Nick Wright· Aug 12, 2026
Wright's 2026 "Mahomes Mountain" quarterback tiers place Patrick Mahomes alone at the top, with Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford on the second row and eight tiers in all. He also asserts Mahomes remains the league's best QB, calls Lamar Jackson a top-10 quarterback, tags Burrow, Prescott, Lawrence and Darnold as clear top-10 QBs, and projects Drake Maye and Caleb Williams as perennial top-5 quarterbacks.
“I believe Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL.”
published in writing · Fox Sports · read the original →
9 checkable claims — 8 positional finishes and 1 top player list — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 16 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 6 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 2 and below it on 4.
Their call against the room
positional finishTheir call against everyone else's, while this is still unsettled.
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Who this take is about
9 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.
- Positional FinishesJoe BurrowCincinnati BengalsAug 12, 2026
Joe Burrow to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards
“Each of these quarterbacks, according to Wright, are "clearly top-10 quarterbacks."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
Patrick Mahomes to finish top 1 at his position, by passing yards
“"I believe Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
Trevor Lawrence to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards
“Each of these quarterbacks, according to Wright, are "clearly top-10 quarterbacks."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
- Positional FinishesCaleb WilliamsChicago BearsAug 12, 2026
Caleb Williams to finish top 5 at his position, by passing yards
“"And then you have two guys that, I believe, are going to be perennially top 5 quarterbacks throughout their prime."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
- Positional FinishesDak PrescottDallas CowboysAug 12, 2026
Dak Prescott to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards
“Each of these quarterbacks, according to Wright, are "clearly top-10 quarterbacks."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
- Positional FinishesLamar JacksonBaltimore RavensAug 12, 2026
Lamar Jackson to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards
“"the idea that he's not still a top 10 quarterback in the league is total absurdity."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
- Top Player ListsAug 12, 2026
“In Wright's first edition of "Mahomes Mountain"... 8th Row ... 1st Row Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Drake Maye to finish top 5 at his position, by passing yards
“"And then you have two guys that, I believe, are going to be perennially top 5 quarterbacks throughout their prime."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
- Positional FinishesSam DarnoldSeattle SeahawksAug 12, 2026
Sam Darnold to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards
“Each of these quarterbacks, according to Wright, are "clearly top-10 quarterbacks."”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
What others said about the same people
- 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.
- Mike MoraitisTrade and Signing Calls · DaRon BlandHit · 100Moraitis names five Cowboys he expects to be playing their final season opener in Dallas in 2026: George Pickens (likely tag-and-trade or departure), Malik Hooker, Luke Schoonmaker, DeMarvion Overshown and DaRon Bland.
- John ShipleyRoster Spot Calls · Jack KiserMiss · 0Shipley projects a full 16-player (plus one international/exemption spot) Jaguars practice squad for 2026, naming specific players at each position he expects to land there.
- Jared DubinDepth Chart Calls · Daniel FaaleleMiss · 0Dubin grades the Faalele trade, predicting Faalele has a decent chance to be Jacksonville's Week 1 starting right guard in competition with Wyatt Milum, and that Evan Neal's odds of making the Giants' 53-man roster improved while Jon Runyan and Francis Mauigoa hold the Giants' starting guard jobs.
- Mike MoraitisDepth Chart Calls · Ozzy TrapiloMiss · 0Moraitis writes that although Braxton Jones has looked like the favorite, Ozzy Trapilo is likely to take over as the Bears' starting left tackle once he's healthy enough to play.
- Pete MartuneacDepth Chart Calls · Ozzy TrapiloMiss · 0After Trapilo's activation from the PUP list roughly seven months after rupturing his patellar tendon, Martuneac says the Bears' left tackle competition is over and Trapilo will be starting at left tackle early in the 2026 season, even if not by Week 1.
More positional finishes
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Chris BrockmanPositional Finishes · Jaxon Smith-NjigbaHit · 100Brockman argued Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already the best receiver in the NFL and deserves to be the highest paid, called his shot that three quarterbacks (Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carson Beck) go in the first round with Mendoza first overall, and suggested New England is headed for a 7-10 season.
- Pat GustavsonPositional Finishes · Bijan RobinsonClose · 75Gustafson picks the Patriots, Bills, Seahawks and Bears in the divisional round with a Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl, predicts Mike Tomlin and Matt LaFleur stay, Aaron Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh, and lays out his own coaching landing spots.
- JP AcostaPositional Finishes · Bijan RobinsonClose · 75JP picked the Eagles to beat the 49ers in a low-scoring game and the Jaguars to beat the Bills, called Bijan Robinson the best running back in the league, and named his own first-team All-Pro roster.
- Rich EisenPositional Finishes · Puka NacuaHit · 92Eisen defended his preseason call of the Packers reaching the Super Bowl, said the Chiefs will win the AFC West, called the Ravens the favorites in the AFC North, said the Colts are a playoff team, expected Denver to handle Cincinnati and the Giants to beat the winless Saints, and endorsed Puka Nacua as the league's best receiver.
- Chris BrockmanPositional Finishes · Puka NacuaHit · 92Brockman claimed the AFC North would send only the Steelers to the playoffs, that the Chiefs will win the AFC West, that Puka Nacua is the NFL's best wide receiver, and that the Jaguars are a top-eight team; he also had a preseason prophecy of the Ravens reaching the Super Bowl.
- Chris BrockmanPositional Finishes · Josh AllenMiss · 17Brockman opened with a series of week-one overreactions: Josh Allen repeats as MVP with Buffalo as the AFC's No. 1 seed, Bills-Ravens is both the game of the year and an AFC title game preview, Aaron Rodgers mirrors his 2021 MVP season with 40 TDs, the NFC Championship is played at Lambeau, the Colts are AFC South front runners, Cincinnati's slow start dooms them, Christian McCaffrey has a top-five MVP season, and the Chargers are the team to beat in the AFC West.