Joel KlattNov 28, 2025
Klatt says Ohio State's Arvell Reese will be the first non-quarterback position player taken in the draft and a top-three selection, and that Ohio State will produce four first-round picks up the middle of its defense: Caleb Downs, Reese, Sonny Styles and Caden McDonald. He also calls Buckeyes receiver Carnell Tate a first-round pick.
Said on air or in an interview · Move the Sticks (podcast)Hear the original
What Joel Klatt said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromI think he's going to be the first I just call it a position player non quarterback taken in the draft.
- Where it was said
- Move the Sticks (podcast)
- The episode
- Ohio State–Michigan Preview + Top 2026 Draft Prospects with Joel Klatt
- 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.
- SaidNov 28, 2025
- GradedOct 1, 2026
- 1Caleb Downs to be picked “first rounder” (picks 1–32)“you got downs at safety? Who's the first rounder? All day long?”
- 2Cade McDonald to be picked “first round pick” (picks 1–32)“Caden McDonald is going to be a first round pick as well.”
- 3Carnell Tate to be picked “first round draft pick” (picks 1–32)“And Carnell is one of those guys. I think he's a first round draft pick”
- 4Arvell Reese to be picked “top three” (picks 1–3)“Uh through that is a top three FI right there. Easy”
- 5Sonny Styles to be picked “first round pick” (picks 1–32)“You've got rvel Reese off the ball, on the ball, linebacker Sonny Styles, who's going to be a first round pick.”
- 6Arvell Reese to be 1st non-quarterback position player off the board“So depending on need, which you know, the first pick is always a need based pick, and see who trades. I think he's going to be the first I just call it a position player non quarterback taken in the draft.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Downs to be picked “first rounder” (picks 1–32)1 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 11 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Cade McDonald to be picked “first round pick” (picks 1–32)2 | Mock Draft Picks | Went undrafted | 0 | 50 | — | |
| Carnell Tate to be picked “first round draft pick” (picks 1–32)3 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 4 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Arvell Reese to be picked “top three” (picks 1–3)4 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 5 | 91.7 | 50 | — | |
| Sonny Styles to be picked “first round pick” (picks 1–32)5 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 7 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Arvell Reese to be 1st non-quarterback position player off the board6 | Position Order Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 6 calls · 4 hits · 1 miss · 1 waiting | 78.3 | 50 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naiveworse than naive6 checkable claims — 5 mock draft picks and 1 position order call — 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.
5 of 6 have settled so far, averaging 78.3 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 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.
Their call against what happened
overall pickTheir call against what actually happened.
Caleb Downs to be picked “first rounder” (picks 1–32)
What happenedWent 11100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Caleb Downs
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 11
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- first rounder (picks 1–32)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
2Mock Draft PicksCade McDonald
Cade McDonald to be picked “first round pick” (picks 1–32)
What happenedWent undrafted0Miss · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Cade McDonald
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- undrafted
- outcome:
- went undrafted in 2026; later signed with CLE
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- undrafted
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 0
- predicted pick:
- first round pick (picks 1–32)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
Carnell Tate to be picked “first round draft pick” (picks 1–32)
What happenedWent 4100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Carnell Tate
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 4
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- first round draft pick (picks 1–32)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
Arvell Reese to be picked “top three” (picks 1–3)
What happenedWent 591.7Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Arvell Reese
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 91.7
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 5
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 91.7
- predicted pick:
- top three (picks 1–3)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
Sonny Styles to be picked “first round pick” (picks 1–32)
What happenedWent 7100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Sonny Styles
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 7
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- first round pick (picks 1–32)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
6Position Order CallsArvell Reese
Arvell Reese to be 1st non-quarterback position player off the board
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 5 settled calls, each counted once
78.3naive 50
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Ross Jackson · Mock Draft Picks · Caleb Downs · Hit 88
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.Lance Zierlein · Mock Draft Picks · Sonny Styles · Hit 81
Zuerlein describes their mock draft 3.0: Carnell Tate to the Giants at No. 5, Sonny Styles falling to the Cowboys at No. 12, and Colton Hood to Dallas at No. 20. They also expect runs on linebackers from the late twenties to about pick 45, defensive tackles from the early-mid twenties into the 40s, and says Ahvion Terrell's 4.65 forty knocks them out of first-round contention. They call Kenyon Saddiq and Mansoor Delaine the safest picks for Dallas, and thinks Delaine's tape is top-four caliber, while Jeremiah Smith could be a generational, Megatron-type receiver.Jaime Eisner · Mock Draft Picks · Arvell Reese · Hit 88
A seven-round Jets mock draft projecting New York to take Ohio State's Arvell Reese at No. 2 and Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson at No. 16, followed by Ty Simpson, Brandon Cisse, Jalon Kilgore, Tyreak Sapp, Kaelon Black, Fernando Carmona and Trebor Pena.Danny Parkins · Mock Draft Picks · Caleb Downs · Hit 92
Danny Parkins presented their one-and-only 2026 mock draft, including trades: Mendoza at 1 to the Raiders, David Bailey second to the Jets, the Cowboys trading up to No. 3 for Arvell Reese, the Bears trading up to 16 for Kadyn Proctor, and Ty Simpson going to Arizona at 32 at the end of round one.
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.