The Game of Thrones NFL draft: Our best rosters of Season 6 characters

The Game of Thrones season six premiere airs Sunday, and the NFL draft is less than a week away. Why not combine the two for a twist on the usual mock draft?

The Game of Thrones season six premiere airs Sunday, and the NFL draft is less than a week away. Why not combine the two for a twist on the usual mock draft?

So ... wait, hold on ... oh ...

O.K., I’m now being told this post was unnecessary and the premise nonsensical. Nevertheless, we hope you enjoy.

Four members of the SI family—Ben Glicksman, Tom Mantzouranis, Andrew Perloff and I—matched wits to see who could put together the best fantasy football-style roster made up entirely of Game of Thrones characters. Each team owner drafted a QB, RB, WR, TE and kicker, with explanations for each pick (and each character’s position, hopefully) required.

SI 50: Counting down the top 50 NFL prospects of 2016

This was based on the TV show only. Sorry, A Song of Fire and Ice devotees. The only other caveat: Any character selected had to be “alive,” so to speak, at the start of this season. Team Perloff took a significant gamble on that front, as you’ll see in the third round.

A quick warning that if you are not caught up on the show, it might be best to turn back now. No season six spoilers lie ahead, but there’s definitely some information that could ruin seasons 1–5 for you.

With that, let’s begin. And remember, when you play the Game of Thrones mock draft, you win or you die.

Round 1

Glicksman: The Night’s King, QB

I was going to go with a character more people could rally behind, but anonymous NFL scout loves the intangibles of the blue-eyed, all-powerful leader who can bring players back from the dead. If he can lift an entire army up like this, just imagine what he can do for my offense. Ice in his veins, literally.

Mantzouranis: Tyrion Lannister, QB

What’s the first thing you look for when you build a football team? A quarterback. Sure, Tyrion doesn’t have the measurables you typically look for at the position, but height didn’t stop Drew Brees and Russell Wilson from becoming stars, and small hands won’t keep Jared Goff from being drafted. Tyrion has the brains to play chess against defenses, and his inspirational speech in the Battle of Blackwater proved the imp could be an excellent leader of men.

Oral history of the 1971 NFL draft: The original Year of the Quarterback

​Perloff: Ser Robert Strong, TE

Aka Gregor Clegane, aka The Mountain that Rides or the Mountain. Huge upside after being resurrected by Qyburn following seemingly fatal showdown with Oberyn Martell. A bit of Conrad Dobler in him … not afraid to eye gouge an opponent. Speed and power similar to Rob Gronkowski. Already working on off-season cruise … similar to the Gronk cruise except Strong kills everybody aboard. Don’t compare him to Tony Mandarich or he will kill you. He’s probably gonna kill you anyway.

Burke: Daario Naharis, WR

A captain for the Second Sons, so we don’t have to waste time with all those questions about his locker-room presence. We will have to dig a little deeper into his background, given that he was literally a different person in Season 3 than in Seasons 4 and beyond. I assume his hand-to-hand fighting experience would translate into allowing him to beat press coverage. Moved him up a round because he was able to get the Mother of Dragons to fall for him.

PHOTOS: Game of Thrones and Sports

Game of Thrones and Sports

The Kingdoms of Sport

Illustration by John Hendrix

The Kingdoms of Sport are illustrated in the manner of Game of Thrones inside the March 11, 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated.

Roger Goodell

Tim O'Brien

An illustration of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sitting on the Iron Throne appears on the March 11, 2013 cover of Sports Illustrated.

George R.R. Martin

Al Pereira/WireImage

George R.R. Martin poses with Patrick Wilson as they attend an NFL game between the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 11, 2011 in East Rutherford, N.J.

Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark) and Kristian Nairn (Hodor)

Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images

Isaac Hempstead-Wright and Kristian Nairn attend an NBA game between the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls on Feb. 19, 2014 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister — "The Kingslayer")

Noel Vasquez/GC Images

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau attends an NBA game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets at Staples Center on Jan. 22, 2015 in Los Angeles.

Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth)

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Gwendoline Christie attends the Rafael Nadal vs. Martin Klizan match during day two of Wimbledon on June 24, 2014 in London.

Hafthor Björnsson (Gregor Clegane — "The Mountain")

Laurence Kesterson/AP

Hafthor Bjornsson poses with the Phillie Phanatic before the Philadelphia Phillies game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 15, 2015 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Hafthor Björnsson (Gregor Clegane — "The Mountain")

Victor Fraile/Getty Images

Hafthor Bjornsson of Iceland competes at the Deadlift for Max event during the World's Strongest Man competition at Yalong Bay Cultural Square on Aug. 24, 2013 in Hainan Island, China.

Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell)

Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images

Natalie Dormer stretches ahead of the Virgin Money London Marathon on April 13, 2014 in London.

Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei)

Noel Vasquez/GC Images

Nathalie Emmanuel and her sister Louise attend an NBA game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center on March 8, 2014 in Los Angeles.

Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth)

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

Liam Cunningham attends an MLB game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels on May 12, 2014 at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth)

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Liam Cunningham, Sam Worthington and Thomas Kretschmann pose together in the Infiniti Red Bull Racing garage following qualifying for the Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix at Hungaroring on July 27, 2013 in Budapest.

Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont)

David M. Benett/Getty Images

Iain Glen takes the field with members of the actors team, including Rufus Wright, Nigel Walker, Damian Lewis, Peter Sandys-Clarke, Gareth Lewis and Sam Browne during the first ever 'Words For Wickets' festival at The Wormsley Estate on Sept. 7, 2013 in London.

Joe Dempsie (Gendry)

David M. Benett/Getty Images for Lacoste

Joe Dempsie attends the Lacoste VIP Lounge at the ATP World Finals 2014 at 02 Arena on Nov. 16, 2014 in London.

Sean Bean (Eddard 'Ned' Stark)

Paul Thomas/Getty Images

Sean Bean holds up a belt belonging to Kell Brook of England before the IBF Welterweight Title Eliminator Fight between Brook and Carson Jones of the USA at the Sheffield Motorpoint Arena on July 7, 2012 in Sheffield, England.

Sean Bean (Eddard 'Ned' Stark)

AP

Sean Bean poses with Sheffield United fans outside the Houses of Parliament on June 13, 2007 in London.

Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo)

Instagram.com/prideofgypsies

Jason Momoa hung out with Madison Bumgarner in early Feb. 2015, before MadBum was required to report for spring training.

Bulls of House Durham

Courtesy of Durham Bulls

The Triple A Durham Bulls, or “Bulls of House Durham,” will wear special Game of Thrones-themed jerseys for their game on April 23, 2015. The sleeve will have the phrase, “hitteth bull, winneth steak” and chest will feature a special logo, or “house sigil.” After the game, the jerseys will be auctioned off to support a local youth baseball program.

The Porcelain Throne

Courtesy of DBQ Fighting Saints

The Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL held a Game of Thrones Night on March 28, 2015, allowing fans, who were asked to bring toilet paper for shelters in the area, to take pictures with a porcelain throne.

Miguel Cotto

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Professional boxer Miguel Cotto attends the "Game Of Thrones" Season 4 Premiere at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center on March 18, 2014 in New York City.

Perrish Cox

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO

Tennessee Titans cornerback/return specialist Perrish Cox attends the "Game of Thrones" Season 5 Premiere and After Party at the San Francisco Opera House on March 23, 2015 in San Francisco.

Round 2

Burke: Brienne of Tarth, TE

Strong, loyal to a fault and determined. Oh, and just ask The Hound what she can do in the open field. A little worried about the lack of awareness she displayed toward the end of last season (Sansa lit the candle!!), but we’ll work on it.

