a spectacular trio that gives the XI a significant edge over the other four sides in the centre of the pitch.

Elsewhere, people tend to forget that Vincent Kompany went untroubled as the Premier League’s best defender for years, and when he was reinstalled to the lineup for nine matches late in Manchester City’s season he single-handedly shored up a vulnerable backline. Seemingly by osmosis, Nicolas Otamendi’s footballing IQ swelled alongside Kompany. The Belgian’s an impeccable leader.

Ahead of the aforementioned midfield, which is both technical and snappy, is a ruthless and versatile strike force. Antoine Griezmann could’ve demanded a world-record fee until Atletico Madrid’s transfer ban was upheld, and Luis Suarez and Alexis Sanchez are an industrious and potent pair.

This is a balanced and formidable XI.

Team Brunt

Inverting the pyramid? How about just chucking the pyramid – and the rule book – out the window?

Team Brunt promises to be the most entertaining of the quintet, equally likely to score a handful of goals at one end and concede that many at the other. Hey, this was supposed to be fun, and while the other lineups offer more traditionally balanced looks, this is the side you want to watch if you’re going for sheer entertainment value. Besides, playing under Pep Guardiola, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling could certainly be taught to become dominant wing-backs.

Creative geniuses like Neymar, Eden Hazard, and Ousmane Dembele, who combined for 28 assists in the respective leagues last season, will create All. The. Chances. for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is among the best in the world at getting himself into prime scoring positions inside the penalty area.

Mats Hummels has to do basically all of the defending by himself, but if nothing else, Manuel Neuer will get more than his share of chances to show off his sweeper-keeper skills.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots will hold their first public training camp practice on July 27. As part of the lead-up to camp, I’ll spotlight one position each weekday to highlight the team’s personnel and some of the storylines of note.

We’ve covered wide receivers, offensive linemen, running backs and tight ends this week, so let’s move on to quarterbacks:

Personnel: Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett

FIFA has released its full report investigating alleged corruption in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.

Despite explosive reports initially suggesting malfeasance in the voting process of the Russia and Qatar-hosted tournaments, Tuesday’s release does not prove ethical misconduct by either party.

With the world football governing body’s chief Gianni Infantino calling for transparency on the heels of Sepp Blatter’s dubious run, chairpersons of the independent Ethics Committee, Maria Claudia Rojas of the investigatory chamber and Vassilios Skouris of the adjudicatory chamber, published the report Tuesday.

The 2014 report was penned by former FIFA independent ethics investigator Michael Garcia, who quit in protest when only a 42-page summary of the allegations was published. That version acquitted Qatar of corruption claims, and after German outlet Bild released extracts of the full report earlier Tuesday, FIFA followed suit.

While the report does absolve Russia and Qatar’s bids of wrongdoing, the “Garcia Report” mentions a 2-million Swiss-franc payment to the account of the 10-year-old daughter of an unnamed FIFA official.

FIFA’s statement claims that despite numerous calls from Infantino and the 2016 FIFA Council meeting in Mexico City to publish the report, “it is worth noting that the former chairpersons of the Ethics Committee, Cornel Borbely and Hans-Joachim Eckert, had always refused to publish it.”

“Publishing the report in full would actually put the FIFA ethics committee and FIFA itself in a very difficult situation legally,” Eckert told BBC Sport in Oct. 2014.

FIFA’s statement states that it intends to further discuss the “Garcia Report” at a meeting next month, adding, “As the document has been illegally leaked to a German newspaper, the new chairpersons have requested the immediate publication of the full report in order to avoid the dissemination of any misleading information.

“For the sake of transparency, FIFA welcomes the news that this report has now been finally published.”

The 359-page report can be downloaded in its entirety here.

Our ESPN Insiders have provided an expert assessment of how NFL teams are positioned to compete during the next three seasons. That will bring us to the year 2020, the dawn of a new decade and the start of a key period for owners and players as they posture for the expiration of their 10-year collective bargaining agreement. (Assuming they don’t agree on an extension before the current CBA expires after the 2020 season.)

