John Middlekauff#48 of 87 NFL pundits · Jan 5, 2026
Middlekauff leaned Jacksonville over Buffalo, expected the Rams to beat Carolina, picked Miami over Ole Miss and Indiana over Oregon, and said Fernando Mendoza is a no-brainer No. 1 overall pick who the Raiders will draft first.
Said on air or in an interview · The Colin Cowherd Podcast (podcast)Hear the original
What John Middlekauff said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromBut just based on the way they're playing, it'd be hard to go against the Jags.
- Where it was said
- The Colin Cowherd Podcast (podcast)
- The episode
- Week 18 Games Were AWFUL, NFL Playoff Preview, College Football Playoff Predictions
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 5, 2026. The quote and evidence here are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
- SaidJan 4
- GradedAug 5–17
- 1Los Angeles Rams to beat Carolina“Now I'd be stunned if they won, but I could see if the weather's weird, you just never know.”
- 2Jacksonville Jaguars to beat Bills“But just based on the way they're playing, it'd be hard to go against the Jags.”
- 3Fernando Mendoza to be picked at number 1“now they're going to draft Fernando Mendoza number one overall... I think he's no brainer number one based on this CLASS”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams to beat Carolina1 | Game Outcome Picks | — | 100 | 0 | +100 | |
| Jacksonville Jaguars to beat Bills2 | Game Outcome Picks | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fernando Mendoza to be picked at number 13 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 1 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| 3 calls · 2 hits · 1 miss · all settled | 66.7 | 16.7 | ||||
Game calls show that game’s closing betting line under their grade: a dated fact from nflverse, for context and never part of a grade. MissedTakes takes no bets and earns nothing from any sportsbook.
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive3 checkable claims — 2 game outcome picks and 1 mock draft pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
All 3 have settled, averaging 66.7 out of 100, against 16.7 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
1Game Outcome PicksLos Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams to beat Carolina
VerdictHit100Hit · naive 0100this call−0a naive guess=100better than naive×1difficulty=+100skillClosing line (Jan 10): Rams by 10 · favorite pick, Rams about 4 in 5 (81%).
Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- won:
- LAR
- score:
- 34-31
- skill:
- 100
- they picked:
- LAR
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- the naive pick:
- CAR
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 0
2Game Outcome PicksJacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars to beat Bills
VerdictMiss0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×1difficulty=0skillClosing line (Jan 11): Jaguars by 1.5 · a toss-up, Bills 47%, Jaguars 53%.
Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- won:
- BUF
- score:
- 27-24
- skill:
- 0
- they picked:
- JAX
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- the naive pick:
- JAX
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 0
3Mock Draft PicksFernando MendozaLas Vegas Raiders
Fernando Mendoza to be picked at number 1
What happenedWent 1mocked at 1100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Fernando Mendoza
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 1
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 3 settled calls, each counted once
66.7naive 16.7
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Colin Cowherd · Trade and Signing Calls · Matthew Stafford · Hit 100
Cowherd predicts Matt Stafford stays with the Rams rather than moving on, and says Travis Hunter may underachieve because they're being asked to play both ways — Cowherd doubts they're a No. 1 receiver and would slot them as a No. 2 receiver while being a No. 1 corner.Colin Cowherd · Trade and Signing Calls · Matthew Stafford · Hit 100
Cowherd believes Matt Stafford's public negotiation posturing means he ultimately stays in Los Angeles, and he flags Travis Hunter as a high draft pick who could underachieve because trying to play both cornerback and receiver full-time will hurt him.Chris Simms · Score Predictions · Los Angeles Rams · Hit 93
Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said they wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game.Connor Rogers · Game Outcome Picks · Los Angeles Rams · Hit 100
Rogers picked straight-up winners in every Week 9 game, agreeing with Simms on all of them, and gave a 24-20 Bills score over the Vikings on Monday night.
More game outcome picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Sam Monson · Game Outcome Picks · New York Giants · Miss 0
Monson picked every Week 10 game, taking the Giants, Lions, Packers, Panthers, Colts, Texans, Bills, Chiefs, Jaguars, Seahawks, Rams, Cowboys, Bengals and Ravens, and also suggested the Chargers' only likely wins the rest of the way come against the Jets and Dolphins.Eva Geitheim · Game Outcome Picks · Washington Commanders · Hit 100
Geitheim picked the Commanders, Lions, Chiefs, Texans, Vikings, Jaguars, Colts, Panthers, Bills, Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Bengals and Ravens in Week 10.Conor Orr · Game Outcome Picks · New York Giants · Miss 0
Orr picked the Giants, Lions, Chiefs, Texans, Packers, Jaguars, Dolphins, Panthers, Bills, Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Bengals and Chargers in Week 10.Albert Breer · Game Outcome Picks · New York Giants · Miss 0
Breer picked all 14 Week 10 games straight up, favoring the Giants, Lions, Chiefs, Texans, Packers, Jaguars, Dolphins, Panthers, Bills, Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Bengals and Ravens.Mitch Goldich · Game Outcome Picks · New York Giants · Miss 0
Goldich picked the Giants, Lions, Chiefs, Texans, Packers, Jaguars, Dolphins, Panthers, Bills, Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Bengals and Ravens in Week 10.Matt Verderame · Game Outcome Picks · New York Giants · Miss 0
Verderame picked the Giants, Lions, Chiefs, Texans, Packers, Jaguars, Dolphins, Saints, Bills, Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Bengals and Ravens in Week 10.