Damian Parson· Apr 20, 2026
Locked On's draft analyst laid out where several prospects should land in the upcoming draft: Zachariah Branch as a Day 2/third-round target for the Chargers, Penn State's top offensive lineman gone well before pick 22 (ideally 14 to Baltimore), Akeem Mesador and Malachi Lawrence as first-round edge rushers, Derrick Moore as a Day 2 edge, and Texas's left tackle as a top-10 pick next year.
“But it just seems super unlikely, as we get closer and closer to the draft that he's gonna get to 22.”
said on air, transcribed by us · Locked On Chargers (podcast) · read the original →
5 checkable claims — 5 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 6 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 5 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Their call against what happened
overall pickTheir call against what actually happened.
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Who this take is about
5 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.
- Mock Draft PicksZachariah BranchApr 20, 2026
Zachariah Branch to be picked “day two, probably third round” (picks 65–100)
“but I think if you look at day two, obviously, probably third round is if he's still there. I think about Zachariah Branch out of Georgia.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 50How this was scored
- draft:
- 2026
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Zachariah Branch
- season:
- 2026
- zero at:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 79
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 100
- predicted pick:
- day two, probably third round (picks 65–100)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
- Mock Draft PicksMalachi LawrenceApr 20, 2026
Malachi Lawrence to be picked “inside the twenties”
“Malachi Lawrence out of UCF, his stock has skyrocketed... back in around when that that inside the twenties, I think he's a he's a a pick for whether it's Philly, the charge, whoever.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Mock Draft PicksAkheem MesidorMiami DolphinsApr 20, 2026
Akheem Mesidor to be picked “round one”
“but in round one, I think, Akeem Mesador, 25 year old rookie.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Mock Draft PicksDerrick MooreApr 20, 2026
Derrick Moore to be picked “day two”
“I got it on day two. Derrick Moore out of Michigan.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Mock Draft PicksOlaivavega IoaneApr 20, 2026
Olaivavega Ioane to be picked “drafted before No. 22 (ideal landing spot 14 to the Ravens)”
“But it just seems super unlikely, as we get closer and closer to the draft that he's gonna get to 22... I think the the ideal land spot for him is probably that 14 to the Ravens.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Tyler DeSenaRoster Spot Calls · Kevin ColemanHit · 100DeSena 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.
- Alain PoupartRoster Spot Calls · Keith Cooper Jr.Miss · 0Poupart'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.
- Mike MoraitisRoster Spot Calls · Andre Jones Jr.Hit · 100Moraitis expects Andre Jones Jr. to hold a spot on Miami's 53-man roster after being signed off Buffalo's practice squad, with a significant special teams role under coordinator Chris Tabor.
- Alain PoupartRoster Spot Calls · Jalen TolbertHit · 100Previewing the Dolphins' preseason finale and roster cutdown, Poupart states Malik Willis is locked in as the starting quarterback, Mark Gronowski is effectively gone, and identifies Greg Dulcich and Will Kacmarek as the only certainties at tight end while treating several receivers as settled roster locks.
- Jeff CavanaughRoster Spot Calls · Malachi LawrenceHit · 100Building his projected Cowboys 53-man roster on defense, Jeff keeps five interior linemen (Kenny Clark, Quentin, Tito Obonia, LT Overton, Bullard), six edge rushers including Von Miller, Malachi Lawrence and Marist Liufau while cutting Sam Williams, four linebackers with Jayshawn Barham starting, six corners including rookie Devin Moore, and four safeties including Marquise Bell.
- Alain PoupartRoster Spot Calls · Chris JohnsonHit · 100Poupart sorts the Dolphins roster into tiers ahead of the 53-man cutdown, naming 28 players as locks to make the roster and eight more as borderline locks who more than likely make it. He also expects Quinn Ewers to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Malik Willis, and says Darrell Baker Jr. and Storm Duck will start the season on PUP.
More mock draft picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Lance ZierleinMock Draft Picks · Jeremiyah LoveHit · 100Zierlein 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.
- Nick ShookMock Draft Picks · Max IheanachorHit · 88Shook 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.
- Gregg RosenthalMock Draft Picks · K.C. ConcepcionClose · 68Rosenthal 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.
- Daniel JeremiahMock Draft Picks · Keyron CrawfordHit · 81In 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.
- Daniel JeremiahMock Draft Picks · Carnell TateHit · 92Jeremiah 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.
- Bucky BrooksMock Draft Picks · Carnell TateHit · 81In 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.