# Bucky Brooks: In his second NFL.com mock draft, Brooks has Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza going No. 1 overall to Las Vegas and Miami edge rusher Ruben Bain Jr. going No. 7 to the Washington Commanders. He also believes Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia will go undrafted entirely. **Claimed:** Mar 1, 2026 **Pundit:** Bucky Brooks — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/bucky-brooks **Outlet:** Fox Sports Radio (podcast) — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/fox-sports-radio-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview **Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/fox-sports-radio-weekends/andy-furman-bucky-brooks-talk-nflpa-report-cards-2026-nfl-combine-draft-so-much-more 3 checkable claims — 3 mock draft picks — 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. 2 of 3 have settled so far, averaging 85.4 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls. > I don't think he's gonna get drafted. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Fernando Mendoza to be picked at number 1** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Fernando Mendoza - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Rueben Bain to be picked at number 7** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Rueben Bain, Washington Commanders - Verdict: scored 70.71 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Diego Pavia to be picked “I don't think he's gonna get drafted”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Diego Pavia - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Fernando Mendoza — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/fernando-mendoza - Rueben Bain — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/rueben-bain - Washington Commanders — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/commanders - Diego Pavia — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/diego-pavia ## What others said about the same people - David Harrison on Washington Commanders: Harrison lays out a path for the Washington Commanders to exceed their 7.5-win total, identifying eight specific games he projects them to win: home vs. Seattle (Week 3), vs. Indianapolis in London (Week 4), a sweep of the Giants (Weeks 5 and 10), at Arizona (Week 12), at Tennessee (Week 13), vs. Atlanta (Week 15) and vs. Dallas (Week 18). He also says the Bengals (Week 11) and Texans (Week 14) games are winnable. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/557473e2-242a-41c5-beb5-026d792d86fa (scored 100) - David Harrison on Tim Settle: Harrison gives his initial 53-man roster projection for the Washington Commanders: three quarterbacks including Ethan Kalyak Manus, three running backs, four tight ends, six receivers (leaving off De'Ami Brown and Jaden Bradley), nine offensive linemen with Matt Goldman at center, and a defense of six linebackers but only four cornerbacks. He also projects Tunstall and Newton going to IR on Monday with De'Ami Brown and Dietrich Wise re-signed, plus a corner-heavy practice squad. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/1d5b2565-5531-47ac-bff8-ccb9b23a980a (scored 100) - David Harrison on Tyler Ott: Harrison projects the Washington Commanders' initial 53-man roster if it had to be set today, naming 26 offensive players, three specialists and 24 defenders, and also assigns depth-chart slots at quarterback, running back, the offensive line, the interior defensive line, and the return/specialist jobs. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/2e2254ee-daf7-4f82-81d4-2bc73e1b7291 (scored 100) - Nathan Jahnke on Luke McCaffrey: An unsigned PFF preseason recap makes numerous depth-chart, roster and usage projections across the league, based on Week 3 preseason playing time — including Roman Wilson winning Pittsburgh's third receiver job, Luke McCaffrey's roster spot being in danger, Charlie Kolar as the Chargers' top tight end, and Kendre Miller as the Saints' RB2. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/47566b48-8024-4960-b25c-11c03fe43543 (scored 100) - Nathan Jahnke on Luke McCaffrey: PFF's preseason fantasy recap makes a series of depth-chart, roster and usage projections based on final-week preseason snap counts, including Ja'Kobi Lane locking down the Ravens' third receiver role, Luke McCaffrey's roster spot being in danger, Kyle Pitts facing reduced 12-personnel usage, Kendre Miller as the Saints' RB2 and Emmett Johnson as the Chiefs' backup running back. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/265cbdba-b0e0-4f80-9665-a4ca5aaec53e (scored 100) - Philip Hughes on Terry McLaurin: Hughes surveys Washington's remaining roster questions, asserting that Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs are locks for the 53-man roster and that Antonio Williams has essentially secured a spot as the third receiver, while Percy Butler's standing improved after safety cuts. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/2708f043-e677-4a6f-b7ac-a2d1114be6ea (scored 100) ## 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) - Jeff Cavanaugh on Lorenzo Styles: Streaming from the NFL Combine, Jeff pegged safety Dylan Thienemann's draft range at roughly picks 20-35, said LSU safety AJ Halsey would cost a second- or third-round pick, and insisted Sonny Styles' brother would not be a top-50 selection despite a fast 40. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/f1f48cc1-f9d5-44ca-b130-2c6447b49bc6 (scored 0.51) --- 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=bucky-brooks