• 

  Louis Riddick, Mike Sando and Field Yates team up to rank the NFL teams that are in the best — and worst — shape for the next three seasons. How do the Cowboys and Patriots stack up?

• 

  Just how long can soon-to-be-40-year-old Tom Brady play? And Odell Beckham Jr. will make how much on his new deal? With help from league insiders, we’re forecasting the next three seasons.

• 

  Matt Patricia’s experience in New England has him on the head-coaching radar, but which other NFL assistants could also get the call to the next level? ESPN Insiders take a look around the league.

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What will the NFL look like at that point? What advances will it have made? What issues will it have solved, and what problems might still remain? Let’s take a closer look.

Guaranteed contracts

You’ve heard the argument: NFL players have the shortest careers — less than four years, on average — while playing a game that maims some of them. Yet their contracts are never fully guaranteed, meaning teams can release them at any time without paying the full amount due. But establishing a fully guaranteed paradigm is not a matter of changing policy. (It’s not mentioned in the CBA.) It would require a fundamental change in the market. Players have long agreed to these terms during individual negotiations. What would incentivize owners to guarantee contracts fully when they don’t have to? A high-profile player could hold out and force a one-off concession, but it’s tough to imagine all players benefiting in the same way. And even if owners changed their approach, it’s fair to wonder if they would simply reduce multiyear, partially guaranteed offers to one-year, fully guaranteed deals. In short, it’s difficult to conceive a meaningful path to fully guaranteed multiyear deals across the league.

Verdict: Won’t happen

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International franchise

As the NBA has demonstrated, you don’t need to place a franchise overseas to establish an international following. Smart marketing, offseason player promotions and international participation in the game can achieve a similar outcome. The NFL’s international emphasis will continue and perhaps intensify as it pursues a goal of matching its domestic fan total internationally. But that is more likely to manifest in an increase of one-off games in Mexico City, London and other cities. Owners aren’t interested in expanding beyond 32 teams, and there isn’t a franchise with a poor-enough stadium situation to force a relocation crisis in the next three years. The only reason for pause is that, one year ago, few thought the NFL would move the Raiders from Oakland to Las Vegas. If the NFL can move to Vegas and accept the presumed problems it once avoided, it can talk itself into moving anywhere when a few powerful owners get behind it.

Verdict: Won’t happen

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Helmet overhaul

The NFL is eager to shift the conversation on concussions. It committed $100 million last fall to research remedies for health issues of all kinds, including a reimagining of helmets. The helmet was originally designed to prevent skull fractures, not concussions. The first potential redesign is the VICIS Zero1, a helmet designed to protect against rotational injury — the cause of concussions — rather than just linear contact. Almost three-fourths of NFL teams had at least one player test the helmet this spring. Whether or not it succeeds, you can expect additional new products to appear in the coming years. The private sector has been incentivized, and it’s reasonable to believe that helmets will look and function much differently by the year 2020.

Verdict: Will happen

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Developmental league

There is widespread agreement among football executives, from the league and the teams, that there is a need for more offseason work for young players — especially quarterbacks — than the CBA currently allows. But there is no unifying solution. Some prefer a traditional domestic spring developmental league modeled after NFL Europe. But it would be costly and would probably overlap with the handful of offseason practices teams are allowed. Others would settle for a quarterback “academy” that would give practice-like reps and individualized tutoring to young prospects. Some think that expanded practice squads are the answer. And a few hope the next CBA will relax team-based offseason training restrictions. This muddled situation has left it to others to create a model the NFL might eventually buy into, most recently The Spring League.

