Daniel Wade· Apr 13, 2026
In a trade-back mock draft, Wade has the Chargers deal pick 22 to Miami and select edge rusher Cassius Howell at 30, guard Keelan Rutledge at 55, cornerback Malik Muhammad at 86, wide receiver Brennan Thompson at 87, linebacker Keyshawn Elliott at 123, and offensive tackle Travis Burke at 151.
“And with pick 30, we ended up going with an edge rusher we haven't talked about yet. Cassius Howell, the explosive Texas a and m edge rusher.”
said on air, transcribed by us · Locked On Chargers (podcast) · read the original →
8 checkable claims — 8 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 8 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
All 8 have settled, averaging 33.5 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls.
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Who this take is about
8 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
Keylan Rutledge to be picked at number 55
“But round two, pick 55 is a guy that we've talked about before... One of my favorite players in the draft, Georgia Tech guard, Keelan Rutledge”
Miss · 28Scored 28.47 on this pickthis mock ordered the draft 82.86 against a shuffle’s 50+32.86 skillHow this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 32.86
- player:
- Keylan Rutledge
- season:
- 2026
- zero at:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 28.47
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 26
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 28.47
- predicted pick:
- 55
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 82.86
Cashius Howell to be picked at number 30
“And with pick 30, we ended up going with an edge rusher we haven't talked about yet. Cassius Howell, the explosive Texas a and m edge rusher.”
Close · 62Scored 62.09 on this pickthis mock ordered the draft 82.86 against a shuffle’s 50+32.86 skillHow this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 32.86
- player:
- Cashius Howell
- season:
- 2026
- zero at:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 62.09
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 41
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 62.09
- predicted pick:
- 30
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 82.86
Malik Muhammad to be picked at number 86
“Now at pick 86 for the Chargers... We ended up going with cornerback, and then we ended up going with Malik Muhammad, the cornerback from Texas”
Miss · 19Scored 19.28 on this pickthis mock ordered the draft 82.86 against a shuffle’s 50+32.86 skillHow this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 32.86
- player:
- Malik Muhammad
- season:
- 2026
- zero at:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 19.28
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 124
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 19.28
- predicted pick:
- 86
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 82.86
- Mock Draft PicksKeylan RutledgeApr 13, 2026
Keylan Rutledge to be picked “second round pick” (picks 33–64)
“it's the guy that was a a third round pick at one point. Now will likely be a second round pick”
Close · 74Scored 73.84 on this pickthis mock ordered the draft 82.86 against a shuffle’s 50+32.86 skillHow this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 32.86
- player:
- Keylan Rutledge
- season:
- 2026
- zero at:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 73.84
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 26
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 73.84
- predicted pick:
- second round pick (picks 33–64)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 82.86
- Mock Draft PicksTravis BurkeLos Angeles ChargersApr 13, 2026
Travis Burke to be picked at number 151
“But round five, pick one fifty one... I ended up going with the swing tackle... with Travis Burke, the Memphis OT”
Miss · 23Scored 22.93 on this pickthis mock ordered the draft 82.86 against a shuffle’s 50+32.86 skillHow this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 32.86
- player:
- Travis Burke
- season:
- 2026
- zero at:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 22.93
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 117
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 22.93
- predicted pick:
- 151
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 82.86
Brenen Thompson to be picked at number 87
“we have the Dolphins eighty seventh overall pick in the third round... the guy I ended up landing on was Brennan Thompson. And this is a wide receiver from Mississippi State.”
