Nick Wright#49 of 87 NFL pundits · Sep 8, 2026
Wright's Week 1 'Mahomes Mountain' quarterback hierarchy for the 2026 season keeps Patrick Mahomes at No. 1 as the best quarterback in the league, tiers 28 quarterbacks across seven rows, and leaves Geno Smith, Tua Tagovailoa, Jacoby Brissett and Deshaun Watson off the mountain entirely. He also suggests Tagovailoa and Watson won't hold their starting jobs much longer.
Published in writing · Fox SportsRead the original
What Nick Wright said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromI understand it's now a controversial opinion to say Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league…
- Where it was published
- Fox Sports
- The piece
- Mahomes Mountain Week 1: 'It's Go Time' As 4 Quarterbacks Are Left Off
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Patrick Mahomes to finish top 1 at his position, by passing yards“I understand it's now a controversial opinion to say Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league…”
- 2Deshaun Watson to be a starter“DeShaun, who's not long to be the starter.”
- 3Tua Tagovailoa to be a starter“Tua, who I don't think is long to be the starter.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes to finish top 1 at his position, by passing yards1 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| Deshaun Watson to be a starter2 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Tua Tagovailoa to be a starter3 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 3 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
3 checkable claims — 2 depth chart calls and 1 positional finish — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 6 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room.
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.
Their call against the room
positional finishTheir call against everyone else's, while this is still unsettled.
1Positional FinishesPatrick MahomesKansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes to finish top 1 at his position, by passing yards
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Depth Chart CallsDeshaun WatsonCleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson to be a starter
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Depth Chart CallsTua TagovailoaAtlanta Falcons
Tua Tagovailoa to be a starter
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
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.Gilberto Manzano · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Previewing the trade deadline, he expects Justin Herbert to stay in Los Angeles despite the Chargers' 0–7 start, thinks the Jets will keep Garrett Wilson and pair him with their young weapons, expects a receiver-hungry Kansas City to be aggressive with Josh Downs the likeliest target, and suggests expiring Eagles contracts Moro Ojomo and Riq Woolen could be dealt for mid-round picks.Joshua Poniatowski · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Poniatowski names several trade targets, predicting Malik Willis underperforms this week against New England, that Omarion Hampton could become a viable RB2 if Adam Gase takes over play-calling, that Josh Downs gets traded (ideally to Kansas City, where they'd be a top-24 WR), that Brian Thomas Jr. could be dealt to the Rams or 49ers, and that Travis Kelce remains a consistent weekly TE.Jordan Dajani · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
After reporting that Colts receiver Josh Downs requested a trade, they identify five clubs as plausible landing spots for them: the Rams, Patriots, Falcons, Chiefs and Raiders, and suggests Las Vegas could also give them a long-term extension.Mike Kadlick · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Kadlick names the Chiefs, Patriots and 49ers as the three best trade landing spots for Colts wide receiver Josh Downs ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Nic Bodiford · Depth Chart Calls · Joe Fagnano · Hit 100
Previewing Week 9 running game matchups, Bodiford expects Jacksonville to win lopsidedly over a depleted Baltimore team, with Bhayshul Tuten sitting out and Chris Rodriguez taking over as lead back, while Joe Fagnano starts at quarterback for the Ravens. They also view Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman as an RB2 going forward.Jacob Herlin · Depth Chart Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Herlin published Week 7 fantasy D/ST rankings with projections for 28 team defenses, led by Houston, Minnesota and Cleveland. They also expect Cleveland to post a fourth straight top-10 fantasy defense result, and predicts Jalon Daniels starts another week for Tampa Bay while J.J. McCarthy takes over as the Giants' starter.