# Bucky Brooks: Brooks argues Sonny Styles submitted himself as a top-ten player and calls it a lock he goes inside the top ten, with Washington at 7 and Cincinnati at 8 as natural landing spots. He also locks Caleb Banks into the first round, and says Malaki Lawrence may go earlier than expected. He predicts Brandon Sees can lock in a first-round spot if he tests well.

**Claimed:** Feb 27, 2026
**Pundit:** Bucky Brooks — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/bucky-brooks
**Outlet:** Move the Sticks (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/move-the-sticks-podcast
**How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview
**Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/nfl-move-the-sticks-with-daniel-jeremiah-bucky-bro/2026-nfl-combine-day-1-recap-dl-edge-lbs

4 checkable claims — 4 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

3 of 4 have settled so far, averaging 80.7 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls.

> To me, it's the lock that he's going within the top ten

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Sonny Styles to be picked “within the top ten” (picks 1–10)**
  - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Sonny Styles
  - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess
- **Brandon Cisse to be picked “first round” (picks 1–32)**
  - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Brandon Cisse
  - Verdict: scored 42.04 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess
- **Caleb Banks to be picked “first round lock” (picks 1–32)**
  - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Caleb Banks
  - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess
- **Malachi Lawrence to be picked “Day two ... might go earlier”**
  - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Malachi Lawrence
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Sonny Styles — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/sonny-styles
- Brandon Cisse — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/brandon-cisse
- Caleb Banks — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/caleb-banks
- Malachi Lawrence — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/malachi-lawrence

## What others said about the same people

- David Harrison on Sonny Styles: Harrison gives his initial 53-man roster projection for the Washington Commanders: three quarterbacks including Ethan Kalyak Manus, three running backs, four tight ends, six receivers (leaving off De'Ami Brown and Jaden Bradley), nine offensive linemen with Matt Goldman at center, and a defense of six linebackers but only four cornerbacks. He also projects Tunstall and Newton going to IR on Monday with De'Ami Brown and Dietrich Wise re-signed, plus a corner-heavy practice squad. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/1d5b2565-5531-47ac-bff8-ccb9b23a980a (scored 100)
- David Harrison on Sonny Styles: Harrison projects the Washington Commanders' initial 53-man roster if it had to be set today, naming 26 offensive players, three specialists and 24 defenders, and also assigns depth-chart slots at quarterback, running back, the offensive line, the interior defensive line, and the return/specialist jobs. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2e2254ee-daf7-4f82-81d4-2bc73e1b7291 (scored 100)
- Jacob Westendorf on Brandon Cisse: In his final 53-man roster projection for the Packers, Westendorf names every player he expects to make the initial roster, places Luke Musgrave and Micah Parsons on PUP, projects Anthony Campbell as the final cut headed to the practice squad, and sets out several depth-chart calls (Love over Taylor, Jacobs as the bell cow, Franklin/Cooper starting at linebacker, Cox and Dennis-Sutton as the No. 2 edge tandem in Week 1). — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/60a297eb-a1a6-4929-a589-40cb7119463c (scored 100)
- Bill Huber on Brandon Cisse: Ahead of final cuts, Huber assigns Packers players probability tiers for making the 53-man roster, calling 40 players locks and another 12 more likely than not to stick, while projecting Keisean Nixon as a Week 1 starting cornerback, Tyrod Taylor as the backup QB, Skyy Moore as the returner, and Micah Parsons, Luke Musgrave and Jordon Riley opening the season on PUP. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/252e49be-50e8-48d2-91e2-b5e540d78adc (scored 100)
- Jeff Cavanaugh on Malachi Lawrence: Building his projected Cowboys 53-man roster on defense, Jeff keeps five interior linemen (Kenny Clark, Quentin, Tito Obonia, LT Overton, Bullard), six edge rushers including Von Miller, Malachi Lawrence and Marist Liufau while cutting Sam Williams, four linebackers with Jayshawn Barham starting, six corners including rookie Devin Moore, and four safeties including Marquise Bell. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d20c4eda-eab4-4a8c-ba13-0e120fdd7d91 (scored 100)
- Philip Hughes on Sonny Styles: Hughes projects Washington's initial 53-man roster ahead of the final preseason game, naming every player he expects to make the team by position group, and slots Athan Kaliakmanis as the No. 3 quarterback behind Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/4ec7adba-dd12-4caf-9bb1-f1a343cee65a (scored 100)

## More mock draft picks

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Ryan Wilson on J.J. McCarthy: Recalling his pre-draft evaluation, Wilson notes he had ranked J.J. McCarthy as the fifth quarterback in the 2024 class and given him a second-round grade rather than a first-round one, citing the gap between Michigan's system and NFL demands. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/44cc5859-8b2b-4fbf-b5c0-62c635f2e357 (scored 36.92)
- Lance Zierlein on Jeremiyah Love: Zierlein laid out his final mock draft: Jeremiah Love at No. 3 to Arizona, Sonny Styles at No. 4 to Robert Saleh's team, and Caleb Downs to the Giants at No. 5. He also called Styles the only first-round linebacker in the class and said Ty Simpson is a lock to be a first-round pick, most likely to Arizona. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/cf600df8-87eb-492b-9d91-f7a2b39104ac (scored 100)
- Nick Shook on Max Iheanachor: Shook walks through his full first-round mock draft, assigning a prospect to every pick from No. 1 to No. 32, headlined by Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders, David Bailey to the Jets and Jeremiah Love to the Cardinals in the top three. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7d4209aa-2e2d-47a2-b6e5-791d16d209cb (scored 87.81)
- Gregg Rosenthal on K.C. Concepcion: Rosenthal disagrees most with Casey Concepcion being left out of the first round, arguing he could go as high as the top 15 and certainly won't last past receiver-needy teams in the late twenties. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/8fae9a3a-7fd8-454c-99cc-0a8400c35d7d (scored 67.71)
- Daniel Jeremiah on Keyron Crawford: In discussing teams without first-round picks, Jeremiah projected specific Day 2 picks: Clemson WR Antonio Williams to the Falcons at 48, Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez to the Colts in the second round, Oklahoma edge R Mason Thomas to the Packers at 52, and Auburn edge Keiroon Crawford to the Broncos at 62. He also expects Riley Leonard to open as the Colts' starting QB and Travis Hunter to play cornerback full time in Jacksonville. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f60c916c-1b5f-4252-8733-1770c7809577 (scored 80.52)
- Daniel Jeremiah on Carnell Tate: Jeremiah says Denver, not Kansas City, will be the clear favorite in the AFC West this season; he also puts Carnell Tate sixth and Monroe Freeling twentieth on his prospect board, mocks Tate to Cleveland at No. 6, and expects Georgia receiver Branch to be a Day 2 pick after a strong pro day. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/48a1d189-dc0f-4250-aa3b-0e27119c733a (scored 91.7)

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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:
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