Perloff: Bronn, WR

Assassin on and off the field. Excellent speed with sword and one-liners. Risen from low birth to being knight of House of Stokeworth. Can be counted on to deliver sarcastic comment with head cocked at any given moment. What he lacks in size he makes up for with particularly angular chin.

Mantzouranis: Jaqen H’ghar, WR

If a man can change faces, surely a man can disguise his routes.

The Case For ... underrated Temple LB Tyler Matakevich

​Glicksman: Daenerys Targaryen, WR

I can’t believe Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen—Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons—fell to me at the end of the second round. I’m assuming she can invoke Drogon as she goes out for passes, because this is football in Westeros, and what official is going to flag a freaking dragon? I do have concerns about said dragon melting my quarterback, but screw it, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.

Round 3

Glicksman: Tormund Giantsbane, TE

Tormund has all the makings of a great tight end: He’s big, he’s a capable blocker and he has the endurance to climb 700-foot walls. Plus, do you really want to tackle this dude in the open field?

Mantzouranis: Ramsay Bolton, RB

Sure, he doesn’t have the build you look for in a RB, but you want your backs to inflict punishment on would-be tacklers, and we know well that no one enjoys inflicting punishment on others like Ramsay.

Perloff: Jon Snow, QB

Snow didn’t throw at the combine while still recovering from likely fatal stab wounds. If he can return to his pre-stabbing form, he’d be a great value in this round. Like another third-round QB, Russell Wilson, Snow is a great leader, with speed, intelligence, competitive instincts. Plays with a chip on his shoulder—à la Tom Brady—because he’s a bastard. May not be alive for Week 1 … we’ll find out soon.

Burke: Jorah Mormont, RB

A bit of a developmental pick for our roster here. Ser Jorah is well past the 30-year old cutoff where running backs tend to drop off in production. But we’re taking him with the hope that his advancing greyscale turns him into a full-on stone man. Tough to tackle someone you can’t touch.

Round 4

Burke: Bran Stark, QB

The plan here fell apart a bit when Tom nabbed Hodor two picks later—really needed to sign him as an undrafted free agent to be Bran’s fullback. Mobility is an obvious issue since, ya know, he can’t walk. He may not even need to be on the field, though, so long as he can warg his way into the opposition’s cornerbacks and make them move out of the way.

Meet Carson Wentz’s left tackle, NDSU’s other NFL prospect

​Perloff: Melisandre, K

Will never lack in confidence thanks to faith in Lord of Light. Ability to give birth to deadly shadow could be very effective on kickoffs. May cause friction in locker room for decision to have Stannis’s daughter burned alive … but hey, we all make mistakes.

Mantzouranis: Hodor, TE

He’s not going to offer you anything in route-running between the 20s, but he’ll be a blocking machine and excellent red-zone target.

Glicksman: Grey Worm, RB

Grey Worm is an injury risk, sure—damn you, Sons of the Harpy—but he’s a fierce soldier who can dominate in the trenches. He might have trouble grasping certain Westerosi play calls, but it’s hard to go wrong with a member of the Unsullied in the backfield. Let’s just hope Missandei isn’t bathing on any nearby sidelines to distract him.

Round 5

Glicksman: Jaime Lannister, K

The Kingslayer doesn’t have a functional hand, but he certainly has a working foot!

Mantzouranis: Podrick Payne, K

Why Podrick, of all people, as a kicker? According to the ladies, he’s got a third leg.

Perloff: Davos Seaworthy, RB

Displayed ability to sneak through small holes when delivering supplies to Storm’s End through Targaryen blockade. Great backstory: born in Flea Bottom, lost some fingers, learned to read as an adult. (Am I allowed to make a JPP reference? Did Glicksman go there with Jaiee Lannister?)

Burke: Samwell Tarly, K

And you thought fans loved Sebastian Janikowski? Just wait until they get a load of this guy. Hopefully, he can stand to be away from Gilly long enough to practice and show up for games.