Who Knows?!

The 2026 NFL Draft is complete after three days of teams deciding which players are the best fit to join their franchise.

Every selection these general managers made was, of course, based on research, but every choice was also filled with hope, predictions, and guessing about what the player could do in the future. These GMs are convinced that the players they selected will come in and help their team win.

As fans, we love the NFL Draft and know that it garners a ton of attention from us and the media before, during, and after. Part of the draft process leading up to the announcement of the first pick is mock drafts, as “draft experts” put down their best guesses at what they believe will happen during the draft.

They make predictions about what each team will do with the picks they have, are confident in how the draft will play out, and declare what they believe will happen. (Very few picks go exactly the way the mock drafts laid out.)

Then, once the draft selections are made, there’s an instant reaction to whether or not it’s a good pick. Fans boo or cheer after each pick based on their opinions of a player’s future impact.

Draft analysts share their thoughts on what each player will do in the future. They make declarative statements about which players they believe will become stars, will start right away, or will not be a good fit and will not produce for the team that took them. 

Going a step further, when “draft experts” provide draft grades for each pick and each team, they base it on their predictions for how players will perform at the next level and how they believe their skills will or won't translate to the team that selected them. 

And while all these predictions, guesses, and opinions about the future are underway, and we think about what might or might happen for each of these players’ careers, the only truly honest assessment is…”WHO KNOWS?!

Nobody has a clue about what’s actually going to happen! There are no guarantees.

Sure, there are signs, knowledge, and history that can inform everyone to draw reasonable conclusions or realistic expectations about what a player will do in the NFL. Still, the reality is nobody really knows what's in store for each player's career. 

Who knows if a player will get injured, be unable to handle the pressure, go through personal things off the field, grow physically, or improve drastically? Nobody knew Tom Brady would be Tom Brady when the Patriots selected him 199th overall, and who knew that so many QBs taken top 10 over the years would fail so miserably? 

The NFL Draft is a blast, but before anyone makes judgments or declarative statements about the future, let’s pause with humility and be willing to say, “Who knows”?

That doesn’t mean teams don’t do their best to make wise decisions or plan as well as they can, or that draft analysts don’t provide information or context about what teams did and what skillsets the player brings to the roster.

However, they must do so with the proper acknowledgment of how much they don’t know. That doesn’t have to leave them without hope or confidence, or lead them to anxiety or worry, but rather to a willingness to take it day by day, admit when they’re wrong, and adjust when things don’t play out exactly as they predicted.

As fans on the Monday after the draft, when others ask us how our favorite team did, we can humbly say “Who knows” and have a fun discussion about the picks. As followers of Jesus who start up another week, a similar response can be uttered with a caveat. 

The truth is, God has revealed so much to us that we can have confident hope about our future and have assurance that our eternity is secure with Him, thanks to Jesus and our faith in Him. As Matt Osborne wrote in Friday’s UNPACKIN’ itdevotional, we live with eternity in mind.

With that said, as we live out our days here on earth, there is so much about our future that we don’t know. We don’t know what God has in store for us this week or next year. We don’t know what’s going to happen to us, the people around us, or how much longer we’re going to be here.

So often, we are tempted to be like “draft experts” and make declarative statements about the future and what we’ll do in our careers or after. We make confident predictions about our kids’ futures or offer opinions about what will happen in the world.

However, Proverbs 27:1 (ESV) tells us, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

Certainly, there are signs, knowledge, and history that can inform us in drawing reasonable conclusions or realistic expectations about what's ahead in this life. But the reality is, who knows (other than God, of course) the details of how things are exactly going to play out or what's going to transpire or arise next.

Who knows what trials and challenges await us and what surprises will come our way?

That’s why we have to choose a humble approach and take James 4:13-16 (NLT) seriously when it says, “Look here, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.' How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?

“Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, 'If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.' Otherwise, you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.”

Life is a gift, but it’s also a vapor, so before we answer questions, make judgments, or make declarative statements about the future, let’s always pause with humility and be willing to say, "I don’t know, but God does, and I trust in His will and plans."

That doesn’t mean we don’t do our best to make wise decisions or plan as well as we can. However, we must do so with open hands and open hearts, acknowledging how much we don’t know about the future. 

That doesn’t have to leave us without hope or confidence, or lead to anxiety or worry, but rather to a willingness to take it day by day, admit when we’re wrong, and adjust when things don’t play out exactly as we predicted. 

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:34 (ESV), “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Today, let’s be excited and at peace about our eternal life, while remaining hopeful and confident about our future because of Jesus. As we live each day on earth, let's trust in the One who knows us, knows our future, and has good plans for us.

Let's live by Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV): “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

I'm Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I surrender to You and acknowledge I don’t know what the future holds, but I know that You are good and have wonderful things in store for me. Even when my future plans don’t go the way I think they will, help me to continue to trust You. Help me to live with humility, hope, and confidence. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.