Diante LeeAug 12, 2026
A Ringer post-draft power ranking of all 32 teams for the 2026 season, ranked by how much the writer would trust each team to win the Super Bowl, with Denver picked to win the AFC, Detroit projected among the NFC's four best, and win-total calls on Pittsburgh and Miami.
Published in writingRead the original
What Diante Lee said
Right now, they’re my pick to win the AFC.
- The piece
- NFL 2026 Offseason Power Rankings: The Rams Jump the Seahawks
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidAug 12
- GradedSep 18
Box score, by kind
HitCloseMissWaiting| Group | Hits | Close | Misses | Waiting | Too vague | Calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade and Signing Calls | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Depth Chart Calls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Seeding, Byes and Home Field | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Season Win Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Power Rankings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Conference Champions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| All | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
How each call scored
12 claims — 6 depth chart calls, 2 season win totals, 1 conference champion, 1 power ranking, 1 seeding, byes and home field and 1 trade and signing call — the 11 we can check 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.
1 of the 11 calls we can check have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess at the same calls.
The other one was too vague to check, so it is not graded.
Of the 7 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 6.
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
Omar Cooper · 2026 season14 calls from 6 pundits between 1 and 3. Diante Lee said 1. the room's median is 2. 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.
Trade and Signing Calls1 hitShow ▸Hide ▾
A.J. Brown to move
“Once A.J. Brown is traded—a move that’s expected in early June—Hurts will need to prove himself”
100Hit100 − 0 naive = 100 × 2 difficulty = +200 skill
Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- 200
- player:
- A.J. Brown
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he leaves
- was with:
- PHI
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- reported:
- traded → NE (from PHI)
- settled by:
- a confirmed report from the crawl (reported outcomes)
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he stays where he is
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
Depth Chart Calls6 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
Kenyon Sadiq to be 1st on the depth chart
“drafting tight end Kenyon Sadiq with the no. 16 pick ... Each of these players should be an immediate starter”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
K.C. Concepcion to be 1st on the depth chart
“The Browns will also be starting two rookie receivers, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
David Bailey to be 1st on the depth chart
“Each of these players should be an immediate starter and can contribute to this rebuild”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Kyler Murray to be 1st on the depth chart
“The Vikings have upgraded at quarterback with the addition of Kyler Murray, who is expected to take the starting job from J.J. McCarthy.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Omar Cooper to be 1st on the depth chart
“trading back up into the first round to get receiver Omar Cooper Jr. at no. 30. Each of these players should be an immediate starter”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Denzel Boston to be 1st on the depth chart
“The Browns will also be starting two rookie receivers, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Seeding, Byes and Home Field1 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
Detroit Lions to take the top seed
“If this team can just survive the regular season better than it did the past few years, I expect this to be one of the NFC’s four best teams by January.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Season Win Totals1 waiting · 1 too vague to checkShow ▸Hide ▾
Miami Dolphins to finish with 4 wins
“Even if everything goes right, this team might squeeze out only four wins because of its youth and lack of playmaking talent.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
“I don’t think the Steelers can be more than a ho-hum eight- or nine-win team with this version of Rodgers at the helm.”
—Too vague to checkToo vague to check: we could not tell what would count as right, so it stays on the record without a score.
Power Rankings1 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
“In creating these power rankings, I’m taking into consideration overall team strength ... but each team is ultimately ranked by how much I’d trust it to win the Super Bowl next season.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Conference Champions1 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
Denver Broncos to reach the Super Bowl
“With the addition of receiver Jaylen Waddle ... Right now, they’re my pick to win the AFC.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
A.J. Brown, Kenyon Sadiq, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, K.C. Concepcion, Cleveland Browns, David Bailey, Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings, Omar Cooper, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denzel Boston
Others on the same people
Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman expects Sean Fresch Jr. to clear waivers and return to the Broncos' practice squad, sees Riley Moss back from concussion for the Week 11 game at Las Vegas, and projects newly acquired Daiyan Henley to begin as the third inside linebacker behind Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad before likely moving into a starting role.Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman writes that Riley Moss may sit out the preseason finale against Minnesota but should be available for the Week 1 opener at Kansas City; they also suggest undrafted corners Sean Fresch Jr. and Brent Austin are being evaluated for practice squad spots.Logan Lazarczyk · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Ahead of the trade deadline, they float three Raiders moves: shipping Kirk Cousins to Minnesota if the Vikings offer a second-round pick, selling Maxx Crosby to Dallas for a first-rounder plus, and acquiring Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for a second- or third-round pick.Chad Jensen · Roster Spot Calls · Jordan Turner · Miss 0
Jensen predicts Daiyan Henley's arrival will cut into Justin Strnad's snaps while Alex Singleton keeps playing virtually every down, and that Denver will return to a three-linebacker rotation after the Week 10 bye. They also expect one of Jordan Turner or Karene Reid — most likely Turner — to be waived to clear a roster spot.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Nic Bodiford · Depth Chart Calls · Joe Fagnano · Hit 100
Previewing Week 9 running game matchups, Bodiford expects Jacksonville to win lopsidedly over a depleted Baltimore team, with Bhayshul Tuten sitting out and Chris Rodriguez taking over as lead back, while Joe Fagnano starts at quarterback for the Ravens. They also view Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman as an RB2 going forward.Jacob Herlin · Depth Chart Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Herlin published Week 7 fantasy D/ST rankings with projections for 28 team defenses, led by Houston, Minnesota and Cleveland. They also expect Cleveland to post a fourth straight top-10 fantasy defense result, and predicts Jalon Daniels starts another week for Tampa Bay while J.J. McCarthy takes over as the Giants' starter.