Ross Jackson#21 of 87 NFL pundits · Mar 30, 2026
In a quick-fire seven-round Saints mock draft, Jackson has New Orleans taking Ohio State safety Caleb Downs at No. 8, Missouri DE Zion Young at 42, Georgia WR Zachariah Branch at 73, Alabama NT Tim Keenan III at 132 plus USC WR Jacobi Lane in round four, Western Michigan edge Nadame Tucker and Texas guard DJ Campbell in round five, and Utah TE Dallin Bentley to close it out.
Said on air, transcribed by us · Locked On Saints (podcast)Hear the original
What Ross Jackson said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromThe, number one, round one pick eight selection for me as we lead off this mock draft Monday is going to be Ohio State safety, Caleb Downs.
- Where it was said
- Locked On Saints (podcast)
- The episode
- MOCK DRAFT: Caleb Downs Topping Charts As Best New Orleans Saints' NFL Draft Fit
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidMar 30
- GradedOct 1
- 1Tim Keenan to be picked at number 132“We're gonna go with at one thirty two, Alabama's Tim Keenan the third, six one, three hundred and twenty seven pound nose tackle”
- 2Zion Young to be picked at number 42“So round two, pick 42, I went with Missouri defensive end, Zion Young.”
- 3Zachariah Branch to be picked at number 73“We're grabbing our first one in this draft, round three, pick 73. Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch”
- 4D.J. Campbell to be picked at number 172“Over at one seventy two in rounds in round five, I went with Texas guard DJ Campbell.”
- 5Caleb Downs to be picked at number 8“The, number one, round one pick eight selection for me ... is going to be Ohio State safety, Caleb Downs.”
- 6Ja'Kobi Lane to be picked “round four”“And then we'll go USC wide receiver Jacobi Lane ... So in round four, we're grabbing both of those guys, Tim Keenan the third as well as Jacoby Lane.”
- 7Nadame Tucker to be picked “Round five”“Round five. Two more picks here in round five. I went with Western Michigan edge rusher, Nadame Tucker”
- 8Dallen Bentley to be picked at a slot they never named“And then finally, we'll wrap up with a tight end. Utah's Dallin Bentley ... was the final selection there to wrap that one up.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Keenan to be picked at number 1321 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 232 | 1.31 | 50 | +45 | |
| Zion Young to be picked at number 422 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 45 | 87.81 | 50 | +45 | |
| Zachariah Branch to be picked at number 733 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 79 | 77.11 | 50 | +45 | |
| D.J. Campbell to be picked at number 1724 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 200 | 29.73 | 50 | +45 | |
| Caleb Downs to be picked at number 85 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 11 | 87.81 | 50 | +45 | |
| Ja'Kobi Lane to be picked “round four”6 | Mock Draft Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Nadame Tucker to be picked “Round five”7 | Mock Draft Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Dallen Bentley to be picked at a slot they never named8 | Mock Draft Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| 8 calls · 2 hits · 1 close call · 2 misses · 3 waiting | 56.8 | 50 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naiveworse than naive8 checkable claims — 8 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 9 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
5 of 8 have settled so far, averaging 56.8 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 PicksTim KeenanNew Orleans Saints
Tim Keenan to be picked at number 132
What happenedWent 232mocked at 1321.31Miss · naive 5095this mock’s order−50a shuffled mock=45better than naive×1difficulty=+45skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 45
- player:
- Tim Keenan
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 1.31
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 232
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 1.31
- predicted pick:
- 132
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 95
2Mock Draft PicksZion YoungNew Orleans Saints
Zion Young to be picked at number 42
What happenedWent 45mocked at 4287.81Hit · naive 5095this mock’s order−50a shuffled mock=45better than naive×1difficulty=+45skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 45
- player:
- Zion Young
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 87.81
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 45
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 87.81
- predicted pick:
- 42
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 95
3Mock Draft PicksZachariah BranchNew Orleans Saints
Zachariah Branch to be picked at number 73
What happenedWent 79mocked at 7377.11Close · naive 5095this mock’s order−50a shuffled mock=45better than naive×1difficulty=+45skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 45
- player:
- Zachariah Branch
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 77.11
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 79
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 77.11
- predicted pick:
- 73
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 95
4Mock Draft PicksD.J. CampbellNew Orleans Saints
D.J. Campbell to be picked at number 172
What happenedWent 200mocked at 17229.73Miss · naive 5095this mock’s order−50a shuffled mock=45better than naive×1difficulty=+45skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 45
- player:
- D.J. Campbell
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 29.73
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 200
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 29.73
- predicted pick:
- 172
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 95
5Mock Draft PicksCaleb DownsNew Orleans Saints
Caleb Downs to be picked at number 8
What happenedWent 11mocked at 887.81Hit · naive 5095this mock’s order−50a shuffled mock=45better than naive×1difficulty=+45skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- skill:
- 45
- player:
- Caleb Downs
- season:
- 2026
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 87.81
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 11
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 87.81
- predicted pick:
- 8
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- 95
6Mock Draft PicksJa'Kobi LaneNew Orleans Saints
Ja'Kobi Lane to be picked “round four”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
7Mock Draft PicksNadame TuckerNew Orleans Saints
Nadame Tucker to be picked “Round five”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
8Mock Draft PicksDallen BentleyNew Orleans Saints
Dallen Bentley to be picked at a slot they never named
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 5 settled calls, each counted once
56.8naive 50
Who this take is about
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The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
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