# Ross Jackson: In a seven-round Saints mock draft for the 2026 NFL Draft, Ross Jackson has Ohio State safety Caleb Downs falling to New Orleans at No. 8 overall after two quarterbacks go 1-2, then lays out picks at 42, 73, round four, 137, 148, 170 and 189. **Claimed:** Jan 14, 2026 **Pundit:** Ross Jackson — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/ross-jackson **Outlet:** Locked On Saints (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/locked-on-saints-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us **Original:** https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdrl.fm/83ac39/lockedon.simplecastaudio.com/26a658f6-15f1-4878-ab5f-d78d7d886aa9/episodes/a95df954-c087-4437-b664-81e6f1130269/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=26a658f6-15f1-4878-ab5f-d78d7d886aa9&awEpisodeId=a95df954-c087-4437-b664-81e6f1130269&feed=aKgoC4uX 17 checkable claims — 17 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call. It names 20 players and teams, each linked to their own record. 12 of 17 have settled so far, averaging 57.6 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls. > the decision right off the bat... is Caleb Downs, the Ohio State safety at an array overall *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Tanner Koziol to be picked at number 189** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Tanner Koziol, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 33.86 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Kaytron Allen to be picked at number 137** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Kaytron Allen, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 11.46 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Tacario Davis to be picked at number 170** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Tacario Davis, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 1.43 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Jeremiyah Love to be picked “off the board within the top seven selections” (picks 1–7)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Jeremiyah Love - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Arvell Reese to be picked “off the board within the top seven selections” (picks 1–7)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Arvell Reese - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Rueben Bain to be picked “off the board within the top seven selections” (picks 1–7)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Rueben Bain - Verdict: scored 70.71 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Zachariah Branch to be picked at number 73** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Zachariah Branch, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 77.11 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Nadame Tucker to be picked at number 148** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Nadame Tucker, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Jordyn Tyson to be picked “off the board within the top seven selections” (picks 1–7)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Jordyn Tyson - Verdict: scored 95.76 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Caleb Downs to be picked at number 8** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Caleb Downs, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 87.81 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Emmanuel Pregnon to be picked at number 42** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Emmanuel Pregnon, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 13.63 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **David Bailey to be picked “surefire top 10, top 15 selection” (picks 1–10)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: David Bailey - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Fernando Mendoza to be picked “picks one and two overall”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders - Verdict: not settled yet - **Chris Bell to be picked “off the board before pick 42”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Chris Bell - Verdict: not settled yet - **Elijah Sarratt to be picked “off the board before pick 42”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Elijah Sarratt - Verdict: not settled yet - **Dante Moore to be picked “picks one and two overall”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Dante Moore, New York Jets - Verdict: not settled yet - **Tim Keenan to be picked “round four”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Tim Keenan, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Tanner Koziol — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tanner-koziol - New Orleans Saints — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/saints - Kaytron Allen — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/kaytron-allen - Tacario Davis — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tacario-davis - Jeremiyah Love — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jeremiyah-love - Arvell Reese — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/arvell-reese - Rueben Bain — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/rueben-bain - Zachariah Branch — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/zachariah-branch - Nadame Tucker — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/nadame-tucker - Jordyn Tyson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jordyn-tyson - Caleb Downs — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/caleb-downs - Emmanuel Pregnon — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/emmanuel-pregnon - David Bailey — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/david-bailey - Fernando Mendoza — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/fernando-mendoza - Las Vegas Raiders — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/raiders - Chris Bell — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/chris-bell - Elijah Sarratt — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/elijah-sarratt - Dante Moore — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/dante-moore - New York Jets — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/jets - Tim Keenan — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tim-keenan ## What others said about the same people - Rich Eisen on Aaron Rodgers: Eisen ranked their top five most impressive Pro Bowl campaigns of the season, topped by Sam Darnold, and predicted that Sunday would be Aaron Rodgers' last game with the Jets. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/55a977f9-9670-42fa-ba2f-141be02f583c (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) - 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) - Chris Simms on New Orleans Saints: Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said they wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/17eb747a-90b1-472f-bb6d-e71c0c69133a (scored 92.86) - Connor Rogers on New Orleans Saints: Rogers picked straight-up winners in every Week 9 game, agreeing with Simms on all of them, and gave a 24-20 Bills score over the Vikings on Monday night. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/11646f69-18dd-4831-a7de-e4115ded875c (scored 100) ## 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=ross-jackson