# Ross Jackson: In a pre-free agency seven-round Saints mock draft, Ross Jackson has New Orleans taking Ohio State safety Caleb Downs at No. 8, Missouri edge Zion Young at 42, Georgia WR Zachariah Branch at 73, Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson at 132, Alabama DT Tim Keenan III at 137, Iowa guard Beau Stevens at 148, Texas LB Trey Moore at 170 and Houston TE Tanner Cazio at 189. They also expect slot/star defenders like Bud Clark, Keonta Scott and Traytan Stukes to be second- or third-round picks, Malachi Lawrence to go around top 100, and Alontae Taylor to leave in free agency. **Claimed:** Mar 9, 2026 **Pundit:** Ross Jackson — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/ross-jackson **Outlet:** Locked On Saints (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/locked-on-saints-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us **Original:** https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdrl.fm/83ac39/lockedon.simplecastaudio.com/26a658f6-15f1-4878-ab5f-d78d7d886aa9/episodes/73338b29-79b3-44aa-9174-40dbbccd14e9/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=26a658f6-15f1-4878-ab5f-d78d7d886aa9&awEpisodeId=73338b29-79b3-44aa-9174-40dbbccd14e9&feed=aKgoC4uX 13 checkable claims — 12 mock draft picks and 1 trade and signing call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call. It names 14 players and teams, each linked to their own record. 12 of 13 have settled so far, averaging 65.4 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls. > Caleb Downs makes perfect sense for this team at eight, assuming that those medicals do check out. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Beau Stephens to be picked at number 148** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Beau Stephens, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Keionte Scott to be picked “probably second, third round players” (picks 33–100)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Keionte Scott - Verdict: scored 50 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Trey Moore to be picked at number 170** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Trey Moore, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 17.68 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Malachi Lawrence to be picked “top 100” (picks 1–100)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Malachi Lawrence - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Bud Clark to be picked “probably second, third round players” (picks 33–100)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Bud Clark - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Tim Keenan to be picked at number 137** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Tim Keenan, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 1.63 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Emmett Johnson to be picked at number 132** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Emmett Johnson, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 28.47 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Zachariah Branch to be picked at number 73** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Zachariah Branch, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 77.11 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Zion Young to be picked at number 42** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Zion Young, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 87.81 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Caleb Downs to be picked at number 8** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Caleb Downs, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 87.81 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Tanner Koziol to be picked at number 189** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Tanner Koziol, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: scored 33.86 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Treydan Stukes to be picked “probably second, third round players” (picks 33–100)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Treydan Stukes - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Alontae Taylor to move** - Kind: Trade and Signing Calls · About: Alontae Taylor - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Beau Stephens — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/beau-stephens - New Orleans Saints — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/saints - Keionte Scott — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/keionte-scott - Trey Moore — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/trey-moore - Malachi Lawrence — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/malachi-lawrence - Bud Clark — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/bud-clark - Tim Keenan — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tim-keenan - Emmett Johnson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/emmett-johnson - Zachariah Branch — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/zachariah-branch - Zion Young — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/zion-young - Caleb Downs — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/caleb-downs - Tanner Koziol — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tanner-koziol - Treydan Stukes — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/treydan-stukes - Alontae Taylor — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/alontae-taylor ## What others said about the same people - Doug Joubert on Charlie Smyth: Joubert projects the Saints' 53-man roster ahead of the cutdown deadline, naming every player they expect to make the team by position group, plus several players they expect to receive PUP/IR designations, and predicting Torricelli Simpkins will later be moved to the practice squad. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/80c9bcdf-68ec-49a5-a1d1-e59f4bee2653 (scored 100) - Pete Prisco on New Orleans Saints: Prisco gives score predictions for every Week 9 NFL game, picking the Bengals to rout the Falcons in Madrid, the Cowboys to rebound at Indianapolis, and the Jaguars to win in Baltimore without Lamar Jackson. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dc43909b-bc7f-47aa-b208-5cf7c95844bc (scored 95.24) - Grant Chachere on New Orleans Saints: Chachere picks the Saints to beat the Browns 24-10, arguing Cleveland's switch to Shedeur Sanders with Deshaun Watson out tilts the game toward New Orleans. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2c694760-ef96-4645-9ef4-c00bae62de32 (scored 69.05) - Chris Simms on New Orleans Saints: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/17eb747a-90b1-472f-bb6d-e71c0c69133a (scored 92.86) - Connor Rogers on New Orleans Saints: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/11646f69-18dd-4831-a7de-e4115ded875c (scored 100) - Chris Long on New Orleans Saints: Previewing the Week 9 slate, Chris Long expects the Saints to beat Cleveland, the Colts to beat Dallas, New England to edge Green Bay, and Baltimore to beat the Chargers on Monday night. They also call the Packers a top-10 defense once Micah Parsons returns, names their top six quarterbacks of the season, and expects Brandon Ayuk to be released, with Will Lee and Trevion Henderson sidelined this week. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/623f8e00-789e-4239-9edc-5e1285346b9d (scored 100) ## More mock draft picks The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Chris Simms on Malachi Corley: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c0fd4647-2de8-4a5f-bac2-950fed303ee9 (scored 11.46) - Todd McShay on Keelon Russell: While breaking down LSU's offense, McShay called receiver Jackson Harris a top-50 NFL draft prospect, and later said LSU's Sam Levitt and Alabama's Keelan Russell are potential top-10 picks in a future draft. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/15d40546-2ab9-4ab8-b5bd-ed0ef7f26ae5 (scored 0) - Philip Hughes on Kyle Kennard: Evaluating edge rusher Kyle Kennard ahead of the draft, the account projected them as a Day 2 selection. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/605a686a-b5f1-4611-82b4-961abf8de93e (scored 33.86) - Blaine Grisak on Brian Thomas Jr.: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/627bcf5d-9f1d-4a34-a1b7-53b8f0aebc40 (scored 84.09) - Charlie Campbell on Xavier Williams: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2dd4bf46-e5eb-4dff-8500-95d9fdbd2986 (scored 0) - Walt on Fernando Mendoza: In a running series of coach/GM hiring and firing grades, Walt projects Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 overall pick of the Raiders in the 2026 draft and has LSU's Garrett Nussmeier going No. 2 overall in their 2026 mock draft. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/29bb2d31-fbe3-40db-b378-be5ba5d990b0 (scored 100) --- 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 We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=ross-jackson