Simon Hunter· Aug 25, 2026
Hunter expects a healthy Buffalo to win 11-12 games, sees New England regressing to an 8-9 or 9-8 season, likes Miami in Week 1 at Las Vegas, would place Drake Maye in his own top ten quarterbacks, and names the Jets, Browns, Cardinals and Dolphins as the teams battling for the No. 1 overall pick.
“If they're healthy, they're getting eleven to twelve wins chat It's pretty much a guarantee in this division.”
said on air or in an interview · The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast) · read the original →
8 checkable claims — 4 team draft slot calls, 2 season win totals, 1 game outcome pick and 1 positional finishe — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 7 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 8 have settled so far, averaging 0 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 2.
Where this call stands in the room
New England Patriots · 2026 season · wins18 calls from 10 pundits between 9 wins and 14 wins. Simon Hunter said 9 wins. the room's median is 10 wins. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
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Who this take is about
The game in this take
- Dolphins at Raiders 34 calls
8 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Game Outcome PicksMiami DolphinsAug 25, 2026
Miami Dolphins to win
“I do like them week one... I think they're plus three and a half week one at Las Vegas... I'm hoping they win Week one because I'm gonna bet on them obviously”
Miss · 0Scored 0a naive guess scored 100-200 skillHow this was scored
- won:
- LV
- score:
- 13-27
- skill:
- -200
- they picked:
- MIA
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 100
- the naive pick:
- LV
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- Team Draft Slot CallsNew York JetsAug 25, 2026
New York Jets to pick “in the battle to draft number one overall”
“The choices are going to be the Jets, the Brown, Brown, Arizona... Miami”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Season Win TotalsBuffalo BillsAug 25, 2026
Buffalo Bills to finish with 11 wins
“if Josh Allen stays healthy, it's hard to see a world they don't get to eleven wins... if they're healthy, they're getting eleven to twelve wins”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Drake Maye to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards
“No one has an issue with him be in top ten me either... For me, I would put him in my top ten”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
- Team Draft Slot CallsArizona CardinalsAug 25, 2026
Arizona Cardinals to pick “in the battle to draft number one overall”
“The choices are going to be the Jets, the Brown, Brown, Arizona... Miami”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Season Win TotalsNew England PatriotsAug 25, 2026
New England Patriots to finish with 9 wins
“But I could see so many ways this team being eight to nine, nine, and eight this season.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Team Draft Slot CallsCleveland BrownsAug 25, 2026
Cleveland Browns to pick “in the battle to draft number one overall”
“The choices are going to be the Jets, the Brown, Brown, Arizona... Miami”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Team Draft Slot CallsMiami DolphinsAug 25, 2026
Miami Dolphins to pick “in the battle to draft number one overall”
“which you know, actually I could see the Manas want to do Miami”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- 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.
- Nathan JahnkeDepth Chart Calls · Jalen TolbertMiss · 0PFF's preseason fantasy recap makes a large number of depth-chart, role and fantasy-value calls across the league, including Chig Okonkwo as a top sleeper tight end, Tre Tucker as the Raiders' top receiver, and various backfield hierarchies.
- Nathan JahnkeDepth Chart Calls · Jalen TolbertMiss · 0PFF's fantasy football preseason recap projects depth-chart outcomes, roster spots and fantasy value for numerous players across several preseason games, including Chig Okonkwo's expanded role in Washington, Ja'Kobi Lane as Baltimore's WR3, Malachi Fields winning the Giants' starting X job, and Zachariah Branch being a fantasy bust relative to his late-round cost.
- Paul KerenDepth Chart Calls · Teven JenkinsMiss · 0Keren says Teven Jenkins still projects as Cleveland's Week 1 starting right guard despite a push from KT Leveston, and that Carson Schwesinger and Quincy Williams will be the Browns' lead linebackers.
- Henry McKennaDepth Chart Calls · Carson BeckMiss · 0McKenna predicts Kyler Murray will win the Vikings' starting QB job over J.J. McCarthy, that Minnesota will make the playoffs if Murray cuts out the hero ball, that both QBs will play in 2026, and wonders whether rookie Carson Beck could unseat Jacoby Brissett as Arizona's Week 1 starter.
- Chad MillmanGame Outcome Picks · Miami DolphinsMiss · 0Chad Millman said he had taken money-line positions on several Week 1 underdogs — the Texans outright over the Bills, the Giants outright over Dallas (in a money-line underdog parlay), and Miami outright at Las Vegas — and that the show's survivor pick was the Steelers to win.
More team draft slot calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Jake RiepmaTeam Draft Slot Calls · Detroit LionsHit · 100Filling in on Locked On Lions, Jake Reitma dismisses ESPN's suggestion that Sam LaPorta could be traded, saying LaPorta stays in Detroit as part of the core four. He also breaks down the edge class ahead of the Lions' pick at No. 17, calling David Bailey the class's top edge prospect with Reuben Bain Jr. next, and picks the Pistons as the NBA's best team.
- Kent SwansonTeam Draft Slot Calls · Cincinnati BengalsMiss · 26After the Chiefs' 14-12 loss to the Raiders, Kent laid out the resulting draft order: Kansas City picking ninth overall (and 40th in round two) in the 2026 draft, with New Orleans eighth, Cincinnati tenth, and the Raiders holding the No. 1 pick.
- Chris BrockmanTeam Draft Slot Calls · New York GiantsHit · 100Chris Brockman said Baker Mayfield will finish no lower than third in MVP voting, named Kyle Shanahan the coach of the year front-runner, and predicted both the Giants and Jets will pick in the top five of next year's draft.
- Chris BrockmanTeam Draft Slot Calls · Cincinnati BengalsMiss · 26Brockman argued only about five teams can realistically win the Super Bowl, naming the Bills, Eagles, Ravens and Chargers among them; he also picked Justin Herbert as MVP through three weeks, called the Colts a top-five team with Daniel Jones as an MVP finalist, said the Bears will finish top two in the NFC North, said the Bengals' season is cooked and they'll pick in the top 10, said the Rams are the only NFC threat to the Eagles, and said the Bucs have a team-of-destiny feel.
- Rich EisenTeam Draft Slot Calls · Green Bay PackersClose · 42Eisen predicts the Cowboys will be picking around No. 32 in next year's draft, i.e. Green Bay's first-rounder will be near the end of the round.
- Chris BrockmanTeam Draft Slot Calls · Dallas CowboysClose · 77Brockman opened the season-preview show with a slate of bold calls: the Cowboys collapse into a top-five draft pick after the Micah Parsons trade, the Giants are this year's out-of-nowhere team, the 49ers reach championship weekend with Brock Purdy as an MVP finalist, and the Patriots make the playoffs as part of four 2024-class quarterbacks reaching the postseason.