# John Middlekauff: 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.

**Claimed:** Feb 3, 2026
**Pundit:** John Middlekauff — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/john-middlekauff
**Outlet:** The Colin Cowherd Podcast (podcast) — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/the-colin-cowherd-podcast-podcast
**How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview
**Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/the-colin-cowherd-podcast/super-bowl-week-preview-darnold-from-bust-to-top-ten-qb-seahawks-valuation-too-low-vikings-fire-gm-kubiak-will-succeed

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.

> Well, I think he's easily a top ten quarterback.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Sam Darnold to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
  - Verdict: scored 58.33 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess

## Who this take is about

- Sam Darnold — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/sam-darnold
- Seattle Seahawks — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/seahawks

## What others said about the same people

- Justin Penik on Sam Darnold: Pennock 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/4af0c93c-46f5-4a2c-ae24-e6ffa81a6559 (scored 0)
- Rich Eisen on Sam Darnold: Eisen 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/b7b4272f-1a0d-4a49-aa8d-9c4e0fafe7f4 (scored 100)
- Chris Brockman on Sam Darnold: Brockman 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/f5a95573-4efe-4e21-89cc-287b362c5823 (scored 100)
- Chris Brockman on Sam Darnold: Brockman 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/a2b07104-54ed-4c96-9d46-9aa0edca856a (scored 100)
- Colin Cowherd on Sam Darnold: Cowherd 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/20b95f66-a4d8-4c9c-8b28-24ec3daab872 (scored 0)
- Richard Sherman on Sam Darnold: Sherman 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/fd0cf59d-3729-4865-8641-02792d0b6b24 (scored 0)

## More positional finishes

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Rich Hribar on Matthew Stafford: Hribar 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/9d1e15ad-f96d-457c-ad9f-25882182e28b (scored 100)
- Chris Brockman on Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Brockman 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/c47d130c-5598-4cd0-b546-1121046b9166 (scored 100)
- Ryan Tracy on Bryan Cook: Tracy 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/18bb787c-4f93-4c95-b8c2-02daeeffe823 (scored 0)
- Pat Gustavson on Bijan Robinson: Gustafson 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/06884586-5b21-40c8-9439-e303a3e8a806 (scored 75)
- JP Acosta on Bijan Robinson: JP 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/660e3494-2b0b-415e-beb7-9e3bf3464e30 (scored 75)
- Rich Eisen on George Pickens: Eisen 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/2b6828d6-b24c-4c65-ac95-56bf45c4ebf7 (scored 100)

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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

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