Verdict: Might happen

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Reduction in broadcast revenue

Television rights fees have been the largest driver of the NFL’s economic explosion in the past decade. But recent upheaval in the broadcast and cable industries, and a notable ratings dip in 2016, has prompted a fair question: Will the gravy train end? If it does, it’s unlikely to come in this three-year window. Contracts with CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN all run through at least 2021. The NFL already has begun a transition to over-the-top (OTT) internet broadcasts, partnering first with Twitter and now Amazon for 2017. Rights fees are relatively small now but are growing; Amazon will pay five times ($50 million) what Twitter paid ($10 million) per season. There might be a time when the NFL is impacted by a bursting television bubble, but that moment does not appear close and new opportunities already exist.

Verdict: Won’t happen

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Nonsentient officiating

The international proliferation of technology-based officiating tools has not extended to the NFL, much to the chagrin of fans who see the impact of these tools on other sports. Behind the scenes, the league has researched the possibility of placing GPS-like chips in footballs, on goal posts and on the goal line. It stands to reason that reliable data would, if nothing else, help replay officials confirm some on-field calls, such as whether the ball crossed the plane of the goal. But the technology’s growing dependability has not yet convinced the competition committee. The league’s old-guard faction has been committed to retaining the “human element” of officiating. At some point relatively soon, however, it won’t be able to deny (credibly) the ways technology could supplement decision-making. The experimenting will start small but grow over time.

Verdict: Will happen

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Disempowerment of Goodell

Ha! (Sorry.) Players hate the closed-loop authority commissioner Roger Goodell maintains over most aspects of discipline, as prescribed in the 2011 CBA. This “judge, jury and executioner” lament has fueled countless public dust-ups and legal disputes. Goodell ultimately has prevailed in most of them. This authority allows Goodell to address what he considers matters of NFL integrity as he sees fit, even in a union environment. Why would he give it up? Owners might convince him to take a personal step back, leaving the work to designated staff members. But that’s much different than submitting discipline to neutral arbitration, as players would prefer. To negotiate it out of the next CBA, players would have to give up something significant, and all for an issue that impacts a statistical minority of them. There is no reason to expect change here in the next three years — or ever.

Verdict: Won’t happen

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Sponsorship logos on jerseys

Teams have been selling corporate sponsorships on their practice jerseys since 2009, a hysterical transaction considering that they are seen only in practice and most NFL practices are closed to the public with increasingly limited access for visual media. The next stop is game jerseys, a transition that seems inevitable. The NFL is not usually first into any arena, revenue or otherwise, but the NBA already has jumped ahead. Its teams will wear corporate logos on game jerseys starting with the 2017-18 regular season. In the end, do you really think NFL owners would turn down the additional revenue to maintain the tradition or sanctity of their game uniforms? Exactly.

Verdict: Will happen

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Player supply changes

There were anecdotal revelations earlier this decade of a decrease in Pop Warner participation, presumably a result of concussion concerns from parents. (Even some NFL players advise parents to not permit their children to play football until they’re in middle school.) The decrease has not yet manifested at the high school level, according to the latest numbers from the National Federation of State High School Associations. So it would take some time, far more than three years, before a participatory decrease impacts the NFL. What seems more likely than a shortage of players is a change in their economic demographics. Author Malcolm Gladwell has predicted an eventual “ghettoization of football,” assuming that affluent parents are more likely to prohibit their kids from playing, while those who are poor will view it as a more favorable opportunity. In 2014, Green Bay Packers CEO Mark Murphy said he had noticed that trend taking shape already.

The NFL seemed to put itself on a path toward eliminating kickoffs, for safety reasons, when it moved the touchback from the 20- to the 25-yard line in 2016. The idea was to incentivize returners to take touchbacks, and thus expose them to fewer injury-causing runbacks. But some teams responded with intentionally shorter kickoffs. In the end, the change reduced returns slightly and brought injury totals down enough to satisfy rule makers. But the injury numbers — or at least part of them — are random, and unfortunately, the NFL is probably one series of significant injuries away from a more dramatic step. Even now, nearly 60 percent of kickoffs go unreturned. The play has been dying a slow death for years.