Bruce FeldmanFeb 26, 2026
Feldman discussed Fernando Mendoza as the likely No. 1 overall pick to the Raiders, praised Kenyon Sadik and Sunny Styles as combine standouts, projected Ty Simpson as a late-first-round pick, and pegged Cole Peyton for the fourth-to-fifth round range.
Said on air or in an interview · The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast)Hear the original
What Bruce Feldman said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromI think that kind of resiliency and that mental focus that does bode well if he's going to be the first pick of the draft with the Raiders.
- Where it was said
- The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast)
- The episode
- THE HERD - Hour 3 - Live from the NFL Combine
- 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.
- SaidFeb 26
- GradedAug 7–18
- 1Cole Payton to post vertical jump around forty inches at the combine“he made vertical jump around forty. Inches”
- 2Cole Payton to be picked “maybe he'll be in the fifth or a fourth fifth round range” (picks 101–181)“BUT i think you'll See Cole payton end. Up maybe he'll be in the fifth or a fourth fifth round. Range”
- 3Ty Simpson to be picked “somewhere later in the first round” (picks 1–32)“BUT i think somewhere later in the first, round as somebody sits there and, goes you know, what we can work with him and develop him”
- 4Fernando Mendoza to be picked at number 1“that does bode well if he's going to be the first pick of the draft with the Raiders.”
- 5Sonny Styles to post gonna broad jump eleven feet at the combine“he's a guy gonna broad jump eleven, feet a guy's gonna vertical jump over. Forty”
- 6Sonny Styles to post vertical jump over forty at the combine“a guy's gonna vertical jump over. Forty”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Payton to post vertical jump around forty inches at the combine1 | Combine Measurements | 40 | 100 | 23.78 | +76.22 | |
| Cole Payton to be picked “maybe he'll be in the fifth or a fourth fifth round range” (picks 101–181)2 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 178 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Ty Simpson to be picked “somewhere later in the first round” (picks 1–32)3 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 13 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Fernando Mendoza to be picked at number 14 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 1 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Sonny Styles to post gonna broad jump eleven feet at the combine5 | Combine Measurements | — | — | — | — | |
| Sonny Styles to post vertical jump over forty at the combine6 | Combine Measurements | — | — | — | — | |
| 6 calls · 4 hits · 2 waiting | 100 | 43.4 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive6 checkable claims — 3 combine measurements and 3 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
4 of 6 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 43.4 for a naive guess at the same calls.
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.
1Combine MeasurementsCole Payton
Cole Payton to post vertical jump around forty inches at the combine
What happened40called 40100Hit · naive 23.78100this call−23.78a naive guess=76.22better than naive×1difficulty=+76.22skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- off:
- 0
- drill:
- vertical in
- naive:
- the average QB (32.8, from 59 results)
- scale:
- credit halves every 3.48 — one standard deviation for a QB
- skill:
- 76.22
- player:
- Cole Payton
- result:
- 40
- season:
- 2025
- combine year:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 23.78
- they said:
- 40
- sigmas out:
- 0
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 0
Combine results via Pro-Football-Reference.com.
Cole Payton to be picked “maybe he'll be in the fifth or a fourth fifth round range” (picks 101–181)
What happenedWent 178100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Cole Payton
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 178
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- maybe he'll be in the fifth or a fourth fifth round range (picks 101–181)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
Ty Simpson to be picked “somewhere later in the first round” (picks 1–32)
What happenedWent 13100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Ty Simpson
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 13
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- somewhere later in the first round (picks 1–32)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
4Mock 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
5Combine MeasurementsSonny Styles
Sonny Styles to post gonna broad jump eleven feet at the combine
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
6Combine MeasurementsSonny Styles
Sonny Styles to post vertical jump over forty at the combine
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 4 settled calls, each counted once
100naive 43.4
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Chris Broussard · Game Outcome Picks · Las Vegas Raiders · Hit 100
Broussard picked the Ravens to beat the Bills in a shootout, 38-34, took the Raiders to upset the Jets, and said Detroit would beat the Vikings.John Breech · Score Predictions · Las Vegas Raiders · Hit 95
Breech's Week 8 score predictions include Bengals over Titans, Raiders over Jets, Rams over Chargers and Patriots over Dolphins.Tyler Sullivan · Game Outcome Picks · Las Vegas Raiders · Hit 100
Sullivan's Week 8 upset alert column flags five favorites they expect to lose: they pick the Falcons over the Buccaneers, the Raiders over the Jets, the undefeated Vikings over the Lions, the Ravens (with Lamar Jackson returning) over the Bills, and the Browns over the Steelers.Ezekiel Trezevant · Game Outcome Picks · Las Vegas Raiders · Hit 100
Trezevant argues that if the Raiders are as improved as they appeared at 3-0, they should beat the Jets in Week 8 on the road and end their four-game losing streak.
More combine measurements
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Field Yates · Combine Measurements · Brenen Thompson · Close 67
Yates pegged David Bailey as a top-four pick, called Jeremiah Love clearly the best running back in the class with a draft range from No. 3 overall to the Chiefs at No. 9, put Karnell Tate atop their receiver board, projected Jordan Tyson as a top-15 pick, and expected Brennan Thompson to run in the 4.2s. They also see both Miami's Mauigoa and Utah's Spencer Fano taken inside the top 15, with Mauigoa having a chance to be the first offensive lineman off the board.Joe Haden · Combine Measurements · Zachariah Branch · Miss 0
Joe (the Browns-affiliated co-host) argues Shedeur Sanders is still the best quarterback of this class but concedes Fernando Mendoza will be the No. 1 overall pick, and they play the combine 40-yard dash props on Caleb Downs, Zachariah Branch and Haynes King.Daniel Jeremiah · Combine Measurements · Justin Jefferson · Miss 27
On Move the Sticks, Daniel Jeremiah gave their views on the 2026 draft class: they set their board (Jeremiah Love as the second-best player, Malinoi 12th, Fano 14th), ranked the top edge rushers Bailey-Reese-Bain, projected draft ranges for several prospects, and forecast measurables for a few players.