Vol. I ยท No. 7 October 14, 2026 Gridiron
The Ledger
The Ledger, Week 5: Buy, Sell, Hold, The Wire
The Ledger
The Ledger, Week 4: Buy, Sell, Hold, The Wire
The Ledger
The Ledger, Week 3: Buy, Sell, Hold, The Wire
The Weekly Rank™
Rest-of-season rankings, with the movement shown
MonThe Receiptswhat last week's board got right
TueThe Moversnew rankings, 7am ET
WedSignalswhere the metrics disagree
ThuOne Flaga film note on one player
An Annual Column

The Flag Plant

One rookie a year. Called on film and instinct before the season starts, published on the record, graded honestly afterward.

Everything else on this site runs on data. This does not. Every year since 2017 I have picked one rookie running back based on something I saw on film that the consensus had not priced in. Situation matters and prospect profile matters, but the call itself is a gut read.

It is published before the season, it is never edited, and it gets graded when the year is over. Some of these look good. Some do not. That is the point of writing them down.

The numbers tell you what is happening now. The film tells you what is coming.

2026

Jadarian Price, Seattle. A first-round pick starting Week 1 for the champions, going as the 26th running back off the board. The case, the risks, and the film read are in the article.

The Record

Seven calls over nine seasons, with two years I sat out. By my own grading, three hits, three pushes, one incomplete. The full accounting, what happened to each one and what the misses taught me, is here.

Questions

What is the Flag Plant?

One rookie running back, picked before Week 1, every year since 2017. It's the one call on this site that doesn't come from the model. It comes from watching tape and seeing something I don't think the consensus has priced yet. I publish it before a snap is played and I never edit it afterward, so you can check it against what actually happened.

How is the Flag Plant graded?

In January, honestly, as a hit, a push or a miss. I grade the call against what I actually claimed about the player's role and finish, not against whether he turned out to be talented. No partial credit for "well, if he'd stayed healthy." The grade goes on the record next to the call, and the misses stay up with the hits.

What is the Flag Plant record?

Seven calls over nine seasons, with two years I sat out because nobody stood out. By my own grading: three hits, three pushes and one incomplete. The 2026 call is Jadarian Price, and it stays ungraded until January like the rest. Every call, what happened to each one, and the grade it earned is in the history article, with the college tape.