# Max Chadwick: Chadwick's mock has the Cowboys drafting Auburn defensive end Keldrick Falk at No. 12 and Georgia linebacker CJ Allen with their second first-round pick.

**Claimed:** Jan 16, 2026
**Pundit:** Max Chadwick — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/max-chadwick
**Outlet:** DLLS Dallas Cowboys (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/dlls-dallas-cowboys-podcast
**How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us
**Original:** https://tracking.swap.fm/track/xt6bq09fJCm8CxP7DUGF/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/822/claritaspod.com/measure/prfx.byspotify.com/e/injector.simplecastaudio.com/d5ae5375-e417-4df4-8c3d-3d7ba352b111/episodes/a83835ab-59d1-4665-8e18-43fb67bf3c86/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=d5ae5375-e417-4df4-8c3d-3d7ba352b111&awEpisodeId=a83835ab-59d1-4665-8e18-43fb67bf3c86&feed=4Fqey2NA

2 checkable claims — 2 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

1 of 2 have settled so far, averaging 43.9 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls.

## The claims

- **Keldric Faulk to be picked at number 12**
  - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Keldric Faulk
  - Verdict: scored 43.91 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess
- **C.J. Allen to be picked “second pick (Cowboys, No. 20)”**
  - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: C.J. Allen
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Keldric Faulk — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/keldric-faulk
- C.J. Allen — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/c-j-allen

## What others said about the same people

- Noah Compton on C.J. Allen: After watching the Colts' eleventh training camp practice, Compton says rookie linebacker CJ Allen is still expected to start the regular-season opener, identifies Alec Pierce as the team's top receiver and Cam Taylor-Britt as the first cornerback behind the starting trio, and declares the kicking job Blake Grupe's to lose. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/98a8bd92-bcd8-4b5a-aad7-96ecd936662b (scored 0)
- Jaime Eisner on Keldric Faulk: A seven-round Miami Dolphins mock draft for 2026, projecting Kenyon Sadiq at No. 11 and Keldric Faulk at No. 30, with Emmanuel Pregnon becoming an instant starter and Ted Hurst developing into a No. 2 receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/262b0900-f7a8-437d-bd79-6edf346083a4 (scored 95.76)
- Chris Clark on Keldric Faulk: Reacting live to the Chiefs trading up to No. 6 for LSU cornerback Mansour Lane, Clark says Lane will immediately be a starter in Kansas City, and lists the edge/pass-rush prospects he thinks could be first-round options at pick 29. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e71fa475-8106-44bc-b7d8-83aa235c2d09 (scored 100)
- Nick Wright on Keldric Faulk: Nick Wright unveiled his full 32-pick 2026 NFL mock draft 4.0, starting with Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders at No. 1 and ending with Avion Terrell to the Seahawks at 32. He also called Carnell Tate the best/safest receiver in the class, projected Ty Simpson inside the top 45, said Mendoza profiles as a low-end top-15 NFL quarterback, and expected the Dolphins to lose 15 games. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3c5ad8a4-034f-4abb-8806-20dd9e44b5c6 (scored 59.46)
- David Harrison on C.J. Allen: Harrison delivers his only first-round mock draft for the 2026 NFL Draft, projecting all 32 first-round picks (including several trades) plus the rest of Washington's projected class, while noting it is an exercise in what could happen rather than a firm forecast. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5cc44fc1-4ff9-447a-9c32-5f715fa6e9ba (scored 31.05)
- Pat Gustavson on Keldric Faulk: Gustafson handled the even-numbered mock draft picks: David Bailey No. 2 to the Jets, Jeremiah Love No. 4 to the Titans, Karnell Tate No. 6 to the Browns, Ruben Bane No. 8 to the Saints, Jordan Tyson No. 10 to the Giants, and so on. He also said Ty Simpson will be the biggest first-round bust and predicted the Cowboys will trade up into the top five. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/30d59654-62db-490c-8786-44b8d55e5746 (scored 43.91)

## More mock draft picks

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

- Ryan Wilson on J.J. McCarthy: Recalling his pre-draft evaluation, Wilson notes he had ranked J.J. McCarthy as the fifth quarterback in the 2024 class and given him a second-round grade rather than a first-round one, citing the gap between Michigan's system and NFL demands. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/44cc5859-8b2b-4fbf-b5c0-62c635f2e357 (scored 36.92)
- Lance Zierlein on Jeremiyah Love: Zierlein laid out his final mock draft: Jeremiah Love at No. 3 to Arizona, Sonny Styles at No. 4 to Robert Saleh's team, and Caleb Downs to the Giants at No. 5. He also called Styles the only first-round linebacker in the class and said Ty Simpson is a lock to be a first-round pick, most likely to Arizona. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/cf600df8-87eb-492b-9d91-f7a2b39104ac (scored 100)
- Nick Shook on Max Iheanachor: Shook walks through his full first-round mock draft, assigning a prospect to every pick from No. 1 to No. 32, headlined by Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders, David Bailey to the Jets and Jeremiah Love to the Cardinals in the top three. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7d4209aa-2e2d-47a2-b6e5-791d16d209cb (scored 87.81)
- Gregg Rosenthal on K.C. Concepcion: Rosenthal disagrees most with Casey Concepcion being left out of the first round, arguing he could go as high as the top 15 and certainly won't last past receiver-needy teams in the late twenties. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/8fae9a3a-7fd8-454c-99cc-0a8400c35d7d (scored 67.71)
- Daniel Jeremiah on Keyron Crawford: In discussing teams without first-round picks, Jeremiah projected specific Day 2 picks: Clemson WR Antonio Williams to the Falcons at 48, Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez to the Colts in the second round, Oklahoma edge R Mason Thomas to the Packers at 52, and Auburn edge Keiroon Crawford to the Broncos at 62. He also expects Riley Leonard to open as the Colts' starting QB and Travis Hunter to play cornerback full time in Jacksonville. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f60c916c-1b5f-4252-8733-1770c7809577 (scored 80.52)
- Daniel Jeremiah on Carnell Tate: Jeremiah says Denver, not Kansas City, will be the clear favorite in the AFC West this season; he also puts Carnell Tate sixth and Monroe Freeling twentieth on his prospect board, mocks Tate to Cleveland at No. 6, and expects Georgia receiver Branch to be a Day 2 pick after a strong pro day. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/48a1d189-dc0f-4250-aa3b-0e27119c733a (scored 91.7)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology

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