# John Ledyard: Ledyard says San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson will be a first-round pick after a strong combine and interview process, and expects cornerbacks Mansoor Delaine and Jermott McCoy to be gone before Detroit picks at No. 17. **Claimed:** Apr 14, 2026 **Pundit:** John Ledyard — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/john-ledyard **Outlet:** Locked On Lions (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/locked-on-lions-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us **Original:** https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdrl.fm/a0cc13/lockedon.simplecastaudio.com/05bcf1ce-c643-45f9-b7f9-bd4cf110ab06/episodes/29ddde21-910a-4346-b0a8-37403fdbae64/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=05bcf1ce-c643-45f9-b7f9-bd4cf110ab06&awEpisodeId=29ddde21-910a-4346-b0a8-37403fdbae64&feed=ASw0G4io 3 checkable claims — 3 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call. It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record. 1 of 3 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls. > He's gonna go in the first round. I feel really confident about that. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Chris Johnson to be picked “in the first round” (picks 1–32)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Chris Johnson - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Mansoor Delane to be picked “off the board before pick No. 17”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Mansoor Delane - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jermott McCoy to be picked “off the board before pick No. 17”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Jermott McCoy - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Chris Johnson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/chris-johnson - Mansoor Delane — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/mansoor-delane - Jermott McCoy — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jermott-mccoy ## What others said about the same people - Ross Jackson on Mansoor Delane: Jackson predicts the Saints will stay put and pick at No. 8 overall rather than trading up, and after Mickey Loomis' press conference they now lean toward New Orleans taking a defensive back there — either LSU cornerback Mansoor Delaine or Ohio State safety Caleb Downs — while still viewing Miami edge rusher Ruben Bain Jr. as a likely selection. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5e323d7a-8d67-43cc-a9f9-a18904a22a18 (scored 91.7) - Lance Zierlein on Jermott McCoy: Zuerlein describes their mock draft 3.0: Carnell Tate to the Giants at No. 5, Sonny Styles falling to the Cowboys at No. 12, and Colton Hood to Dallas at No. 20. They also expect runs on linebackers from the late twenties to about pick 45, defensive tackles from the early-mid twenties into the 40s, and says Ahvion Terrell's 4.65 forty knocks them out of first-round contention. They call Kenyon Saddiq and Mansoor Delaine the safest picks for Dallas, and thinks Delaine's tape is top-four caliber, while Jeremiah Smith could be a generational, Megatron-type receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3f8e6478-8ee7-441e-b2d1-d0a10233c34a (scored 0) - Nick Wright on Mansoor Delane: Nick Wright unveiled their full 32-pick 2026 NFL mock draft 4.0, starting with Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders at No. 1 and ending with Avion Terrell to the Seahawks at 32. They also called Carnell Tate the best/safest receiver in the class, projected Ty Simpson inside the top 45, said Mendoza profiles as a low-end top-15 NFL quarterback, and expected the Dolphins to lose 15 games. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3c5ad8a4-034f-4abb-8806-20dd9e44b5c6 (scored 80.52) - David Harrison on Mansoor Delane: Harrison delivers their only first-round mock draft for the 2026 NFL Draft, projecting all 32 first-round picks (including several trades) plus the rest of Washington's projected class, while noting it is an exercise in what could happen rather than a firm forecast. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5cc44fc1-4ff9-447a-9c32-5f715fa6e9ba (scored 91.7) - Daniel Jeremiah on Chris Johnson: Daniel Jeremiah's final 2026 NFL mock draft, projecting the first round pick by pick (including mock trades), starting with Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders at No. 1 and ending with Peter Woods to the Ravens via a trade with Seattle. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0fbc7597-86ee-4037-a1e6-4b062ff9f12c (scored 84.09) - Brandon Carney on Mansoor Delane: Co-hosting a mock draft, Carney made the odd-numbered picks: Fernando Mendoza No. 1 to the Raiders, Arvell Reese No. 3 to the Cardinals, Sonny Styles No. 5 to the Giants, Mekhi Lemon No. 7 to the Commanders, Caleb Downs No. 9 to the Chiefs, and more. They also predicted AJ Brown will be a Patriot, said Kenyan Saddiq will be the first-round bust, and picked the Bengals to finish ahead of the Ravens in the AFC North. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7184a8b6-1036-4304-a147-3b8889e3f86b (scored 73.84) ## 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 Fernando Mendoza: 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 100) --- 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-ledyard