Rich Eisen#38 of 87 NFL pundits · Feb 27, 2026
Eisen expects Fernando Mendoza to be the No. 1 overall pick and predicts four Ohio State players — Cornell Tate, Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles and Arvel Reese — will be selected inside the top 10.
Said on air, transcribed by us · The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)Hear the original
What Rich Eisen said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromThat there's gonna be four Buckeyes in the top 10.
- Where it was said
- The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)
- The episode
- Hour 2: Live from the NFL Combine with Cowboys COO Stephen Jones, Daniel Jeremiah & Jeremiyah Love
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidFeb 27
- GradedOct 1
- 1Arvell Reese to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)“there's gonna be four Buckeyes in the top 10... And Reese.”
- 2Carnell Tate to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)“there's gonna be four Buckeyes in the top 10... that Tate could go.”
- 3Fernando Mendoza to be picked at number 1“The first overall pick in the draft was at the podium this morning. Correct? Alright. So Fernando Mendoza will check the box.”
- 4Sonny Styles to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)“Styles goes... We love his top 10. Right? Like, there's no question he he doesn't come out of the top 10.”
- 5Caleb Downs to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)“there's gonna be four Buckeyes in the top 10... Downs could go.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arvell Reese to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)1 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 5 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Carnell Tate to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)2 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 4 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Fernando Mendoza to be picked at number 13 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 1 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Sonny Styles to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)4 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 7 | 100 | 50 | — | |
| Caleb Downs to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)5 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 11 | 95.76 | 50 | — | |
| 5 calls · 5 hits · all settled | 99.2 | 50 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive5 checkable claims — 5 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
All 5 have settled, averaging 99.2 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.
Where this call stands in the room
Fernando Mendoza · 2025 season · overall pick12 calls from 11 pundits between 1 overall pick and 1 overall pick. Rich Eisen said 1 overall pick. the room's median is 1 overall pick. what happened: 1 overall pick
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question, before the answer existed. The bar is what actually happened. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
Their call against what happened
overall pickTheir call against what actually happened.
Arvell Reese to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)
What happenedWent 5100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Arvell Reese
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 5
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- top 10 (picks 1–10)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
Carnell Tate to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)
What happenedWent 4100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Carnell Tate
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 4
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- top 10 (picks 1–10)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
3Mock Draft PicksFernando Mendoza
Fernando Mendoza to be picked at number 1
What happenedWent 1mocked at 1100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Fernando Mendoza
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 1
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
Sonny Styles to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)
What happenedWent 7100Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Sonny Styles
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 7
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- top 10 (picks 1–10)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
Caleb Downs to be picked “top 10” (picks 1–10)
What happenedWent 1195.76Hit · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Caleb Downs
- season:
- 2025
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 95.76
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 11
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 95.76
- predicted pick:
- top 10 (picks 1–10)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 5 settled calls, each counted once
99.2naive 50
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Ross Jackson · Mock Draft Picks · Caleb Downs · Hit 88
Jackson predicts the Saints will stay put and pick at No. 8 overall rather than trading up, and after Mickey Loomis' press conference they now lean toward New Orleans taking a defensive back there — either LSU cornerback Mansoor Delaine or Ohio State safety Caleb Downs — while still viewing Miami edge rusher Ruben Bain Jr. as a likely selection.Lance Zierlein · Mock Draft Picks · Sonny Styles · Hit 81
Zuerlein describes their mock draft 3.0: Carnell Tate to the Giants at No. 5, Sonny Styles falling to the Cowboys at No. 12, and Colton Hood to Dallas at No. 20. They also expect runs on linebackers from the late twenties to about pick 45, defensive tackles from the early-mid twenties into the 40s, and says Ahvion Terrell's 4.65 forty knocks them out of first-round contention. They call Kenyon Saddiq and Mansoor Delaine the safest picks for Dallas, and thinks Delaine's tape is top-four caliber, while Jeremiah Smith could be a generational, Megatron-type receiver.Jaime Eisner · Mock Draft Picks · Arvell Reese · Hit 88
A seven-round Jets mock draft projecting New York to take Ohio State's Arvell Reese at No. 2 and Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson at No. 16, followed by Ty Simpson, Brandon Cisse, Jalon Kilgore, Tyreak Sapp, Kaelon Black, Fernando Carmona and Trebor Pena.
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.