# Rich Eisen: Eisen argues Ohio State will produce multiple top-10 picks — Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs — becoming the first school with three defensive players in the top 10, and that Styles will not be available at No. 12 to the Cowboys. He also thinks Fernando Mendoza is worthy of the No. 1 overall pick and expects the Raiders to draft him, and picks Trey Lance over Anthony Richardson to start a game first, Micah Parsons to fetch a bigger trade return than Maxx Crosby, Kirk Cousins as the released QB most likely to reach the playoffs, and J.J. McCarthy as the Vikings' Week 1 starter. **Claimed:** Feb 27, 2026 **Pundit:** Rich Eisen — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/rich-eisen **Outlet:** The Rich Eisen Show (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/the-rich-eisen-show-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us **Original:** https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/ESP9617765932.mp3?updated=1772217735 9 checkable claims — 5 mock draft picks, 1 depth chart call, 1 playoff pick, 1 position order call and 1 trade and signing call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call. It names 10 players and teams, each linked to their own record. 7 of 9 have settled so far, averaging 85.1 out of 100, against 43 for a naive guess at the same calls. > How do you look at Sonny Styles and Arvel Rees and tonight Caleb Downs and not think that's three top 10 picks. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Caleb Downs to be picked “top 10 picks” (picks 1–10)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Caleb Downs - Verdict: scored 95.76 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Arvell Reese to be picked “top 10 picks” (picks 1–10)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Arvell Reese - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Sonny Styles to be picked “top 10 picks” (picks 1–10)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Sonny Styles - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Francis Mauigoa to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Francis Mauigoa - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Carnell Tate to be 1st wide receiver off the board** - Kind: Position Order Calls · About: Carnell Tate - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 9.48 for a naive guess - **Minnesota Vikings to make the playoffs** - Kind: Playoff Picks · About: Minnesota Vikings - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **J.J. McCarthy to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 91.67 for a naive guess - **Fernando Mendoza to move to Las Vegas Raiders** - Kind: Trade and Signing Calls · About: Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders - Verdict: not settled yet - **Mansoor Delane to be picked “a top top pick”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Mansoor Delane - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Caleb Downs — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/caleb-downs - Arvell Reese — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/arvell-reese - Sonny Styles — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/sonny-styles - Francis Mauigoa — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/francis-mauigoa - Carnell Tate — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/carnell-tate - Minnesota Vikings — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/vikings - J.J. McCarthy — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/j-j-mccarthy - Fernando Mendoza — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/fernando-mendoza - Las Vegas Raiders — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/raiders - Mansoor Delane — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/mansoor-delane ## What others said about the same people - Jason Harmon on Max Brosmer: Harmon expects the Vikings' quarterback room to stay intact while Kyler Murray is hurt, and predicts Max Brosmer will be released and re-signed to the practice squad since Minnesota won't carry four QBs. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fa393501-3f38-481e-8e75-48125587e911 (scored 0) - Logan Lazarczyk on Kirk Cousins: Ahead of the trade deadline, they float three Raiders moves: shipping Kirk Cousins to Minnesota if the Vikings offer a second-round pick, selling Maxx Crosby to Dallas for a first-rounder plus, and acquiring Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for a second- or third-round pick. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d0fd408a-7dcd-4e50-ac62-6b4510a8a800 (scored 100) - Logan Lazarczyk on Kirk Cousins: Lazarczyk expects the Raiders to be sellers before the trade deadline, suggesting Kirk Cousins could be dealt back to the Vikings and that benched interior lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson is a prime candidate to be traded somewhere. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fda03952-2ea6-4919-8114-0ebb127478d1 (scored 100) - Patricia Traina on J.J. McCarthy: Traina expects defensive tackle to be a top need for the Giants in next year's draft, and suggests the Giants could trade J.J. McCarthy next offseason — or keep both them and Jaxson Dart if the return isn't good enough. They also expect Dart to make a full recovery. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b638ed13-01ca-4ea6-9384-ec7130f912c1 (scored 100) - Charean Williams on Odell Beckham Jr.: Williams writes that after releasing Odell Beckham Jr. to open a roster spot for Kirk Cousins, the Vikings will bring them back on the practice squad. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d4fd8cfb-3c75-4209-9e1a-d60e821f315b (scored 0) - Justin Penik on Aaron Jones: Pennock predicted Sam Darnold to Pittsburgh, Zach Baun re-signing in Philadelphia, Charvarius Ward and Jamien Sherwood to Washington, Cam Robinson to Chicago as left tackle, Cam Bynum to the Jets, Darius Slayton to the Chargers, Aaron Jones back to Minnesota and Aaron Rodgers to the Giants. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/4af0c93c-46f5-4a2c-ae24-e6ffa81a6559 (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=rich-eisen