Ross Jackson#21 of 87 NFL pundits · Apr 23, 2026
Jackson predicts the Saints will stay put and pick at No. 8 overall rather than trading up, and after Mickey Loomis' press conference they now lean toward New Orleans taking a defensive back there — either LSU cornerback Mansoor Delaine or Ohio State safety Caleb Downs — while still viewing Miami edge rusher Ruben Bain Jr. as a likely selection.
Said on air, transcribed by us · Locked On Saints (podcast)Hear the original
What Ross Jackson said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromI wouldn't be super surprised if it's Mansoor Delaine out of LSU or Caleb Downs out of Ohio State that ends up being the selection later on today for the New Orleans Saints.
- Where it was said
- Locked On Saints (podcast)
- The episode
- PREDICTION: New Orleans Saints, Caleb Downs A Perfect First Round Match In 2026 NFL Draft
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidApr 23
- GradedOct 1
- 1Caleb Downs to be picked at number 8“I'm starting to lean towards the idea of the Saints potentially walking away with either LSU cornerback Mansour Delaine or Ohio State safety Caleb Downs in the first round... at this point, I wouldn't be super surprised if it's Mansoor Delaine out of LSU or Caleb Downs out of Ohio State that ends up being the selection”
- 2Rueben Bain to be picked at number 8“Well, I do think that Ruben Bayne Junior out of Miami, the edge rusher is a likely selection... I feel like I should have stuck with my prediction of Ruben Bayne Junior”
- 3Mansoor Delane to be picked at number 8“I wouldn't be super surprised if it's Mansoor Delaine out of LSU or Caleb Downs out of Ohio State that ends up being the selection later on today for the New Orleans Saints.”
- 4New Orleans Saints to pick at number 8“I do believe the Saints will select at number eight overall, meaning that the idea of a trade up, I'm still not fully buying it.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Downs to be picked at number 81 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 11 | 87.81 | 50 | — | |
| Rueben Bain to be picked at number 82 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 15 | 73.84 | 50 | — | |
| Mansoor Delane to be picked at number 83 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 6 | 91.7 | 50 | — | |
| New Orleans Saints to pick at number 84 | Team Draft Slot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 calls · 2 hits · 1 close call · 1 waiting | 84.5 | 50 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive4 checkable claims — 3 mock draft picks and 1 team draft slot call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
3 of 4 have settled so far, averaging 84.5 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above 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.
Where this call stands in the room
Rueben Bain · 2026 season · overall pick10 calls from 10 pundits between 8 overall pick and 15 overall pick. Ross Jackson said 8 overall pick. the room's median is 8 overall pick. what happened: 15 overall pick
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question, before the answer existed. The bar is what actually happened. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
Their call against what happened
overall pickTheir call against what actually happened.
1Mock Draft PicksCaleb DownsNew Orleans Saints
Caleb Downs to be picked at number 8
What happenedWent 11mocked at 887.81Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Caleb Downs
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 87.81
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 11
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 87.81
- predicted pick:
- 8
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- no two picks we can place at different pick numbers — no order to score
2Mock Draft PicksRueben BainNew Orleans Saints
Rueben Bain to be picked at number 8
What happenedWent 15mocked at 873.84Close · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Rueben Bain
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 73.84
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 15
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 73.84
- predicted pick:
- 8
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- no two picks we can place at different pick numbers — no order to score
3Mock Draft PicksMansoor DelaneNew Orleans Saints
Mansoor Delane to be picked at number 8
What happenedWent 6mocked at 891.7Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Mansoor Delane
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 91.7
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 6
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 91.7
- predicted pick:
- 8
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- no two picks we can place at different pick numbers — no order to score
4Team Draft Slot CallsNew Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints to pick at number 8
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 3 settled calls, each counted once
84.5naive 50
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
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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.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.Blaine Grisak · Mock Draft Picks · Brian Thomas Jr. · Hit 84
Grisak argues the Rams should not trade a second-round pick for Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr., calling it too great a risk and too high a cost. In an embedded tweet of their own from the 2024 pre-draft period, they suggested the Rams could select Thomas at pick No. 19.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.