Grading the 2023 NFL Mock Drafts

Predicting the NFL Draft is an unenviable task. So many different factors can interfere and make your predictions look entirely foolish. Draft trades, shocking picks, and shocking falls could cause your guesses to go straight to the trashcan.

2023 was no different. The first round featured several head-turning picks and curveballs. So naturally, Awful Announcing tracked the NFL draft and the NFL mock drafts of six prominent NFL voices. The choices we made were: Daniel Jeremiah (NFL Network/NFL.com), Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN), Peter King (NBC), Pete Prisco (CBS), Peter Schrager (NFL Network), and Todd McShay (ESPN).

Heading into Round 1 on Thursday, many proclaimed it to be one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent memory. That certainly proved true in the prognostications. Let’s go down the NFL mock drafts ladder.

Mel Kiper Jr. (1/31)

It was a brutal night for Mel Kiper Jr. After being the center of the Will Levis hype train; Levis completely fell out of the first round. Kiper technically correctly guessed Will Anderson to Houston, but he just missed on the number. A few others made this mishap as well. Kiper did correctly think that Anthony Richardson would go to the AFC South. However, Kiper mocked the Florida quarterback to Houston, not Indianapolis. He also correctly guessed Anton Harrison to Jacksonville, but obviously, the Jags traded down to 27th. Kiper’s only correct make was the first overall pick, which all the prognosticators also made.

Pete Prisco (2/31)

Peter King (2/31)

Peter Schrager (2/31)

Hilariously, the three Petes all got the same score. King, Prisco, and Schrager all landed on two correct makes from the field. They all got Bryce Young to Carolina and, from there, some scattered choices. Schrager nailed Tyree Wilson to Las Vegas, which Prisco and King thought would go with a cornerback. King accurately guessed Bijan Robinson to the Falcons, Prisco thought Will Anderson would drop, and Schrager guessed Christian Gonzalez. Schrager, like Kiper, thought Anderson would go to Houston, just not at No. 3. Finally, Prisco’s second accuracy, Emmanuel Forbes to Washington.

Todd McShay (4/31)

Todd McShay scored the second-highest number from the field with four correct makes in Round 1. McShay accurately picked Young to Carolina, Robinson to Atlanta, Forbes to Washington, and Jordan Addison to Minnesota. While it was at 10th, McShay correctly guessed that Philadelphia would draft Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith. He and everyone else didn’t imagine Jalen Carter would also go there. They all had him going to Seattle, who instead opted for Devon Witherspoon at 5th overall. So, four makes for McShay, with an additional correct guess for Smith—a good night at the office for him.

Daniel Jeremiah (6/31)

But nobody was more successful on the night than Daniel Jeremiah. Jeremiah hit on six picks: Young to Carolina, Robinson to Atlanta, Forbes to Washington, and Addison to Minnesota. But no two choices were better than his startling prediction that Houston would draft both C.J. Stroud AND Will Anderson at 2 and 3. So not only did Jeremiah guess right on a trade and the players, and they also correctly predicted how the team would pull their shrewd move off. Jeremiah also mocked Smith to the Eagles like McShay and guessed right on Broderick Jones to the Steelers. The Steelers merely moved up for him at 14th.