Justin MeloOct 6, 2026
In their mock draft, Melo has the Seattle Seahawks taking Clemson EDGE rusher Will Heldt with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft, with Heldt coming off the board as the fourth edge rusher selected behind Colin Simmons, Dylan Stewart and Yhonzae Pierre.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Justin Melo said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromClemson defensive end Will Heldt has edge-setting size on early downs, and can move around the line as needed on third-and-obvious
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- NFL Mock Draft: Seahawks Fill Biggest Need in First Round
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Will Heldt to be 4th edge rusher off the board“The only edge rushers taken ahead of Heldt in this mock draft are Colin Simmons out of Texas, Dylan Stewart from South Carolina, and Yhonzae Pierre from Alabama.”
- 2Colin Simmons to be 1st edge rusher off the board“The only edge rushers taken ahead of Heldt in this mock draft are Colin Simmons out of Texas, Dylan Stewart from South Carolina, and Yhonzae Pierre from Alabama.”
- 3Will Heldt to be picked at number 25“NFL draft analyst Justin Melo suggested the team should select Clemson EDGE rusher Will Heldt with the No. 25 overall pick.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Heldt to be 4th edge rusher off the board1 | Position Order Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Colin Simmons to be 1st edge rusher off the board2 | Position Order Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Will Heldt to be picked at number 253 | Mock Draft Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 3 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
3 checkable claims — 2 position order calls and 1 mock draft pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 3 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.
1Position Order CallsWill HeldtSeattle Seahawks
Will Heldt to be 4th edge rusher off the board
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Position Order CallsColin Simmons
Colin Simmons to be 1st edge rusher off the board
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Mock Draft PicksWill HeldtSeattle Seahawks
Will Heldt to be picked at number 25
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Albert Breer · Game Outcome Picks · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Breer picks the Seahawks to beat the Cardinals in their Week 9 NFC West matchup.Tyler Sullivan · Game Outcome Picks · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Sullivan picks the Seahawks to win in Week 9.Dave Richard · Game Outcome Picks · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Richard picks the Seahawks over the Cardinals.John Pluym · Game Outcome Picks · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Pluym picks the Seahawks over the Cardinals.Pamela Maldonado · Game Outcome Picks · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Maldonado picks the Seahawks in Week 9.
More position order calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Joe Marino · Position Order Calls · Arvell Reese · Hit 100
Marino stacks 14 inside linebackers in the 2026 NFL draft class and assigns each a round-value grade, with Sonny Styles first (top-10 grade) and Anthony Hill third; they say Hill would be their preferred pick if Buffalo takes a linebacker at No. 26.Ian Rapoport · Position Order Calls · Tetairoa McMillan · Close 71
Rapoport said Travis Hunter is likely the pick at No. 2 for the Browns, that Shedeur Sanders is in play at No. 3, and predicted Tetairoa McMillan would be the first receiver drafted. They also expected Brock Purdy's next deal to land around $50 million per year with Dak Prescott remaining the only quarterback above $60 million.Peter Schrager · Position Order Calls · Tetairoa McMillan · Close 71
Schrager laid out their top 10 prospects entering the 2025 combine, with Travis Hunter first, Abdul Carter second and Tyler Warren third, and attached draft-range calls to several of them — Will Johnson in the first round, Mason Graham a top-five pick, Ashton Jeanty a first-rounder, Tyler Warren not escaping the top ten, and Cam Ward a top-five to top-ten pick who will start as a rookie.Matty Lane · Position Order Calls · Spencer Fano · Hit 100
Maddie Lane said Spencer Fano is clearly the first tackle off the board, that the top four players in their mock will be four of the first five picks, that Malik Mohammed goes ahead of Igbunosin, and that Blake Miller would beat out Jalen Moore for the Chiefs' starting job.Daniel Jeremiah · Position Order Calls · Spencer Fano · Close 71
Jeremiah's Mock Draft 3.0, discussed pick by pick: Mendoza first overall, Arvell Reese to the Jets at 2, Francis Mauigoa to the Cardinals at 3, Jeremiyah Love to the Titans at 4, Sonny Styles to the Giants at 5, and on through the first round.