Ollie ConnollyApr 2, 2026
Connelly expects Texas linebacker Anthony Hill to be drafted in the second round despite their reservations, sees Caden McDonald sneaking into the back of the first round and Lee Hunter going in the second, and warns that Caleb Banks — because of the recurring foot injury and disappearing stretches — will break the heart of whoever drafts them.
Said on air or in an interview · Around the NFL (podcast)Hear the original
What Ollie Connolly said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromHe's six three two three, he's going to be twenty years old, so it's like the perfect profile if you can get him in the second round where I think he will go.
- Where it was said
- Around the NFL (podcast)
- The episode
- Ranking the 2026 NFL Draft: Linebackers, Safeties and Defensive Tackles
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 5, 2026. The quote and evidence here are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
- SaidApr 2
- GradedAug 5–7
- 1Kayden McDonald to be picked “back of the first round” (picks 1–32)“someone, like McDonald who i think will be the one who sneaks into the back of the first round”
- 2Lee Hunter to be picked “second round” (picks 33–64)“I Think lee hunt is more of the room plugging guys who would go into go in the. SECOND round”
- 3Anthony Hill to be picked “second round” (picks 33–64)“it's like the perfect profile if you can get him in the second round where I think he will go to invest that time in two three years and then become a full time starter”
- 4Caleb Banks to disappoint at the next level“so he's the one who's probably gonna break, your heart whether GM's like i just feel it in. My bones if we can get him in, the building ... and in three years you're wondering why you drafted the Guy”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayden McDonald to be picked “back of the first round” (picks 1–32)1 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 36 | 84.09 | 50 | — | |
| Lee Hunter to be picked “second round” (picks 33–64)2 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 49 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Anthony Hill to be picked “second round” (picks 33–64)3 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 60 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Caleb Banks to disappoint at the next level4 | Draft Bust Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 calls · 3 hits · 1 waiting | 94.7 | 50 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive4 checkable claims — 3 mock draft picks and 1 draft bust call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
3 of 4 have settled so far, averaging 94.7 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
Their call against what happened
overall pickTheir call against what actually happened.
1Mock Draft PicksKayden McDonald
Kayden McDonald to be picked “back of the first round” (picks 1–32)
What happenedWent 3684.09Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Kayden McDonald
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 84.09
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 36
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 84.09
- predicted pick:
- back of the first round (picks 1–32)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
Lee Hunter to be picked “second round” (picks 33–64)
What happenedWent 49100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Lee Hunter
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 49
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- second round (picks 33–64)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
Anthony Hill to be picked “second round” (picks 33–64)
What happenedWent 60100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Anthony Hill
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 60
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- second round (picks 33–64)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
Caleb Banks to disappoint at the next level
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 3 settled calls, each counted once
94.7naive 50
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Keith Sanchez · Mock Draft Picks · Kayden McDonald · Close 65
In their final 2026 NFL mock draft, Sanchez projects the full first round plus several second-round picks, starting with Fernando Mendoza going No. 1 overall to the Raiders.Joe Marino · Mock Draft Picks · Anthony Hill · Hit 100
Marino stacks 14 inside linebackers in the 2026 NFL draft class and assigns each a round-value grade, with Sonny Styles first (top-10 grade) and Anthony Hill third; they say Hill would be their preferred pick if Buffalo takes a linebacker at No. 26.
More mock draft picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Chris Simms · Mock Draft Picks · Malachi Corley · Miss 11
Simms named the Bears the NFL's best overall offense and best rushing offense, the Bengals the best passing offense, Seattle the best total defense, Minnesota the best pass defense and Tampa Bay the best run defense; they also called Tristan Wirfs the league's best offensive lineman, projected Miami's Malachi Toney as a top-15 pick, and predicted a 30-14 Jaguars win in Baltimore.Philip Hughes · Mock Draft Picks · Kyle Kennard · Miss 34
Evaluating edge rusher Kyle Kennard ahead of the draft, the account projected them as a Day 2 selection.Blaine Grisak · Mock Draft Picks · Brian Thomas Jr. · Hit 84
Grisak argues the Rams should not trade a second-round pick for Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr., calling it too great a risk and too high a cost. In an embedded tweet of their own from the 2024 pre-draft period, they suggested the Rams could select Thomas at pick No. 19.Charlie Campbell · Mock Draft Picks · Xavier Williams · Miss 0
Campbell's draft stock report projects Indiana WR Charlie Becker as a top-10 pick in 2027, Mississippi State CB Kelley Jones as a first-rounder, Tennessee DT Xavier Gilliam as a top-15 pick, and Texas OT Trevor Goosby as a top-10 pick, while suggesting Arch Manning could still be a first-rounder if they declare.