Nick Wright#49 of 87 NFL pundits · Apr 24, 2026
Nick Wright predicts the Chiefs take Ruben Bain Jr. at No. 9 overall, that Carnell Tate will be gone before pick nine, and that Fernando Mendoza will settle in as roughly the 12th-best quarterback in the NFL in their prime rather than an MVP candidate. They also gave a series of NBA playoff picks, including the Lakers winning their series with Houston, the Celtics beating Philadelphia in five, and the Nuggets and Celtics reaching the Finals.
Said on air or in an interview · What's Wright? with Nick Wright (podcast)Hear the original
What Nick Wright said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromI believe Ruben Bain Junior is going to be the pick.
- Where it was said
- What's Wright? with Nick Wright (podcast)
- The episode
- What's Wright - LeBron AMAZES again, Spurs HOPELESS without Wemby? + NFL Draft BOLD PREDICTIONS | Nick Wright NBA
- 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 24
- GradedAug 7
- 1Rueben Bain to be picked at number 9“I believe Ruben Bain Junior is going to be there. I think Rubyen Bain Junior is going to be the pick... He is the guy will have the Chiefs taking in the final mock draft I do.”
- 2Fernando Mendoza to finish top 12 at his position, by passing yards“I think, you know, he'll probably you know, in his prime, be you know, like the twelfth best quarterback in the NFL, which is solid”
- 3Carnell Tate to be picked “off the board before the ninth pick”“If Carnel Tate is there at nine, I believe they will take him. I do not think he will be there at nine.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rueben Bain to be picked at number 91 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 15 | 77.11 | 50 | — | |
| Fernando Mendoza to finish top 12 at his position, by passing yards2 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| Carnell Tate to be picked “off the board before the ninth pick”3 | Mock Draft Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 1 close call · 2 waiting | 77.1 | 50 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive3 checkable claims — 2 mock draft picks and 1 positional finish — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 3 have settled so far, averaging 77.1 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 below the rest of the room.
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 PicksRueben BainKansas City Chiefs
Rueben Bain to be picked at number 9
What happenedWent 15mocked at 977.11Close · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Rueben Bain
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 77.11
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 15
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 77.11
- predicted pick:
- 9
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
2Positional FinishesFernando MendozaLas Vegas Raiders
Fernando Mendoza to finish top 12 at his position, by passing yards
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Carnell Tate to be picked “off the board before the ninth pick”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Chris Clark · Trade and Signing Calls · Nikko Remigio · Miss 0
Clark expects the Chiefs to bring back exclusive-rights receiver Nico (Remigio) and long snapper James Winchester, to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster as a cheap veteran fifth receiver, and not to bring back Hollywood Brown, Josh Dobbs-type depth, Gardner Minshew, Janarius Robinson or Mike Caliendo; they also say the Chiefs will not use a franchise tag and believes Bryan Cook won't return.Gilberto Manzano · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Previewing the trade deadline, he expects Justin Herbert to stay in Los Angeles despite the Chargers' 0–7 start, thinks the Jets will keep Garrett Wilson and pair him with their young weapons, expects a receiver-hungry Kansas City to be aggressive with Josh Downs the likeliest target, and suggests expiring Eagles contracts Moro Ojomo and Riq Woolen could be dealt for mid-round picks.Joshua Poniatowski · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Poniatowski names several trade targets, predicting Malik Willis underperforms this week against New England, that Omarion Hampton could become a viable RB2 if Adam Gase takes over play-calling, that Josh Downs gets traded (ideally to Kansas City, where they'd be a top-24 WR), that Brian Thomas Jr. could be dealt to the Rams or 49ers, and that Travis Kelce remains a consistent weekly TE.Jordan Dajani · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
After reporting that Colts receiver Josh Downs requested a trade, they identify five clubs as plausible landing spots for them: the Rams, Patriots, Falcons, Chiefs and Raiders, and suggests Las Vegas could also give them a long-term extension.Mike Kadlick · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Kadlick names the Chiefs, Patriots and 49ers as the three best trade landing spots for Colts wide receiver Josh Downs ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline.
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.