# JP Acosta: Acosta made the even-numbered picks in the 2026 first-round mock: Arvell Reese to the Jets at 2, Carnell Tate to the Titans at 4, Monroe Freeling to the Browns at 6, David Bailey to the Saints at 8, Caleb Downs to the Bengals at 10, Avieon Terrell to the Cowboys at 12, Vega Ioane to the Ravens at 14, Mekhi Lemon to the Jets at 16, Jermod McCoy to the Vikings at 18, Keldric Faulk to the Cowboys at 20, R Mason Thomas to the Chargers at 22, Jordan Tyson to the Browns at 24, Caden McDonald to the Bills at 26, Blake Miller to the Texans at 28, Zion Young to the Dolphins at 30, and CJ Allen to the Seahawks at 32. **Claimed:** Apr 10, 2026 **Pundit:** JP Acosta — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/jp-acosta **Outlet:** Pushing the Pile (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/pushing-the-pile-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us **Original:** https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/serve.castfire.com/audio/8174636/8174636_2026-04-12-053136.192.mp3?rssID=6037 18 checkable claims — 16 mock draft picks, 1 depth chart call and 1 position order call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 29 players and teams, each linked to their own record. 17 of 18 have settled so far, averaging 58.1 out of 100, against 47.8 for a naive guess at the same calls. > And Sonny Styles, to me, is the best player in this draft class. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **David Bailey to be picked at number 8** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: David Bailey, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 77.11 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Blake Miller to be picked at number 28** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Blake Miller, Houston Texans - Verdict: scored 62.09 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **C.J. Allen to be picked at number 32** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: C.J. Allen, Seattle Seahawks - Verdict: scored 40.26 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Makai Lemon to be 1st wide receiver off the board** - Kind: Position Order Calls · About: Makai Lemon, New York Jets - Verdict: scored 50 out of 100, against 12.84 for a naive guess - **Zion Young to be picked at number 30** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Zion Young, Miami Dolphins - Verdict: scored 52.21 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Keldric Faulk to be picked at number 20** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Keldric Faulk, Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: scored 62.09 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Arvell Reese to be picked at number 2** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Arvell Reese, New York Jets - Verdict: scored 87.81 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Monroe Freeling to be picked at number 6** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Monroe Freeling, Cleveland Browns - Verdict: scored 56.94 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Carnell Tate to be picked at number 4** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Caleb Downs to be picked at number 10** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Caleb Downs, Cincinnati Bengals - Verdict: scored 95.76 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Avieon Terrell to be picked at number 12** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Avieon Terrell, Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: scored 21.02 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Olaivavega Ioane to be picked at number 14** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Olaivavega Ioane, Baltimore Ravens - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Jordyn Tyson to be picked at number 24** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Jordyn Tyson, Cleveland Browns - Verdict: scored 50 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Cade McDonald to be picked at number 26** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Cade McDonald, Buffalo Bills - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Makai Lemon to be picked at number 16** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Makai Lemon, New York Jets - Verdict: scored 84.09 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **R Mason Thomas to be picked at number 22** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: R Mason Thomas, Los Angeles Chargers - Verdict: scored 45.85 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Jermod McCoy to be picked at number 18** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Jermod McCoy, Minnesota Vikings - Verdict: scored 2.74 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Makai Lemon to be 3rd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Makai Lemon, New York Jets - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - David Bailey — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/david-bailey - New Orleans Saints — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/saints - Blake Miller — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/blake-miller - Houston Texans — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/texans - C.J. Allen — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/c-j-allen - Seattle Seahawks — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/seahawks - Makai Lemon — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/makai-lemon - New York Jets — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/jets - Zion Young — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/zion-young - Miami Dolphins — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/dolphins - Keldric Faulk — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/keldric-faulk - Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cowboys - Arvell Reese — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/arvell-reese - Monroe Freeling — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/monroe-freeling - Cleveland Browns — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/browns - Carnell Tate — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/carnell-tate - Tennessee Titans — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/titans - Caleb Downs — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/caleb-downs - Cincinnati Bengals — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bengals - Avieon Terrell — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/avieon-terrell - Olaivavega Ioane — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/olaivavega-ioane - Baltimore Ravens — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/ravens - Jordyn Tyson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jordyn-tyson - Cade McDonald — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/cade-mcdonald - Buffalo Bills — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bills - R Mason Thomas — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/r-mason-thomas - Los Angeles Chargers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chargers - Jermod McCoy — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jermod-mccoy - Minnesota Vikings — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/vikings ## What others said about the same people - Chris Simms on Baltimore Ravens: 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) - Connor Rogers on Seattle Seahawks: Rogers picked Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle and the Giants to win their Week 3 games, saying the Chiefs win by two touchdowns and the Giants by a field goal. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/83d1e88b-95a0-45ba-83d3-f86297170c6c (scored 0) - Chris Long on Cincinnati Bengals: Long liked the Rams over the Broncos on Sunday night even without Puka Nacua, and expected the Bills to beat the winless Chargers in Buffalo. He also backed the Bengals over the Steelers, expected an angry Detroit team to handle the Jets, and still thought both the Lions and Vikings could win the NFC North. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3df9ea25-e57f-4fd7-b20c-c910a1c3633a (scored 0) - Steven Ruiz on Houston Texans: 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 0) - Nate Tice on Baltimore Ravens: 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) - Sam Monson on Seattle Seahawks: 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) ## 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) - 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) - Nick Shook on Francis Mauigoa: 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) - 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) - Jeff Cavanaugh on Lorenzo Styles: Streaming from the NFL Combine, Jeff pegged safety Dylan Thienemann's draft range at roughly picks 20-35, said LSU safety AJ Halsey would cost a second- or third-round pick, and insisted Sonny Styles' brother would not be a top-50 selection despite a fast 40. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f1f48cc1-f9d5-44ca-b130-2c6447b49bc6 (scored 0.51) --- 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. 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