Nick Wright· Aug 12, 2026
Wright's 2026 "Mahomes Mountain" quarterback tiers place Patrick Mahomes alone at the top, with Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford on the second row and eight tiers in all. He also asserts Mahomes remains the league's best QB, calls Lamar Jackson a top-10 quarterback, tags Burrow, Prescott, Lawrence and Darnold as clear top-10 QBs, and projects Drake Maye and Caleb Williams as perennial top-5 quarterbacks.
“I believe Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL.”
published in writing · Fox Sports · read the original →
9 checkable claims — 8 positional finishes and 1 top player list — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 16 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 6 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 2 and below it on 4.
Their call against the room
positional finishTheir call against everyone else's, while this is still unsettled.
Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
9 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
Patrick Mahomes to finish top 1 at his position, by passing yards
“"I believe Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
- Positional FinishesCaleb WilliamsChicago BearsAug 12, 2026
Caleb Williams to finish top 5 at his position, by passing yards
“"And then you have two guys that, I believe, are going to be perennially top 5 quarterbacks throughout their prime."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
Trevor Lawrence to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards
“Each of these quarterbacks, according to Wright, are "clearly top-10 quarterbacks."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
Drake Maye to finish top 5 at his position, by passing yards
“"And then you have two guys that, I believe, are going to be perennially top 5 quarterbacks throughout their prime."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
- Positional FinishesSam DarnoldSeattle SeahawksAug 12, 2026
Sam Darnold to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards
“Each of these quarterbacks, according to Wright, are "clearly top-10 quarterbacks."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
- Positional FinishesLamar JacksonBaltimore RavensAug 12, 2026
Lamar Jackson to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards
“"the idea that he's not still a top 10 quarterback in the league is total absurdity."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
- Positional FinishesJoe BurrowCincinnati BengalsAug 12, 2026
Joe Burrow to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards
“Each of these quarterbacks, according to Wright, are "clearly top-10 quarterbacks."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
- Top Player ListsAug 12, 2026
“In Wright's first edition of "Mahomes Mountain"... 8th Row ... 1st Row Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Positional FinishesDak PrescottDallas CowboysAug 12, 2026
Dak Prescott to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards
“Each of these quarterbacks, according to Wright, are "clearly top-10 quarterbacks."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
What others said about the same people
- Chris SimmsScore Predictions · Kansas City ChiefsHit · 100Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver.
- Connor RogersGame Outcome Picks · Seattle SeahawksMiss · 0Rogers picked Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle and the Giants to win their Week 3 games, saying the Chiefs win by two touchdowns and the Giants by a field goal.
- Chris LongGame Outcome Picks · Cincinnati BengalsMiss · 0Long liked the Rams over the Broncos on Sunday night even without Puka Nacua, and expected the Bills to beat the winless Chargers in Buffalo. He also backed the Bengals over the Steelers, expected an angry Detroit team to handle the Jets, and still thought both the Lions and Vikings could win the NFC North.
- Nate TiceGame Outcome Picks · Baltimore RavensHit · 100Tice matched his guest on every Week 3 game, picking the Ravens over the Cowboys, the Jaguars over the Patriots in a close game, the Broncos to upset the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears and the Lions over the Jets.
- Steven RuizGame Outcome Picks · Baltimore RavensHit · 100Previewing Week 3, Ruiz picked the Ravens to beat the Cowboys in Brazil, Jacksonville over New England in a low-scoring game, an upset by the Broncos over the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears, the Lions over the Jets, and his Hail Mary that Houston beats Indianapolis by two touchdowns.
- Sam MonsonGame Outcome Picks · Seattle SeahawksMiss · 0Monson picked the Chargers to beat the Bills outright (jokingly crediting Buffalo's gray 'Nickel City' jerseys), took the Vikings to win outright in Tampa, and said Seattle would destroy Washington. He also reiterated his Super Bowl pick of Denver over the Rams, called the Dolphins destined for the No. 1 overall pick, and said the Saints are a worst-to-first candidate in the NFC South.
More positional finishes
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Rich HribarPositional Finishes · Matthew StaffordHit · 100Hribar published his 2023 fantasy football quarterback tiers, ordering 41 quarterbacks into eight tiers that reflect how he prioritizes drafting the position, with Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes in the top tier as the trio most likely to finish as the overall QB1.
- Chris BrockmanPositional Finishes · Jaxon Smith-NjigbaHit · 100Brockman argued Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already the best receiver in the NFL and deserves to be the highest paid, called his shot that three quarterbacks (Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carson Beck) go in the first round with Mendoza first overall, and suggested New England is headed for a 7-10 season.
- Pat GustavsonPositional Finishes · Bijan RobinsonClose · 75Gustafson picks the Patriots, Bills, Seahawks and Bears in the divisional round with a Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl, predicts Mike Tomlin and Matt LaFleur stay, Aaron Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh, and lays out his own coaching landing spots.
- JP AcostaPositional Finishes · Bijan RobinsonClose · 75JP picked the Eagles to beat the 49ers in a low-scoring game and the Jaguars to beat the Bills, called Bijan Robinson the best running back in the league, and named his own first-team All-Pro roster.
- Rich EisenPositional Finishes · Puka NacuaHit · 92Eisen defended his preseason call of the Packers reaching the Super Bowl, said the Chiefs will win the AFC West, called the Ravens the favorites in the AFC North, said the Colts are a playoff team, expected Denver to handle Cincinnati and the Giants to beat the winless Saints, and endorsed Puka Nacua as the league's best receiver.
- Chris BrockmanPositional Finishes · Puka NacuaHit · 92Brockman claimed the AFC North would send only the Steelers to the playoffs, that the Chiefs will win the AFC West, that Puka Nacua is the NFL's best wide receiver, and that the Jaguars are a top-eight team; he also had a preseason prophecy of the Ravens reaching the Super Bowl.