# John Middlekauff: In a mid-July podcast, Middlecoff reacted to the Garrett Wilson extension and Jauan Jennings' contract unhappiness, predicting Jennings is San Francisco's clear No. 1 receiver and will top 80 catches; he also expects the Browns to keep Quinshon Judkins on the roster, ranks Mahomes as the top quarterback, calls Dak a top-12 QB, backs Bo Nix as a top-15 starter, says the Bears should win 10 games but must be ranked behind Denver, and would take Dan Campbell over Nick Sirianni. **Claimed:** Jul 15, 2025 **Pundit:** John Middlekauff — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/john-middlekauff **Outlet:** The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/the-herd-with-colin-cowherd-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview **Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/3-and-out-with-john-middlekauff/garrett-wilson-signs-massive-rookie-extension-49eres-wr-jauan-jennings-doesnt-show-10-qb-rankings 9 checkable claims — 3 positional finishes, 1 depth chart call, 1 head coach ranking, 1 player season number, 1 power ranking, 1 roster spot call and 1 season win total — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 9 players and teams, each linked to their own record. 8 of 9 have settled so far, averaging 49.1 out of 100, against 53.8 for a naive guess at the same calls. > I'd be stunned if he got seventy seven balls last year, if he didn't catch eighty plus balls this season. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Dak Prescott to finish top 12 at his position, by an unstated measure** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: scored 25 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Jauan Jennings to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Jauan Jennings - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Patrick Mahomes to finish top 1 at his position, by passing yards** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Patrick Mahomes - Verdict: scored 8.33 out of 100, against 58.33 for a naive guess - **Jauan Jennings to record 80 receptions** - Kind: Player Season Numbers · About: Jauan Jennings - Verdict: scored 37.5 out of 100, against 90.28 for a naive guess - **Bo Nix to finish top 15 at his position, by passing yards** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Bo Nix, Denver Broncos - Verdict: scored 41.67 out of 100, against 66.67 for a naive guess - **I know Sirianni has won the Super Bowl, but I would take Dan Campbell over Nick Sirianni.** - Kind: Head Coach Rankings - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **There's no way you can have the Bears above the Broncos. It's impossible.** - Kind: Power Rankings - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Chicago Bears to finish with 10 wins** - Kind: Season Win Totals · About: Chicago Bears - Verdict: scored 80 out of 100, against 15 for a naive guess - **Michael Jenkins to make the roster** - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: Michael Jenkins, Cleveland Browns - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Dak Prescott — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/dak-prescott - Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cowboys - Jauan Jennings — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jauan-jennings - Patrick Mahomes — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/patrick-mahomes - Bo Nix — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/bo-nix - Denver Broncos — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/broncos - Chicago Bears — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bears - Michael Jenkins — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/michael-jenkins - Cleveland Browns — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/browns ## What others said about the same people - Chris Simms on Denver Broncos: Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/662b7ba3-1bf6-4ad0-9f93-9f2ab83143fd (scored 97.62) - Steven Ruiz on Denver Broncos: Previewing Week 3, Ruiz picked the Ravens to beat the Cowboys in Brazil, Jacksonville over New England in a low-scoring game, an upset by the Broncos over the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears, the Lions over the Jets, and his Hail Mary that Houston beats Indianapolis by two touchdowns. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a30ff469-4972-4c48-855b-ba984e4de9d0 (scored 100) - Nate Tice on Denver Broncos: Tice matched his guest on every Week 3 game, picking the Ravens over the Cowboys, the Jaguars over the Patriots in a close game, the Broncos to upset the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears and the Lions over the Jets. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b8378e16-ea5c-4107-a883-28aaf0e71134 (scored 100) - Nate Tice on Chicago Bears: Tice picked the Bengals over the Texans in a low-scoring game, the Jaguars at Denver, the Bears over the Vikings, the Patriots over the Steelers and the Rams to edge the Giants, and his Hail Mary was the Cowboys scoring 40 on Washington. He also floated Abdul Carter as a possible All-Pro. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b6211c80-3d1c-46b8-8a0c-151fc0ba92de (scored 0) - Matt Harmon on Chicago Bears: Harmon picked the Bengals to beat the Texans in Week 2, expecting Nico Collins to miss the game with a hamstring injury, and also predicted the Titans would be shut out by the Eagles. He took the Rams over the Giants, the Bears over the Vikings, and the Jaguars at Denver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/21a71025-ab65-4716-ac2c-e77ad5ce3348 (scored 0) - Tracy Sandler on Chicago Bears: Sandler predicted Caleb Williams would miss two to three weeks with his hamstring injury, and in the picks segment took the Broncos, Ravens, Vikings, Bills and Bears (switching off an earlier Tampa pick). — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/74f12600-9587-488a-af00-2e8c11643531 (scored 100) ## More positional finishes The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Rich Hribar on Matthew Stafford: Hribar published his 2023 fantasy football quarterback tiers, ordering 41 quarterbacks into eight tiers that reflect how he prioritizes drafting the position, with Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes in the top tier as the trio most likely to finish as the overall QB1. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/9d1e15ad-f96d-457c-ad9f-25882182e28b (scored 100) - Chris Brockman on Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Brockman argued Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already the best receiver in the NFL and deserves to be the highest paid, called his shot that three quarterbacks (Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carson Beck) go in the first round with Mendoza first overall, and suggested New England is headed for a 7-10 season. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c47d130c-5598-4cd0-b546-1121046b9166 (scored 100) - Ryan Tracy on Bryan Cook: Tracy argues the Chiefs should address edge rusher and defensive tackle via the draft and use free agency on running back and wide receiver; he names Brian Robinson as his target, expects Kenneth Walker III to re-sign with Seattle, thinks Nick Bolton-style veterans like Jerry Tillery, Derek Nnadi and Mike Pennel shouldn't return, believes Bryan Cook is a top-10 safety the Chiefs can't afford, and predicts a quarterback (Trinidad Chambliss) will rocket up boards so more than one QB goes in the top 10. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/18bb787c-4f93-4c95-b8c2-02daeeffe823 (scored 0) - Pat Gustavson on Bijan Robinson: Gustafson picks the Patriots, Bills, Seahawks and Bears in the divisional round with a Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl, predicts Mike Tomlin and Matt LaFleur stay, Aaron Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh, and lays out his own coaching landing spots. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/06884586-5b21-40c8-9439-e303a3e8a806 (scored 75) - JP Acosta on Bijan Robinson: JP picked the Eagles to beat the 49ers in a low-scoring game and the Jaguars to beat the Bills, called Bijan Robinson the best running back in the league, and named his own first-team All-Pro roster. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/660e3494-2b0b-415e-beb7-9e3bf3464e30 (scored 75) - Chad Ochocinco Johnson on Christian Gonzalez: Ochocinco says Christian Gonzalez belongs in the top-five DB conversation, believes Kyler Murray will be elsewhere next year, expects Chase to get a one-game suspension, backs Sam Darnold to bounce back, and floats Jaxon Smith-Njigba reaching 2,000 receiving yards. He also reminds listeners he called the Bears and Panthers as teams to watch before the season. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c6469c58-b508-48d9-b72f-fe6e0d7d4da5 (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=john-middlekauff