# Ollie Connolly: Connolly says Ruben Bain will go between the seventh and twelfth picks with 12 as his floor, floats David Bailey as a possible No. 2 overall pick, values Messidor in the twenties, expects Jermad McCoy to be the first cornerback drafted, and believes Malachi Lawrence will end up the most impactful edge player of the class and a first-round pick. **Claimed:** Apr 15, 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-nfl-draft-edge-rushers-and-cornerbacks 6 checkable claims — 4 mock draft picks, 1 position order call 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. 3 of 6 have settled so far, averaging 67.4 out of 100, against 40.4 for a naive guess at the same calls. > I would be pretty stunned if he was not the first one of these corners taken. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **David Bailey to be picked at number 2** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: David Bailey - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Malachi Lawrence to be picked “the first round” (picks 1–32)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Malachi Lawrence - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Jermod McCoy to be 1st cornerback off the board** - Kind: Position Order Calls · About: Jermod McCoy, Tennessee Titans - Verdict: scored 2.21 out of 100, against 21.34 for a naive guess - **Malachi Lawrence to finish top 1 at his position, by an unstated measure** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Malachi Lawrence - Verdict: too vague to check - **Rueben Bain to be picked “from the seventh pick to the twelfth pick, with twelve as the floor”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Rueben Bain, Miami Dolphins - Verdict: not settled yet - **Akheem Mesidor to be picked “more in the twenties type range”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Akheem Mesidor, Miami Dolphins - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - David Bailey — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/david-bailey - Malachi Lawrence — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/malachi-lawrence - Jermod McCoy — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/jermod-mccoy - Tennessee Titans — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/titans - Rueben Bain — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/rueben-bain - Miami Dolphins — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/dolphins - Akheem Mesidor — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/akheem-mesidor ## What others said about the same people - John Middlekauff on Tennessee Titans: Middlekauff expects blowout wins for Seattle over Washington and Kansas City over Miami in Week 3, picks Cincinnati to beat Pittsburgh in the AFC North matchup, and takes Tennessee over the Giants if Jameis Winston is taking snaps. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/8115d255-82e3-442e-aeef-c3eaa3587603 (scored 0) - Colin Cowherd on Tennessee Titans: The co-host (identified only as "Mitchell") made his own Week 3 picks, including blowout wins for Seattle and San Francisco, Cincinnati 27-17, Detroit 37-13, Denver 24-21 over the Rams, and predicted Jonah Coleman takes over the Broncos' running back role. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/4ccbceaa-54ca-4a2e-ad90-006f1ded0ad2 (scored 0) - Tyler Sullivan on Tennessee Titans: Sullivan projects final scores for every Week 3 game, including a Bills blowout of the reeling Chargers, a Chiefs rout in Miami, a Seahawks win over a Mariota-led Washington, and the Saints beating the Raiders in their home opener. He also expects Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Jaxson Dart all to be sidelined in Week 3, with Marcus Mariota starting for Washington. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/e4b11b44-d359-4027-a72c-87833f5ff6e3 (scored 45.24) - Lane Mills on Tennessee Titans: Mills predicts the Titans finish 2026 at 6-11 (2-4 in the AFC South), missing the playoffs, with specific wins over the Jets, Giants, Browns, Jaguars, Raiders and Colts, and names Wan'Dale Robinson team MVP with another 1,000-yard, seven-touchdown season as Cam Ward's top receiver. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/5a2c4e6d-57dd-4dc9-9f27-c1446726f490 (scored 0) - Tyler DeSena on Kevin Coleman: DeSena expects Chris Bell to function as Miami's X-receiver, with Caleb Douglas as the deep-threat Z and Malik Washington in the slot, and considers Bell, Douglas, Washington and fifth-round rookie Kevin Coleman locks to make the 53-man roster. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/cdf88974-3b99-4342-b7eb-bcf15f82379c (scored 100) - Alain Poupart on Keith Cooper Jr.: Poupart's third 53-man roster projection of 2026 for the Dolphins names which players make the roster and which are cut at each position group. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/af1013eb-d6fa-476c-b1d9-bc977dff22a5 (scored 0) ## 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