# Ollie Connolly: Connelly expects Texas linebacker Anthony Hill to be drafted in the second round despite his reservations, sees Caden McDonald sneaking into the back of the first round and Lee Hunter going in the second, and warns that Caleb Banks — because of the recurring foot injury and disappearing stretches — will break the heart of whoever drafts him. **Claimed:** Apr 2, 2026 **Pundit:** Ollie Connolly — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/ollie-connolly **Outlet:** Around the NFL (podcast) — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/around-the-nfl-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview **Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/nfl-daily/ranking-the-2026-defensive-nfl-draft-prospects 4 checkable claims — 3 mock draft picks and 1 draft bust call — 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 94.7 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls. > He's six three two three, he's going to be twenty years old, so it's like the perfect profile if you can get him in the second round where I think he will go. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Kayden McDonald to be picked “back of the first round” (picks 1–32)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Kayden McDonald - Verdict: scored 84.09 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Lee Hunter to be picked “second round” (picks 33–64)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Lee Hunter - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Anthony Hill to be picked “second round” (picks 33–64)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Anthony Hill - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Caleb Banks to disappoint at the next level** - Kind: Draft Bust Calls · About: Caleb Banks - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Kayden McDonald — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/kayden-mcdonald - Lee Hunter — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/lee-hunter - Anthony Hill — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/anthony-hill - Caleb Banks — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/caleb-banks ## What others said about the same people - Scott Bogman on Kayden McDonald: He gave David Bailey to Tennessee at 4, Sonny Styles to Washington at 7, Caleb Downs to Cincinnati at 10, Carnell Tate to the Rams at 13, Denzel Boston to the Jets at 16, Kayden McDonald to Carolina at 19, Vega Ioane to the Chargers at 22, Peter Woods to Chicago at 25, Emmanuel Pregnon to Houston at 28 and Romello Height to Denver at 31, and insisted both Bailey and Downs are top-10 locks. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/0b0cd1a9-31f7-40d9-9b9e-f52957c10494 (scored 47.88) - Zach Roberts on Lee Hunter: Roberts projects the Carolina Panthers' 53-man roster following the Hall of Fame Game, naming every player he expects to make the team at each position, and pegs AJ Dillon as the fourth running back on the depth chart. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/eef72be3-9114-401b-a6e8-2ffc335cc7fb (scored 100) - Joe Marino on Anthony Hill: Marino stacks 14 inside linebackers in the 2026 NFL draft class and assigns each a round-value grade, with Sonny Styles first (top-10 grade) and Anthony Hill third; he says Hill would be his preferred pick if Buffalo takes a linebacker at No. 26. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/fa349c5e-12c5-4b82-84ad-aff5d3bba78b (scored 100) - David Harrison on Lee Hunter: Recapping day one of the 2026 NFL scouting combine drills, Harrison names his standouts and offers draft projections: Sonny Styles could rise to No. 2 overall and is a top-10 pick, Ruben Bain Jr. will need to move inside from edge, Zane Durant and Owen Heineke will climb from seventh-round projections, Jacob Rodriguez lands late round two/early round three, and Lee Hunter is an early second-rounder who could sneak into the late first. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/ae404d9c-ef7d-44a7-88c2-008b281e729c (scored 100) - Ross Jackson on Lee Hunter: In a seven-round Saints mock draft, Ross Jackson has New Orleans taking Miami edge rusher Ruben Bain Jr. at No. 8 overall, Texas Tech DT Lee Hunter at 42, Miami CB Keonte Scott at 73, Ole Miss WR Dejean Stribling at 132, Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson at 136, Oregon LB Bryce Bossier and USC pass rusher Anthony Lucas in the fifth round, and Auburn OL Jeremiah Wright to close it out. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/ec6d7b04-8d89-43f1-8f05-46dda942371e (scored 73.84) - Ryan Tracy on Kayden McDonald: Tracy ranks Caleb McDonald as the top defensive tackle in the draft class, says Grayson Halton is the best pass rusher in the class by production, and projects a series of DT prospects to specific draft ranges — Halton around pick 74, Rayshawn Benny late Day 3/round 3-4, Kenneth Proctor Day 3, Zane Durant in the fifth round, and Skyler Gil Howard falling to the late rounds of Day 3. He also doubts Christian Miller lasts to pick 40 and expects the Chiefs to end up with fewer than their current nine picks. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/8d432af7-1ce9-4dcd-80f5-074f46b0f800 (scored 50) ## More mock draft picks The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - 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.thegoodapps.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.thegoodapps.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.thegoodapps.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.thegoodapps.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.thegoodapps.co/opinions/48a1d189-dc0f-4250-aa3b-0e27119c733a (scored 91.7) - Bucky Brooks on Carnell Tate: In a mock draft covering the first 14 picks, Brooks made the odd-numbered selections: Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders at No. 1, a Miami offensive lineman to Arizona at No. 3, Caleb Downs to the Giants at No. 5, Ohio State's Arvell Reese to Washington at No. 7, Carnell Tate to Kansas City at No. 9, tight end Kenyon Sadiq to Miami at No. 11, and Spencer Fano to the Rams at No. 13. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/677f566f-9e38-4dd7-b312-0baad54b440e (scored 80.52) --- 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.thegoodapps.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: https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/corrections?pundit=ollie-connolly