Matty LaneJul 9, 2026
Matty gave their top 10 linebackers for 2026 with Fred Warner clearly first and Zach Baun second, excluding rookies entirely. They also predicted the Chiefs' offensive line will finish better than the 18th/19th consensus ranking.
Said on air, transcribed by us · KC Sports Network (podcast)Hear the original
What Matty Lane said
There is no world in which Fred Warner is not number one until one single other person proves that... they don't suck.
- Where it was said
- KC Sports Network (podcast)
- The episode
- KC Laboratory 7/8: Where Does Nick Bolton Rank Among NFL Linebackers? (2026 LB Rankings)
- The original
- Hear the original
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How the call scored
One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.
Nothing to score yet: this grades once the result is in.
The 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 call; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
“Devin Lloyd, number 10. Edron Cooper, number nine. Carson Schwesinger, number eight. Diane Henley, number seven. And Jordan Brooks, number six... We have Ernest Jones coming in at five, Roquan Smith at four, and Jack Campbell making his jump in here to number three... This is not Fred Warner, but he's good. It's Zach Vaughn... Mine is, Fred Warner... Clearly the number one linebacker in the NFL.”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
More top player lists
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Nick Wright · Top Player Lists · Miss 0
Nick trusts Josh Allen over the Broncos defense, picks the Bills to win outright in Denver (Bills +1.5 as their lock), picks the Patriots to beat the Texans by more than three, likes the 49ers to keep it close but not win, and predicts the Rams blow out the Bears roughly 42-28 with Stafford throwing about five TDs.Mike Mayock · Top Player Lists · Hit 95
Mayock says Philadelphia and Baltimore are the two most talented teams in the league, predicts Ravens DT Travis Jones has a breakout year and that Baltimore scores 30-plus points a game, believes Washington is not a one-year aberration with Jayden Daniels becoming a franchise quarterback, and ranks quarterbacks into tiers. He also thinks Aaron Rodgers will land in his 'solid' third tier and help Pittsburgh have a solid year.