Grading 2025 NFL mock drafts: How did Mel Kiper, Daniel Jeremiah, Todd McShay & other experts fare?

Predicting the NFL Draft, at least beyond the first handful of picks, is often a fool’s errand.

Once one surprise happens on draft night, the rest of the action tends to deviate far away from expectations. That’s part of what makes the event so entertaining despite no actual football being played.

The slide of Shedeur Sanders all the way to the fifth round served as a reminder of how volatile the draft can be, but that certainly wasn’t the only surprise of the weekend. Even without too many trades early in the first round, the result for most experts’ mock drafts was carnage once again. 

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The Sporting News is grading pundits’ final mock drafts. Here is the point system:

• One full point for correct player, pick and team;
• One half point for correct player and pick, but incorrect team;
• One half point for correct player and team, but incorrect pick

Here’s a look at how some of the experts fared in their final mock drafts.

MORE: 2025 NFL Draft winners and losers

(Bold lines represent one full point while italicized lines represent a half-point).

Vinnie Iyer’s mock draft (The Sporting News)

Iyer’s latest mock was released on April 24:

Picks correct: 4.5/32

Iyer nailed the top four picks, earning a half point for the Jaguars’ selection of Travis Hunter after a blockbuster trade, and he added another point with the Jets’ selection of OT Armand Membou at No. 7. 

Peter Schrager’s mock draft (ESPN)

Schrager’s latest mock was released on April 23:

Picks correct: 7.5/32

Schrager had some extremely impressive hits in his final mock draft, nailing the top four picks and also Tyler Booker to the Cowboys, Grey Zabel to the Seahawks, and Matthew Golden to the Packers.

Schrager picked up two half points in addition to Hunter: he correctly slotted TE Colston Loveland at No. 10 overall but had the Colts trading up with the Bears for the pick, and we’ll give him a half point for matching Jaxson Dart and the Giants one pick below where New York actually took the Ole Miss quarterback. 

MORE: Early top 50 big board for 2026 NFL Draft

Todd McShay (The Ringer)

Todd McShay released a mock draft on April 23:

Picks correct: 8/32

McShay made some excellent projections. He nailed six exact picks, including Tyler Warren to the Colts, Grey Zabel to the Seahawks, and Derrick Harmon to the Steelers, along with four half points.

In addition to slotting Hunter in at No. 2, McShay correctly matched up James Pearce Jr. and the Falcons 11 picks early, Jaxson Dart and the Giants three picks late, and Josh Simmons to the Chiefs just one pick early. 

Bucky Brooks’ mock draft (NFL.com)

Brooks’ latest mock was released on April 22:

Picks correct: 6/32

Brooks nailed five picks, the most impressive being Shemar Stewart to the Bengals at No. 17, and he also slotted Travis Hunter and Mason Graham in the correct spots despite a trade between the Jaguars and Browns swapping their landing spots. 

MORE NFL DRAFT 2025:

Chris Simms’ mock draft (NBC Sports)

Simms’ latest mock was released on April 21:

Picks correct: 7/32

Simms hit on Tyler Warren to the Colts, Derrick Harmon to the Steelers, and Matthew Golden to the Packers while also nailing the slots for Travis Hunter (No. 2) and Mason Graham (No. 5).

Dane Brugler (The Athletic) 

Brugler’s latest mock draft was released on April 16

Picks correct: 6/32

Brugler was another pundit who hit on Grey Zabel to the Seahawks, and his other highlights include correctly predicting the Jets’ selection of Armand Membou as well as the Chiefs’ selection of Josh Simmons one pick early.

Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates (ESPN) 

Kiper released a joint mock draft with Field Yates on April 15

Picks correct: 9.5/32

Good things happen when Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates put their mind together, apparently. They won with 9.5 points, correctly guessing eight exact picks along with Hunter at No. 2, Graham at No. 5, and Jihaad Campbell to the Eagles. Kiper and Yates also nailed the Ravens’ selection of Malaki Starks.

Daniel Jeremiah (NFL Network)

Daniel Jeremiah released a mock draft on April 23

Picks correct: 5/32

Jeremiah didn’t have an exactly correct pick outside of the top seven, but that’s more of a technicality with the Eagles moving up only one slot to take LB Jihaad Campbell. 

Field Yates (ESPN)

Field Yates released his latest mock draft on April 24:

Picks correct: 8/32

Yates’ standalone mock draft wasn’t quite as successful as his joint mock draft with Kiper, but it was close. While he missed on picks 5-10, Yates nailed Mykel Williams to the 49ers, Malaki Starks to the Ravens, and Maxwell Hairston to the Bills; his mock draft is the only one from this group to pick both Williams and Hairston correctly.

Yates also earned a half point for correctly projecting the Browns to trade up for QB Shedeur Sanders — he just missed by 115 picks. 

SHEDEUR SANDERS NFL DRAFT SLIDE: