John Middlekauff· May 11, 2026
Middlekauff says Ohio State has to be favored at Texas this season and that he'd bet Ohio State in that spot, and he expects the Chiefs' first-round cornerback (Delane) to be an immediate starter and an excellent player.
“To me, that'd be a hammer Ohio State and I'm Ohio State hater.”
said on air or in an interview · The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast) · read the original →
The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 5, 2026. The quote and evidence above are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.
It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
Nothing to score yet: this grades once the result is in.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room.
Where this call stands in the room
Mansoor Delane · 2026 season15 calls from 13 pundits between 1 and 1. John Middlekauff said 1. the room's median is 1. not settled yet
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Who this take is about
1 checkable claim in this take
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Mansoor Delane to be 1st on the depth chart
“So you take a corner at six. Overall, that guy's a plug and play starter... But if I told you that Delaane was like not starting, it would be like one of the biggest stories in the league. Now he's obviously gonna start. I think he's gonna be an excellent player.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Pete PriscoScore Predictions · Kansas City ChiefsClose · 57Prisco is the lone expert cited picking Kansas City, 20-17 over Denver.
- Mike FlorioScore Predictions · Kansas City ChiefsClose · 57Florio gives score predictions for every Week 1 game of the 2026 NFL season, including an opening-night upset by the Patriots in Seattle and narrow home wins for the Giants and Chiefs.
- John PluymGame Outcome Picks · Kansas City ChiefsHit · 100Pluym's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games.
- Matt VerderameGame Outcome Picks · Kansas City ChiefsHit · 100Verderame's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games.
- Mike KadlickGame Outcome Picks · Kansas City ChiefsHit · 100Kadlick's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games.
- Pete PriscoScore Predictions · Kansas City ChiefsClose · 57An unsigned CBS Sports Week 1 picks column predicts final scores for all 16 games, including a Seahawks rout of the Patriots in the Super Bowl rematch and a late Chiefs win over Denver in Patrick Mahomes' return.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Tyler SullivanDepth Chart Calls · Drew LockMiss · 0In an unsigned Week 2 odds roundup, the piece states that with Sam Darnold hurt, Drew Lock will likely start at quarterback for Seattle against Arizona.
- Ralph VacchianoDepth Chart Calls · Tua TagovailoaMiss · 0Vacchiano ranks all 32 NFL teams entering the 2026 season, with the Rams first and Dolphins last. He also flags the Giants as a potential surprise team with a top-10 defense, and notes Deshaun Watson won Cleveland's QB job while Tua Tagovailoa starts Week 1 in Atlanta.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice touts Kyler Murray as a value QB who will start Week 1 for Minnesota, Tyler Shough as the Saints' undisputed starter, and Juwan Johnson and Terrance Ferguson as late-round tight end targets.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice expects Kyler Murray to be Minnesota's Week 1 starter and calls him one of the better quarterback values in 2026 drafts; he also views Jordan Love as a top-10 real-life quarterback but only a QB2 in fantasy.
- Steven RuizDepth Chart Calls · Michael Penix Jr.Miss · 0In a retrospective tiering of all 32 starting quarterbacks, Ruiz treats Michael Penix Jr. as the Falcons' Week 1 starter over Kirk Cousins, whom he places in his lowest tier.
- Mike FlorioDepth Chart Calls · Shedeur SandersMiss · 0Florio reports the Browns will start Deshaun Watson in Week 1 but predicts Shedeur Sanders will likely be the starting quarterback by Week 3.