# Gavin Carlson: Carlson predicted the Saints would be a sneaky favorite to win the NFC South, said Colby Parkinson would be the Rams' No. 1 tight end if he's on the roster, and put himself at 55-45 that Aaron Donald plays a game for the Rams this season, expecting Donald to show up before Week 1 rather than mid-season. **Claimed:** Jun 24, 2026 **Pundit:** Gavin Carlson — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/gavin-carlson **Outlet:** Locked On Rams (podcast) — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/locked-on-rams-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us **Original:** https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdrl.fm/3fd73b/lockedon.simplecastaudio.com/8dce8ffe-a488-4ce0-b9c9-e364b7dbd0dc/episodes/efed0164-6a0e-4839-94e3-4a1f8dfc4e16/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=8dce8ffe-a488-4ce0-b9c9-e364b7dbd0dc&awEpisodeId=efed0164-6a0e-4839-94e3-4a1f8dfc4e16&feed=a4Q6EDeU 3 checkable claims — 1 depth chart call, 1 division winner and 1 roster spot 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. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room. > I think the saints might be the the hit sneaky favorite to win the NFC south *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **New Orleans Saints to win the division** - Kind: Division Winners · About: New Orleans Saints - Verdict: not settled yet - **Colby Parkinson to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jimmy Garoppolo to make the roster** - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: Jimmy Garoppolo, Los Angeles Rams - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - New Orleans Saints — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/saints - Colby Parkinson — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/colby-parkinson - Los Angeles Rams — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/rams - Jimmy Garoppolo — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/jimmy-garoppolo ## What others said about the same people - Nick Shook on Aaron Donald: Shook unveiled his first NFL power rankings of the year, putting the Rams first, the Broncos second and the defending champion Seahawks only third, with the Dolphins last. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/ea18c6ec-7662-4e66-91ed-4d0ef9d7d97d (scored 100) - Jared Dubin on Los Angeles Rams: Dubin picks the Rams, Texans, Ravens, Bengals, Packers, Cowboys and Broncos in Week 1 with exact scores, and says the Rams are his pick to win the Super Bowl this season. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/5017ce6e-d3fa-471a-bcf6-b9834182fded (scored 26.19) - Jordan Dajani on Los Angeles Rams: Dajani picks the Rams over the 49ers, Texans over Bills, Ravens over Colts, Bengals over Buccaneers, Vikings over Packers, Cowboys over Giants and Broncos over Chiefs in Week 1, with exact scores. He also predicts the Bills win the AFC East, the Cowboys win their division, and Caleb Downs wins Defensive Rookie of the Year. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/f6565d23-03db-4e60-a574-21a0b86dafb0 (scored 11.9) - Jared Dubin on Los Angeles Rams: The unsigned CBS Sports preview picks the Rams to beat the 49ers 31-21 in the Week 1 game in Melbourne, and also names the Rams as its Super Bowl winner for the season. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/71ca9946-84c7-4234-bc1e-37db563e9ccd (scored 26.19) - Mike Florio on Los Angeles Rams: Florio 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/4b20f46e-ebc0-462f-9e7a-2ab82f91a2ea (scored 28.57) - Gilberto Manzano on Los Angeles Rams: Manzano's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/f6e2bb80-47ba-4803-9002-1ab10e7ee54c (scored 0) ## More depth chart calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Rich Hribar on Malik Willis: Hribar previews the Week 1 Dolphins-Raiders game, calling Malik Willis a strong floor-based QB2 for fantasy, noting Kirk Cousins is the Raiders' starter and not a Week 1 streamer in 1QB leagues, and listing expected defensive starters for both teams. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/0ff48079-418b-4d5a-9eb2-6e66b0e6f6e1 (scored 100) - Randy Gurzi on Jadarian Price: Gurzi suggests the Seahawks could sign three free agents — safety Donovan Wilson, guard Kevin Zeitler, and running back Kareem Hunt — if weaknesses show up after Week 1. He also notes Trevon Diggs starting on the practice squad and describes Seattle's projected backfield roles. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/350eed1b-4675-4a2d-aaf5-812e20678283 (scored 100) - Tyler Sullivan on Malik Willis: An unsigned CBS Sports preseason review grading all 32 teams, which along the way stakes out a number of depth-chart calls for Week 1 and beyond — including Deshaun Watson opening as Cleveland's starter, Fernando Mendoza taking over as Las Vegas' QB1 by season's end, and Minnesota's Murray-Wentz-McCarthy quarterback order. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/054d7c3e-baca-4414-b3dd-72c4eced2725 (scored 100) - Warren Sharp on Kirk Cousins: Sharp argues Raiders rookie No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza is not ready to play, predicting he won't start Week 1 or Week 2 and that Kirk Cousins will be the Week 1 starter, with Mendoza sitting behind him for a long stretch. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/f6c6fdb0-ba07-4779-bdb0-bed9dfc089c6 (scored 100) - Greg Auman on Malik Willis: Auman states Malik Willis will be Miami's Week 1 starting quarterback and the player the Dolphins build their season around, despite having only six career starts. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/4954ba44-5b36-43a2-9dcf-26538ad31e26 (scored 100) - Carter Bahns on Kirk Cousins: The newsletter says Shedeur Sanders' preseason Week 2 start may have won him the Browns' starting quarterback job over Deshaun Watson, and that Kirk Cousins will lead the Raiders' offense in Week 1. It also asserts Florida is the best college basketball team heading into 2026-27. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/551a6c15-18a9-488d-a1c2-52e7643735cd (scored 100) --- 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=gavin-carlson