# Ross Jackson: Previewing the NFL Combine's defensive back and tight end workouts, Jackson projected draft ranges for several prospects — Caleb Downs as a top-10 (and deserving top-five) pick, Dylan Thieneman early Day 2, Mansoor Delane inside the top 15 and as the first cornerback off the board, and Colton Hood in the second round. He also said undersized Indiana corner D'Angelo Ponds could run in the 4.2s and become the first small corner in 20 years taken in the top 100. **Claimed:** Feb 27, 2026 **Pundit:** Ross Jackson — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/ross-jackson **Outlet:** Locked On Saints (podcast) — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/locked-on-saints-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us **Original:** https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdrl.fm/83ac39/lockedon.simplecastaudio.com/26a658f6-15f1-4878-ab5f-d78d7d886aa9/episodes/4eba4909-19f6-408f-86ee-867eb8c2cb82/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=26a658f6-15f1-4878-ab5f-d78d7d886aa9&awEpisodeId=4eba4909-19f6-408f-86ee-867eb8c2cb82&feed=aKgoC4uX 7 checkable claims — 5 mock draft picks, 1 combine measurement and 1 position order call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record. 5 of 7 have settled so far, averaging 99.2 out of 100, against 42.5 for a naive guess at the same calls. > Caleb Downs is probably a top 10 pick, period. Should be a top five pick. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Mansoor Delane to be 1st corner off the board** - Kind: Position Order Calls · About: Mansoor Delane - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 12.64 for a naive guess - **Colton Hood to be picked “a second round pick” (picks 33–64)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Colton Hood - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Caleb Downs to be picked “top 10 pick” (picks 1–10)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Caleb Downs - Verdict: scored 95.76 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Mansoor Delane to be picked “top 15 pick” (picks 1–15)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Mansoor Delane - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **D'Angelo Ponds to be picked “selected in the top 100” (picks 1–100)** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: D'Angelo Ponds - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Dillon Thieneman to be picked “a day two early day two pick”** - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Dillon Thieneman - Verdict: not settled yet - **D'Angelo Ponds to post potential to run four three, and some people think he might run in the four twos at the combine** - Kind: Combine Measurements · About: D'Angelo Ponds - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Mansoor Delane — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/mansoor-delane - Colton Hood — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/colton-hood - Caleb Downs — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/caleb-downs - D'Angelo Ponds — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/d-angelo-ponds - Dillon Thieneman — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/dillon-thieneman ## What others said about the same people - Patricia Traina on Colton Hood: Traina projects the Giants' initial 53-man roster position by position, naming who makes the team and who lands on the practice squad, including keeping Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Evan Neal (with a possible trade), Dalen Cambre over Braxton Berrios, Lucas Patrick as backup center, and Dominic Zvada as the kicker. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/8bb1a183-b45b-44db-8a61-23bdd2238a6b (scored 100) - Mike Moraitis on Dillon Thieneman: Moraitis says Coby Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, Elijah Hicks and Cam Lewis are locks to make the Bears' 53-man roster, and that newly signed safety Xavier Woods has a chance to stick given Chicago's secondary injuries. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/fbbcfe3d-e2af-4454-967d-c02498c19537 (scored 100) - Nick Shook on Dillon Thieneman: 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 56.94) - Nick Wright on Mansoor Delane: Nick Wright laid out his full mock draft 3.0 for the 2026 NFL Draft, pick by pick through the first round, and also predicted AJ Brown would finish top five in the NFL in receiving yards with the Patriots. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/77faa345-d736-4a90-8185-b1b92c789e5a (scored 100) - Daniel Jeremiah on Mansoor Delane: Jeremiah unveiled his first mock draft of the cycle, projecting all 32 first-round picks, led by Fernando Mendoza going No. 1 to the Raiders, Arnold Reese to the Jets at No. 2, and offensive linemen Spencer Fano and Francis Malioa going back-to-back to Arizona and Tennessee. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/833799c1-94ee-49d4-a9f9-f1c42dd771ed (scored 100) - Jaime Eisner on Colton Hood: A seven-round Seahawks mock draft projecting Seattle to take CB Colton Hood at No. 32, EDGE Malachi Lawrence at No. 64, RB Kaytron Allen at No. 96 and IOL Pat Coogan at No. 188 in 2026, with Coogan eventually becoming a starter. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/01d5b680-1553-4fa7-b9bd-2d041b124dc6 (scored 80.52) ## 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) - Bucky Brooks on Carnell Tate: In 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/677f566f-9e38-4dd7-b312-0baad54b440e (scored 80.52) --- 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=ross-jackson