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Colin Cowherd#54 of 87 NFL pundits · Apr 9, 2026

Cowherd delivered a mock draft of the first 15 picks based on what they say they're hearing from league sources, starting with Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders at No. 1 and running through Emmanuel McNeil-Warren to Tampa Bay at No. 15.

Said on air or in an interview · The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast)Hear the original

11 of 15picks landed11 hits · 2 close calls · 2 misses · all settled

93.57The orderagainst a shuffled mock’s 50

+43.57Skillthe mock as a whole

78.2Per pickaverage, out of 100

#54Colin Cowherd’s rankof 87 ranked NFL pundits

What Colin Cowherd said

I'm going to give you the top fifteen draft picks where I think I have a chance to be at least reasonably accurate.

Colin Cowherd, the lead quote

Where it was said: The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast)
The episode: THE HERD - Hour 1 - There is a tanking epidemic in the NBA, new NFL Mock Draft
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.

SaidApr 9
GradedOct 1

Box score, round by round

HitCloseMissWaiting

Group	Hits	Close	Misses	Waiting	Calls
Round 1	11	2	2	0
All	11	2	2	0

How the mock scored

15 checkable claims — 15 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.

It names 30 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

All 15 have settled, averaging 78.2 out of 100, against 50 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.

Mock against the draft

Across: where the mock put each player. Down: where the player went. The shaded band is where a pick earns credit, within 32 picks. Squares landed, half-squares were close and slashes missed.

The mock as a whole

93.57this mock’s order50a shuffled mock43.57better than naive1difficulty+43.57skill

The skill comes from how well the whole mock ordered the draft, so it is not any one pick’s score minus 50.

Every pick’s score

0a pick’s naive guess: 50100

Think a pick here is graded wrong? Tell us which.

Draft board

HitCloseMissWaiting

Round 1 · picks 1–3211 hits · 2 close calls · 2 missesShow ▸

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Went	Verdict	Score
1	LV	Fernando Mendoza	quarterback	1		100
2	NYJ	Arvell Reese		5		88
3	ARI	David Bailey	pass rusher	2		96
4	TEN	Jeremiyah Love	running back	3		96
5	NYG	Sonny Styles	linebacker	7		92
6	CLE	Carnell Tate	wide receiver	4		92
7	WAS	Francis Mauigoa	offensive tackle	10		88
8	NO	Rueben Bain	defensive lineman	15		74
9	KC	Spencer Fano	tackle	9		100
10	CIN	Caleb Downs	safety	11		96
11	MIA	Mansoor Delane	cornerback	6		81
12	DAL	Jermod McCoy	cornerback	101		2
13	LAR	Makai Lemon	wide receiver	20		74
14	BAL	Monroe Freeling	tackle	19		81
15	TB	Emmanuel McNeil-Warren	safety	58		16

Who this take is about

Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals, Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets

Make your own calls.Pick every open claim on Picks →

Others on the same people

Chris Clark · Trade and Signing Calls · Nikko Remigio · Miss 0
Clark expects the Chiefs to bring back exclusive-rights receiver Nico (Remigio) and long snapper James Winchester, to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster as a cheap veteran fifth receiver, and not to bring back Hollywood Brown, Josh Dobbs-type depth, Gardner Minshew, Janarius Robinson or Mike Caliendo; they also say the Chiefs will not use a franchise tag and believes Bryan Cook won't return.
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.
Jordan Dajani · Score Predictions · Washington Commanders · Hit 95
Dajani picks the Commanders to edge the Giants 21-20 on Thursday and the Chiefs to beat the Falcons 26-20 in Week 10.
Tyler Sullivan · Score Predictions · Washington Commanders · Hit 100
Sullivan takes the Commanders 24-21 over the Giants on Thursday night and calls for a Steelers upset of the Bengals, 27-24, in Week 10.
Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Miss 36
Prisco picks the Giants to beat the Commanders 23-14 on Thursday night and the Lions to beat the Patriots 30-24 in Munich.
John Breech · Score Predictions · Washington Commanders · Hit 90
Breech picks the Commanders to upset the Giants on Thursday night, 24-17, and takes the Texans to beat the Browns 24-16 in Week 10 behind a pass rush that should batter Deshaun Watson.

More mock draft picks

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

Chris Simms · Mock Draft Picks · Malachi Corley · Miss 11
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.
Todd McShay · Mock Draft Picks · Keelon Russell · Miss 0
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.
Philip Hughes · Mock Draft Picks · Kyle Kennard · Miss 34
Evaluating edge rusher Kyle Kennard ahead of the draft, the account projected them as a Day 2 selection.
Charlie Campbell · Mock Draft Picks · Xavier Williams · Miss 0
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.
Walt · Mock Draft Picks · Garrett Nussmeier · Miss 0
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.
Charlie Campbell · Mock Draft Picks · Xavier Williams · Miss 0
Reviewing Week 7 college games, Campbell projects a slate of draft outcomes: Tennessee's Xavier Gilliam as a top-15 pick in 2026, Alabama's Bray Hubbard as a Day 2 pick and Yhonzae Pierre as a potential first-rounder, Jeremiah Smith as one of the very first players drafted, Charlie Becker as a top-10 pick in the 2027 draft, Colin Simmons and Trevor Goosby as top-10 picks, and Jadan Baugh as a first-round pick.

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