Close · 46Scored 45.85 on this pickthis mock ordered the draft 82.86 against a shuffle’s 50+32.86 skillHow this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 32.86
- player:
- Brenen Thompson
- season:
- 2026
- zero at:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 45.85
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 105
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 45.85
- predicted pick:
- 87
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 82.86
- Mock Draft PicksJeremiah SmithApr 13, 2026
Jeremiah Smith to be picked “top five pick” (picks 1–5)
“the one he was playing against Jeremiah Smith who was, you know, probably gonna be a top five pick next season”
Miss · 0Scored 0 on this pickthis mock ordered the draft 82.86 against a shuffle’s 50+32.86 skillHow this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 32.86
- player:
- Jeremiah Smith
- season:
- 2026
- zero at:
- undrafted
- outcome:
- went undrafted in 2026; has not appeared on an NFL roster
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- undrafted
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 0
- predicted pick:
- top five pick (picks 1–5)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 82.86
Keyshaun Elliott to be picked at number 123
“where I ended up going in round four with the chargers' hundred and twenty third pick was Arizona State linebacker key, Keyshawn Elliott”
Miss · 16Scored 15.52 on this pickthis mock ordered the draft 82.86 against a shuffle’s 50+32.86 skillHow this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 32.86
- player:
- Keyshaun Elliott
- season:
- 2026
- zero at:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 15.52
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 166
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 15.52
- predicted pick:
- 123
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 82.86
What others said about the same people
- Sam MonsonGame Outcome Picks · Los Angeles ChargersMiss · 0Monson picked the Chargers to beat the Bills outright (jokingly crediting Buffalo's gray 'Nickel City' jerseys), took the Vikings to win outright in Tampa, and said Seattle would destroy Washington. He also reiterated his Super Bowl pick of Denver over the Rams, called the Dolphins destined for the No. 1 overall pick, and said the Saints are a worst-to-first candidate in the NFC South.
- David DroegemeierTrade and Signing Calls · Mekhi BectonHit · 100Drogemeier says the Chargers cutting Mekhi Becton is a foregone conclusion, freeing nearly $9 million in cap space, and only a matter of when.
- Mina KimesTrade and Signing Calls · Mekhi BectonHit · 100Kimes projects Washington receiver Denzel Boston as a second-half-of-the-first-round pick and expects the Chargers to move on from Mekhi Becton.
- Eric ManginiGame Outcome Picks · Los Angeles ChargersMiss · 0In his taped upset alert, the coach took the winless Chargers to beat the undefeated Bills, citing Los Angeles' desperation and Buffalo's leaky defense.
- Eric WilliamsGame Outcome Picks · Los Angeles ChargersMiss · 0Williams picks the Chargers as the 0-2 team to rebound, comparing it to the 2017 team that started 0-4 and finished 9-7, and suggests they will rise up on the road against Buffalo rather than collapse.
- David DroegemeierGame Outcome Picks · Los Angeles ChargersMiss · 0Drogmeier also buys the Chargers as a top-five offense, thinks Ladd McConkie reaching roughly 100 catches/top-five in receptions is realistic, predicts the Chargers beat the Bills, projects six to eight and a half sacks for Justin Eboigbe, and expects Khalil Mack to retire after the season.
More mock draft picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Ryan WilsonMock Draft Picks · J.J. McCarthyMiss · 37Recalling his pre-draft evaluation, Wilson notes he had ranked J.J. McCarthy as the fifth quarterback in the 2024 class and given him a second-round grade rather than a first-round one, citing the gap between Michigan's system and NFL demands.
- Lance ZierleinMock Draft Picks · Jeremiyah LoveHit · 100Zierlein laid out his final mock draft: Jeremiah Love at No. 3 to Arizona, Sonny Styles at No. 4 to Robert Saleh's team, and Caleb Downs to the Giants at No. 5. He also called Styles the only first-round linebacker in the class and said Ty Simpson is a lock to be a first-round pick, most likely to Arizona.
- Nick ShookMock Draft Picks · Max IheanachorHit · 88Shook walks through his full first-round mock draft, assigning a prospect to every pick from No. 1 to No. 32, headlined by Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders, David Bailey to the Jets and Jeremiah Love to the Cardinals in the top three.
- Gregg RosenthalMock Draft Picks · K.C. ConcepcionClose · 68Rosenthal disagrees most with Casey Concepcion being left out of the first round, arguing he could go as high as the top 15 and certainly won't last past receiver-needy teams in the late twenties.
- Daniel JeremiahMock Draft Picks · Keyron CrawfordHit · 81In discussing teams without first-round picks, Jeremiah projected specific Day 2 picks: Clemson WR Antonio Williams to the Falcons at 48, Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez to the Colts in the second round, Oklahoma edge R Mason Thomas to the Packers at 52, and Auburn edge Keiroon Crawford to the Broncos at 62. He also expects Riley Leonard to open as the Colts' starting QB and Travis Hunter to play cornerback full time in Jacksonville.
- Daniel JeremiahMock Draft Picks · Carnell TateHit · 92Jeremiah says Denver, not Kansas City, will be the clear favorite in the AFC West this season; he also puts Carnell Tate sixth and Monroe Freeling twentieth on his prospect board, mocks Tate to Cleveland at No. 6, and expects Georgia receiver Branch to be a Day 2 pick after a strong pro day.