LaQuan JonesApr 1, 2026
Jones says drafting George Kittle as a top-five tight end coming off an Achilles tear would be a mistake, preferring healthier options like Oronde Gadsden and Sam LaPorta who are going later, and they rank Chris Olave as a top-six fantasy receiver. They are also out on Patrick Mahomes and thinks Najee Harris would be fantasy-irrelevant in Seattle. On the draft they expect Carnell Tate to be the first receiver taken and Sadiq to slide toward pick 30.
Said on air or in an interview · The Rich Eisen Podcast (podcast)Hear the original
What LaQuan Jones said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromGeorge Kittle going off the board as a top five. That's a huge mistake.
- Where it was said
- The Rich Eisen Podcast (podcast)
- The episode
- Breaking Down Charles Davis’ Mock Draft 3.0
- 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 12, 2026. The quote and evidence here are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
- SaidMar 31
- GradedAug 13
- 1Omar Cooper to be picked “first round draft pick, like in the late twenties, maybe even in that twenty twenty five spot” (picks 1–32)“like Omar to me feels like he should be a first round draft pick, like in the late, you know, twenties, maybe even in that twenty twenty five spot”
- 2Carnell Tate to be 1st wide receiver off the board“So that's why I think Carnell Tait is the first wide receiver off the board in the draft”
- 3Eli Stowers to be 2nd tight end off the board“Eli Sauers is the second tight end prospect”
- 4Oronde Gadsden II to outplay his draft cost (going outside that top five)“there's other pieces out there that are going outside that top five, Rondez Gass and Sam Laporter”
- 5George Kittle to fall short of his draft cost (top five tight end)“I honestly think like George Kittle going off the board as a top five. That's a huge mistake”
- 6Kenyon Sadiq to be picked “possibly get him at thirty”“I don't think Sadik's gonna go as high as everybody thinks he is... I just don't see them taking him at eleven when you could possibly get him at thirty”
- 7Chris Olave to finish top 6 at his position, by fantasy points“I still think that I got him right where I got him, you know, in my wide receiver rankings as a top six wide receiver this year”
- 8Sam LaPorta to outplay his draft cost (going outside that top five)“there's other pieces out there that are going outside that top five, Rondez Gass and Sam Laporter, which I want to whisper because man, that ADP is looking juicy”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omar Cooper to be picked “first round draft pick, like in the late twenties, maybe even in that twenty twenty five spot” (picks 1–32)1 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 30 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Carnell Tate to be 1st wide receiver off the board2 | Position Order Calls | — | 100 | 9.48 | +90.52 | |
| Eli Stowers to be 2nd tight end off the board3 | Position Order Calls | — | 100 | 18.72 | +81.28 | |
| Oronde Gadsden II to outplay his draft cost (going outside that top five)4 | Sleeper Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| George Kittle to fall short of his draft cost (top five tight end)5 | Fantasy Bust Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Kenyon Sadiq to be picked “possibly get him at thirty”6 | Mock Draft Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Chris Olave to finish top 6 at his position, by fantasy points7 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| Sam LaPorta to outplay his draft cost (going outside that top five)8 | Sleeper Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 8 calls · 3 hits · 5 waiting | 100 | 26.1 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive8 checkable claims — 2 mock draft picks, 2 position order calls, 2 sleeper calls, 1 fantasy bust call and 1 positional finish — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 10 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
3 of 8 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 26.1 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.
Where this call stands in the room
Chris Olave · 2026 season · positional finish4 calls from 4 pundits between 5 positional finish and 24 positional finish. LaQuan Jones said 6 positional finish. the room's median is 10 positional finish. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. 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.
