# Mina Kimes: Kimes projects Washington receiver Denzel Boston as a second-half-of-the-first-round pick and expects the Chargers to move on from Mekhi Becton. **Claimed:** Feb 23, 2026 **Pundit:** Mina Kimes — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/mina-kimes **Outlet:** NFL Live (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/nfl-live-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us **Original:** https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/ESP2468444173.mp3?updated=1771887726 2 checkable claims — 1 mock draft pick and 1 trade and signing call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record. All 2 have settled, averaging 100 out of 100, against 25 for a naive guess at the same calls. > Denzel Boston out of Washington is a player I love, in terms of the second half of the first round. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Mekhi Becton to move to Los Angeles Chargers** - Kind: Trade and Signing Calls · About: Mekhi Becton, Los Angeles Chargers - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Denzel Boston to be picked “the second half of the first round” (picks 1–64)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Denzel Boston, Washington Commanders - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess ## Who this take is about - Mekhi Becton — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/mekhi-becton - Los Angeles Chargers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chargers - Denzel Boston — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/denzel-boston - Washington Commanders — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/commanders ## What others said about the same people - Sam Monson on Los Angeles Chargers: Monson 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0b810ffd-fd93-4ea2-a208-b1353dea5fb0 (scored 0) - David Droegemeier on Mekhi Becton: Drogemeier says the Chargers cutting Mekhi Becton is a foregone conclusion, freeing nearly $9 million in cap space, and only a matter of when. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c5f92029-fa26-4c4f-9c27-ab127b7301a8 (scored 100) - Eric Mangini on Los Angeles Chargers: In his taped upset alert, the coach took the winless Chargers to beat the undefeated Bills, citing Los Angeles' desperation and Buffalo's leaky defense. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c5e9288a-a752-4236-889e-edc171b86264 (scored 0) - Eric Williams on Los Angeles Chargers: Williams 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/57fe59dc-bfbb-44cb-8e4c-191db478fce2 (scored 0) - David Droegemeier on Los Angeles Chargers: Drogmeier 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7a3cf9e0-2957-4862-822e-56206f199c8f (scored 0) - David Harrison on Washington Commanders: Harrison lays out a path for the Washington Commanders to exceed their 7.5-win total, identifying eight specific games he projects them to win: home vs. Seattle (Week 3), vs. Indianapolis in London (Week 4), a sweep of the Giants (Weeks 5 and 10), at Arizona (Week 12), at Tennessee (Week 13), vs. Atlanta (Week 15) and vs. Dallas (Week 18). He also says the Bengals (Week 11) and Texans (Week 14) games are winnable. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/557473e2-242a-41c5-beb5-026d792d86fa (scored 100) ## More mock draft picks The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Ryan Wilson on J.J. McCarthy: Recalling 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/44cc5859-8b2b-4fbf-b5c0-62c635f2e357 (scored 36.92) - Lance Zierlein on Jeremiyah Love: Zierlein 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/cf600df8-87eb-492b-9d91-f7a2b39104ac (scored 100) - Nick Shook on Max Iheanachor: Shook 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7d4209aa-2e2d-47a2-b6e5-791d16d209cb (scored 87.81) - Gregg Rosenthal on K.C. Concepcion: Rosenthal 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/8fae9a3a-7fd8-454c-99cc-0a8400c35d7d (scored 67.71) - Daniel Jeremiah on Keyron Crawford: In 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f60c916c-1b5f-4252-8733-1770c7809577 (scored 80.52) - Daniel Jeremiah on Carnell Tate: Jeremiah 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/48a1d189-dc0f-4250-aa3b-0e27119c733a (scored 91.7) --- 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=mina-kimes