Rob RangSep 13, 2026
Rang ranks the four headline prospects from the Texas-Ohio State game in the order they'd draft them (Jeremiah Smith, Arch Manning, Cam Coleman, Julian Sayin) and assigns each a draft grade: Smith and Manning as top-5 picks, Coleman top 10, and Sayin a third-rounder.
Published in writing · Fox SportsRead the original
What Rob Rang said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromHe's the top NFL prospect in the country and one of the highest graded prospects I've evaluated in nearly 30 years as a professional scout.
- Where it was published
- Fox Sports
- The piece
- 4 Takeaways From Texas' Comeback Win Over Ohio State — With An NFL Draft Twist
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidSep 13
- GradedSep 14
- 1Jeremiah Smith to be picked “Top-5 selection” (picks 1–5)“NFL Draft Grade: Top-5 selection ... Smith was the top player on the field Saturday night and the best overall prospect in the 2026 draft”
- 2Top Player Lists“These four prospects are ranked in the order in which I would currently select them if I were building an NFL roster.”
- 3Arch Manning to be picked “Top-5 selection” (picks 1–5)“That is why Manning is a first-round lock. ... NFL Draft Grade: Top-5 selection”
- 4Cam Coleman to be picked “Top 10” (picks 1–10)“NFL Player Comparison: A.J. Green NFL Draft Grade: Top 10”
- 5Julian Sayin to be picked “Third Round” (picks 65–96)“NFL Comparison: Kirk Cousins NFL Draft Grade: Third Round”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Smith to be picked “Top-5 selection” (picks 1–5)1 | Mock Draft Picks | Went undrafted | 0 | 50 | — | |
| “These four prospects are ranked in the order in which I would…”2 | Top Player Lists | — | — | — | — | |
| Arch Manning to be picked “Top-5 selection” (picks 1–5)3 | Mock Draft Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Cam Coleman to be picked “Top 10” (picks 1–10)4 | Mock Draft Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Julian Sayin to be picked “Third Round” (picks 65–96)5 | Mock Draft Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 calls · 1 miss · 4 waiting | 0 | 50 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naiveworse than naive5 checkable claims — 4 mock draft picks and 1 top player list — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 5 have settled so far, averaging 0 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls.
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.
1Mock Draft PicksJeremiah Smith
Jeremiah Smith to be picked “Top-5 selection” (picks 1–5)
What happenedWent undrafted0Miss · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Jeremiah Smith
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- undrafted
- outcome:
- went undrafted in 2026; has not appeared on an NFL roster
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- undrafted
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 0
- predicted pick:
- Top-5 selection (picks 1–5)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
“These four prospects are ranked in the order in which I would currently select them if I were building an NFL roster.”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Arch Manning to be picked “Top-5 selection” (picks 1–5)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Cam Coleman to be picked “Top 10” (picks 1–10)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Julian Sayin to be picked “Third Round” (picks 65–96)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Rob Bushka · Mock Draft Picks · Jeremiah Smith · Miss 0
Buschka predicted Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith could be the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft, that Ty Simpson will sit as a clipboard-holding backup, that the receiver the Rams passed on (Lemon) will break out with a huge target share once AJ Brown is moved to New England, and they called Sean McVay the best coach in the NFL.Daniel Wade · Mock Draft Picks · Jeremiah Smith · Miss 0
In a trade-back mock draft, Wade has the Chargers deal pick 22 to Miami and select edge rusher Cassius Howell at 30, guard Keelan Rutledge at 55, cornerback Malik Muhammad at 86, wide receiver Brennan Thompson at 87, linebacker Keyshawn Elliott at 123, and offensive tackle Travis Burke at 151.Chris Brockman · Mock Draft Picks · Arch Manning · Miss 0
Brockman predicted the NFC South order as Falcons first, Buccaneers second, Panthers third, Saints last, with both Atlanta and Tampa making the playoffs; they also expect the Saints to end up with the No. 1 overall pick and select Arch Manning.Jason McIntyre · Mock Draft Picks · Arch Manning · Miss 0
Filling in as host, McIntyre ranked the eight remaining divisional-round quarterbacks from 8 to 1, with Josh Allen first and Bo Nix last. They also said Matthew Stafford will probably win MVP, called the Rams their Super Bowl pick, said Fernando Mendoza is a slam-dunk No. 1 pick, thinks Arch Manning goes No. 1 next year, and called Kansas's Peterson a top-five pick.Brady Quinn · Mock Draft Picks · Arch Manning · Miss 0
Quinn assessed the preseason AP poll, saying Texas at No. 1 is appropriate, that Penn State should actually be No. 1 and is positioned to reach the championship game and win it all, that Ohio State/Clemson/Georgia are ranked about right, and that Arizona State and Illinois are overrated. They also predicted Arch Manning would be the first overall pick if they come out, and later said Drew Allar would be the top pick if they have the year Quinn expects.
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.