John Middlekauff· Feb 3, 2026
Middlekauff says Sam Darnold is easily a top-10 quarterback in the NFL, and that Fernando Mendoza is a perfect fit for Clint Kubiak's Raiders offense.
“Well, I think he's easily a top ten quarterback.”
said on air or in an interview · The Colin Cowherd Podcast (podcast) · read the original →
The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 5, 2026. The quote and evidence above are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.
It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
The call scored 58.3 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Their call against what happened
positional finish10They said
5What happened
Their call against what actually happened.
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1 checkable claim 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.
Sam Darnold to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards
“Well, I think he's easily a top ten quarterback. And one thing that he's proven that no one would have believed a couple of years ago.”
Close · 58Scored 58.33a naive guess scored 100-41.67 skillHow this was scored
- skill:
- -41.67
- player:
- Sam Darnold
- season:
- 2025
- zero at:
- 12
- accuracy:
- 58.33
- baseline:
- 100
- position:
- QB
- ranked by:
- passing yards
- difficulty:
- 1
- the naive guess:
- where he finished last season
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- naive finish:
- 5
- actual finish:
- 5
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- predicted finish:
- 10
What others said about the same people
- Justin PenikTrade and Signing Calls · Sam DarnoldMiss · 0Pennock predicted Sam Darnold to Pittsburgh, Zach Baun re-signing in Philadelphia, Charvarius Ward and Jamien Sherwood to Washington, Cam Robinson to Chicago as left tackle, Cam Bynum to the Jets, Darius Slayton to the Chargers, Aaron Jones back to Minnesota and Aaron Rodgers to the Giants.
- Rich EisenTrade and Signing Calls · Sam DarnoldHit · 100Eisen predicts three quarterbacks go in the first round, with Jaxson Dart taken late in round one, and says three running backs in the first would be a surprise; he also insists Shedeur Sanders will not fall out of the top 10 and picks the Rams to win the NFC West while keeping the Eagles as the NFC favorite over Washington.
- Chris BrockmanTrade and Signing Calls · Sam DarnoldHit · 100Brockman floats several overreactions: the Titans trade the No. 1 pick, at least six QBs and RBs combined go in round one, Shedeur Sanders falls out of the top 10, the Rams win the NFC West, the Deebo Samuel trade makes Washington the NFC's team to beat, and Sam Darnold leaves Minnesota for $50 million a year.
- Chris BrockmanTrade and Signing Calls · Sam DarnoldHit · 100Brockman floats a series of overreactions: the Titans won't make the first overall pick because someone trades up, at least six quarterbacks and running backs combined go in round one, Shedeur Sanders falls out of the top 10, the Rams win the NFC West, the Commanders become the team to beat in the NFC, and Sam Darnold leaves Minnesota for $50 million a year.
- Colin CowherdTrade and Signing Calls · Sam DarnoldMiss · 0Cowherd picks Kansas City to beat Philadelphia in Super Bowl 59 by a field goal, 30-27, in a close, high-scoring game, and gives the Chiefs edges at head coach, quarterback, tight end, defensive front seven, secondary and kicker while giving the Eagles edges at running back, wide receiver and offensive line. He also predicts Travis Kelce retires if the Chiefs win, Sam Darnold leaves Minnesota with the Raiders in play, and Shedeur Sanders slides in the draft.
- Richard ShermanTrade and Signing Calls · Sam DarnoldMiss · 0Sherman picks the Chiefs to beat the Bills in the AFC Championship Game despite Buffalo's turnover dominance, and picks the Commanders to upset the Eagles in Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game. He also expects Saquon Barkley to win Offensive Player of the Year, though he hedges that voters may give it to Lamar or Josh Allen.
More positional finishes
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Rich HribarPositional Finishes · Matthew StaffordHit · 100Hribar published his 2023 fantasy football quarterback tiers, ordering 41 quarterbacks into eight tiers that reflect how he prioritizes drafting the position, with Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes in the top tier as the trio most likely to finish as the overall QB1.
- 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.
- Ryan TracyPositional Finishes · Bryan CookMiss · 0Tracy argues the Chiefs should address edge rusher and defensive tackle via the draft and use free agency on running back and wide receiver; he names Brian Robinson as his target, expects Kenneth Walker III to re-sign with Seattle, thinks Nick Bolton-style veterans like Jerry Tillery, Derek Nnadi and Mike Pennel shouldn't return, believes Bryan Cook is a top-10 safety the Chiefs can't afford, and predicts a quarterback (Trinidad Chambliss) will rocket up boards so more than one QB goes in the top 10.
- 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 · George PickensHit · 100Eisen called the Rams-winning-it-all take an overreaction but expects Los Angeles to win the NFC West, said he doesn't see how Myles Garrett fails to win Defensive Player of the Year, and called George Pickens perhaps the third-best receiver in the NFL this season.