Omar Cooper to be picked “first round draft pick, like in the late twenties, maybe even in that twenty twenty five spot” (picks 1–32)
What happenedWent 30100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Omar Cooper
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 30
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- first round draft pick, like in the late twenties, maybe even in that twenty twenty five spot (picks 1–32)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
2Position Order CallsCarnell Tate
Carnell Tate to be 1st wide receiver off the board
VerdictHit100Hit · naive 9.48100this call−9.48a naive guess=90.52better than naive×1difficulty=+90.52skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- naming one of the 36 at random averages 9.48
- skill:
- 90.52
- player:
- Carnell Tate
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- credit halves every two places
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 9.48
- position:
- wide receiver
- class size:
- 36
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- actual order:
- 1
- predicted order:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 0
3Position Order CallsEli Stowers
Eli Stowers to be 2nd tight end off the board
VerdictHit100Hit · naive 18.72100this call−18.72a naive guess=81.28better than naive×1difficulty=+81.28skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- naming one of the 22 at random averages 18.72
- skill:
- 81.28
- player:
- Eli Stowers
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- credit halves every two places
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 18.72
- position:
- tight end
- class size:
- 22
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- actual order:
- 2
- predicted order:
- 2
- weeks left when called:
- 0
4Sleeper CallsOronde Gadsden II
Oronde Gadsden II to outplay his draft cost (going outside that top five)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Fantasy Bust CallsGeorge KittleSan Francisco 49ers
George Kittle to fall short of his draft cost (top five tight end)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Kenyon Sadiq to be picked “possibly get him at thirty”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
7Positional FinishesChris OlaveNew Orleans Saints
Chris Olave to finish top 6 at his position, by fantasy points
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Sam LaPorta to outplay his draft cost (going outside that top five)
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
100naive 26.1
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
AJ Hawk · Game Outcome Picks · San Francisco 49ers · Hit 100
Hawk said the Chiefs would beat the Jets, the Seahawks would beat the Cardinals, and the 49ers would beat the Raiders, even while taking the points with the underdogs in each case.Connor Rogers · Game Outcome Picks · San Francisco 49ers · Hit 100
Rogers picked straight-up winners in every Week 9 game, agreeing with Simms on all of them, and gave a 24-20 Bills score over the Vikings on Monday night.Chris Simms · Score Predictions · San Francisco 49ers · Hit 93
Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said they wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game.Big Cat · Game Outcome Picks · San Francisco 49ers · Hit 100
Big Cat picked the Bengals to beat the Falcons in Madrid, the 49ers to handle the Raiders, the Seahawks to bounce back against the Cardinals, and the Bears to beat the Buccaneers by a projected 26-23.
More position order calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Joe Marino · Position Order Calls · Arvell Reese · Hit 100
Marino stacks 14 inside linebackers in the 2026 NFL draft class and assigns each a round-value grade, with Sonny Styles first (top-10 grade) and Anthony Hill third; they say Hill would be their preferred pick if Buffalo takes a linebacker at No. 26.Ian Rapoport · Position Order Calls · Tetairoa McMillan · Close 71
Rapoport said Travis Hunter is likely the pick at No. 2 for the Browns, that Shedeur Sanders is in play at No. 3, and predicted Tetairoa McMillan would be the first receiver drafted. They also expected Brock Purdy's next deal to land around $50 million per year with Dak Prescott remaining the only quarterback above $60 million.Peter Schrager · Position Order Calls · Tetairoa McMillan · Close 71
Schrager laid out their top 10 prospects entering the 2025 combine, with Travis Hunter first, Abdul Carter second and Tyler Warren third, and attached draft-range calls to several of them — Will Johnson in the first round, Mason Graham a top-five pick, Ashton Jeanty a first-rounder, Tyler Warren not escaping the top ten, and Cam Ward a top-five to top-ten pick who will start as a rookie.Matty Lane · Position Order Calls · Spencer Fano · Hit 100
Maddie Lane said Spencer Fano is clearly the first tackle off the board, that the top four players in their mock will be four of the first five picks, that Malik Mohammed goes ahead of Igbunosin, and that Blake Miller would beat out Jalen Moore for the Chiefs' starting job.Daniel Jeremiah · Position Order Calls · Spencer Fano · Close 71
Jeremiah's Mock Draft 3.0, discussed pick by pick: Mendoza first overall, Arvell Reese to the Jets at 2, Francis Mauigoa to the Cardinals at 3, Jeremiyah Love to the Titans at 4, Sonny Styles to the Giants at 5, and on through the first round.