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ESPN NFL Insiders
Would you rather have Andrew Luck, Cam Newton or Russell Wilson as your team's quarterback for the next 10 years? Which rookie will be the Class of 2016's best in five years? Will the NFL have a new franchise in the near future?
After the release of the new edition of the Future Power Rankings, our NFL Insiders take a stab at predicting the future of the league:
1. Which team has the most talented "young" roster in the NFL?
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Matt Bowen, NFL writer: Jacksonville. A young, developing quarterback with a big arm, playmakers at wide receiver and a core of fast and explosive future studs on defense.
John Clayton, senior NFL writer: Seattle. Its entire core is under contract for a few more years and most of its best players aren't close to their 30s. Plus they reloaded big-time in the draft.
Mike Sando, senior NFL writer: Seattle. It has zero stars over the age of 30 and several in the 23-28 range.
Aaron Schatz, editor-in-chief of Football Outsiders: Jacksonville, although that answer may give a bit too much credit to players who haven't yet taken a snap in the NFL (Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack and Dante Fowler Jr.).
Field Yates, NFL Insider: It's scary to think, but my answer is Seattle. Consider the list of players on its roster who are 27 or younger: Russell Wilson, Earl Thomas, Bobby Wagner, Doug Baldwin, Thomas Rawls, Jermaine Kearse, Tyler Lockett, K.J. Wright, Jeremy Lane and a host of others. Deep and talented.
Andrew Luck, the league's highest-paid player, is only 26. He could be the Colts' starter for many more years to come. AP Photo/AJ Mast
2. Which QB would you want for the next 10 years?
Bowen: Cam Newton. Freakish size and talent. A game-plan nightmare. And only 27 years old. Newton is ultra rare for the position.
Clayton: Andrew Luck over Russell Wilson. Despite Luck's physical decline last season, he can run, throw and put up a lot of points for the Colts.
Sando: Luck over Wilson because I think his size will matter more when both players are aging.
Schatz: Luck because he's a year younger than Wilson, but this is closer than most people think.
Yates: Despite his struggles last season, Luck. When given time and space to operate from the pocket, he possesses lethal accuracy and field vision. When he breaks the pocket, he's innovative and mobile enough to stress a defense on ad-libbed plays.
3. Which team would you most want to coach right now?
Bowen: Seattle. Swagger, speed and a suffocating defense.
Clayton: Oakland. This is a team on the rise with a great young quarterback in Derek Carr, young stars in Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, plus a great offensive line.
Sando: Seattle for the roster, owner, stadium and location.
Schatz: Pittsburgh has a surprising amount of young talent to work with, the best triplets (QB-WR-RB) combination in the league, and a consistently strong front office.
Yates: Carolina because the roster has been constructed in a way that aligns with my belief that building up the middle is a foundation for success in the NFL. Carolina has game-altering talent on both sides of the ball, and that talent is matched by players who exude exceptional passion and effort on every down.
4. Which rookie would you most want on your roster for the next five years?
Bowen: Jacksonville defensive back Jalen Ramsey. Track speed, size and versatility. He can do it all.
Clayton: Ramsey. He may not have the speed of top shutdown corners, but he can be a fixture in the secondary as a corner now and later as a safety.
Sando: Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott because the next five years should be his highest-value years, with instant impact.
Schatz: Ramsey, I guess. There really isn't an obvious transcendent rookie talent this season.
Yates: I'll go a bit outside of the box here and select Indianapolis center Ryan Kelly. While rookies always face an inherent adjustment, I believe he's a plug-and-play high-level starter. I won't have to worry much about having him anchoring my offensive line from an early stage.
Chip Kelly has a second chance at NFL greatness after the 49ers hired him this offseason. Can he turn them around? AP Photo/Ben Margot
5. Which coach hired this offseason will be looked at as the best hire five years from now?
Bowen: Cleveland's Hue Jackson. Innovative, personable and competitive. He's going to challenge his players. And the locker room will respect him for it.
Clayton: San Francisco's Chip Kelly. No coach is covered as well as Chip. If it doesn't work out with the 49ers, he could go back to college and make more than $7 million a year.
Sando: Philadelphia's Doug Pederson might have the best combination of owner, roster, cap situation, promising quarterback and general manager invested in his success.
Schatz: Jackson will be so well-respected that Madden will have to include the Emory and Henry formation in the Cleveland playbook. (That last part may be wishcasting on my part because the Emory and Henry formation is awesome.)
Yates: Kelly. He's still a gifted offensive coach and should have time working on his side in San Francisco. If the organization is willing to be patient -- and this roster isn't ready to win right now -- Kelly can help architect a turnaround.
6. What will be looked at as the NFL's worst contract in three years?
Bowen: Miami's Ndamukong Suh. Quarterback money for a defensive tackle. And cap issues that won't go away.
Clayton: Suh. The Dolphins gave him quarterback money and the defense got worse, dropping to 25th along with an inability to stop the run.
Sando: Suh's deal will still look bad then.
Schatz: In 2019, Suh will be a 32-year-old defensive tackle with a cap number of more than $28 million. Yikes.
Yates: He's not going to regress too dramatically as a player, but given the team's needs around the roster, a cap hit of $28.1 million for Suh is lofty in Miami. Given the construction of football contracts, teams have far more wiggle room to adjust and get out from them, so this isn't a cause for major concern.
7. In the next 10 years, will there be an NFL team in a city that currently doesn't have a team?
Bowen: Yes, in Las Vegas. The NHL just opened the door for an NFL team to land in the desert.
Clayton: Put some money down on Las Vegas in the short term and maybe London in the next decade.
Sando: Yes, and it could be the Raiders a lot faster than that.
Schatz: Viva Las Vegas!
Yates: Yes. Las Vegas or London.
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