# John Middlekauff: After the NFL Combine, Middlekauff predicted Fernando Mendoza goes No. 1 overall, that Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love won't fall out of the top 10 (as high as No. 4 to the Giants, no further than the Saints at No. 8), plus top-10/top-20 landing spots for Caleb Downs, Carnell Tate and Oregon's tight end. They also forecast quarterback movement: Tua and Kyler Murray being cut, Kyler as a backup, someone trading for Tyson Bagent, and the Saints becoming a sleeper playoff team if they land Love. **Claimed:** Mar 2, 2026 **Pundit:** John Middlekauff — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/john-middlekauff **Outlet:** 3 and Out with John Middlekauff (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/3-and-out-with-john-middlekauff-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview **Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/3-and-out-with-john-middlekauff/jeremiyah-love-at-the-combine-speed-is-taking-over-the-nfl-ais-impact-on-the-nfl 10 checkable claims — 5 mock draft picks, 3 trade and signing calls, 1 depth chart call and 1 surprise team call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call. It names 9 players and teams, each linked to their own record. 5 of 10 have settled so far, averaging 94.6 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls. Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the rest of the room. > He's not sniffing falling out of the top ten. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Caleb Downs to be picked “lock top ten pick” (picks 1–10)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Caleb Downs - Verdict: scored 95.76 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Carnell Tate to be picked “top twenty” (picks 1–20)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Carnell Tate - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Fernando Mendoza to be picked at number 1** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Fernando Mendoza - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Jeremiyah Love to be picked “not sniffing falling out of the top ten; goes as high as four with the Giants, farthest fall would be the Saints at eight” (picks 1–10)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Jeremiyah Love - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Kenyon Sadiq to be picked “top ten” (picks 1–10)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Kenyon Sadiq - Verdict: scored 77.11 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Kyler Murray to move** - Kind: Trade and Signing Calls · About: Kyler Murray - Verdict: not settled yet - **Tua Tagovailoa to move** - Kind: Trade and Signing Calls · About: Tua Tagovailoa - Verdict: not settled yet - **Kyler Murray to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Kyler Murray - Verdict: not settled yet - **Tyson Bagent to move** - Kind: Trade and Signing Calls · About: Tyson Bagent - Verdict: not settled yet - **New Orleans Saints to beat expectations** - Kind: Surprise Team Calls · About: New Orleans Saints - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Caleb Downs — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/caleb-downs - Carnell Tate — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/carnell-tate - Fernando Mendoza — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/fernando-mendoza - Jeremiyah Love — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jeremiyah-love - Kenyon Sadiq — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/kenyon-sadiq - Kyler Murray — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/kyler-murray - Tua Tagovailoa — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tua-tagovailoa - Tyson Bagent — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tyson-bagent - New Orleans Saints — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/saints ## What others said about the same people - Ross Jackson on Zamir White: Ross Jackson gives their final preseason 53-man roster projection for the New Orleans Saints, naming who makes the initial roster at every position group, who starts on injured reserve or the practice squad, and who the five starting offensive linemen and kicker will be. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b43691e9-1673-4236-ba12-7d60ad3b95f5 (scored 0) - Doug Joubert on Charlie Smyth: Joubert projects the Saints' 53-man roster ahead of the cutdown deadline, naming every player they expect to make the team by position group, plus several players they expect to receive PUP/IR designations, and predicting Torricelli Simpkins will later be moved to the practice squad. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/80c9bcdf-68ec-49a5-a1d1-e59f4bee2653 (scored 100) - Ross Jackson on Charlie Smyth: Ross Jackson lays out their early defensive 53-man roster projection for the 2026 Saints, naming five edge rushers, four interior defensive linemen, five cornerbacks, five linebackers and five safeties, plus their kicker, punter and long snapper, and sends Mike Heldman, Chris Rumph and Jackson Sirmon to the practice squad. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/43240125-25d4-4060-bbc1-fa62fe5cd6d9 (scored 100) - Ross Jackson on Jordyn Tyson: Ross Jackson projects the New Orleans Saints' offensive 53-man roster: three quarterbacks with Tyler Shough starting and Spencer Rattler as the backup, four running backs including Alvin Kamara, six wide receivers with Jalen Polk making it, three tight ends, ten offensive linemen with a set starting five, and Charlie Smith at kicker. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5f4d7215-b47b-478d-8a8e-3199f34273ef (scored 100) - Pete Prisco on New Orleans Saints: Prisco gives score predictions for every Week 9 NFL game, picking the Bengals to rout the Falcons in Madrid, the Cowboys to rebound at Indianapolis, and the Jaguars to win in Baltimore without Lamar Jackson. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dc43909b-bc7f-47aa-b208-5cf7c95844bc (scored 95.24) - Grant Chachere on New Orleans Saints: Chachere picks the Saints to beat the Browns 24-10, arguing Cleveland's switch to Shedeur Sanders with Deshaun Watson out tilts the game toward New Orleans. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2c694760-ef96-4645-9ef4-c00bae62de32 (scored 69.05) ## More mock draft picks The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Chris Simms on Malachi Corley: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c0fd4647-2de8-4a5f-bac2-950fed303ee9 (scored 11.46) - Todd McShay on Keelon Russell: While breaking down LSU's offense, McShay called receiver Jackson Harris a top-50 NFL draft prospect, and later said LSU's Sam Levitt and Alabama's Keelan Russell are potential top-10 picks in a future draft. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/15d40546-2ab9-4ab8-b5bd-ed0ef7f26ae5 (scored 0) - Philip Hughes on Kyle Kennard: Evaluating edge rusher Kyle Kennard ahead of the draft, the account projected them as a Day 2 selection. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/605a686a-b5f1-4611-82b4-961abf8de93e (scored 33.86) - Blaine Grisak on Brian Thomas Jr.: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/627bcf5d-9f1d-4a34-a1b7-53b8f0aebc40 (scored 84.09) - Charlie Campbell on Xavier Williams: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2dd4bf46-e5eb-4dff-8500-95d9fdbd2986 (scored 0) - Walt on Garrett Nussmeier: In a running series of coach/GM hiring and firing grades, Walt projects Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 overall pick of the Raiders in the 2026 draft and has LSU's Garrett Nussmeier going No. 2 overall in their 2026 mock draft. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/29bb2d31-fbe3-40db-b378-be5ba5d990b0 (scored 0) --- Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages. Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=john-middlekauff