1 week Ago By Dan Treacy
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. 📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp 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: Pick Team Player Position School 1 Tennessee Titans Cam Ward QB Miami 2 Cleveland Browns Travis Hunter CB/WR Colorado 3 New York Giants Abdul Carter EDGE Penn State 4 New England Patriots Will Campbell OT LSU 5 Jacksonville Jaguars Ashton Jeanty RB Boise State 6 Las Vegas Raiders Mason Graham DT Michigan 7 New York Jets Armand Membou OT Missouri 8 Carolina Panthers Jalon Walker LB Georgia 9 New Orleans Saints Mykel Williams EDGE Georgia 10 Chicago Bears Tyler Warren TE Penn State 11 San Francisco 49ers Walter Nolen DT Ole Miss 12 Dallas Cowboys Tetairoa McMillan WR Arizona 13 Miami Dolphins Kelvin Banks Jr.
OT Texas 14 Indianapolis Colts Colston Loveland TE Michigan 15 Atlanta Falcons Jihaad Campbell LB Alabama 16 Arizona Cardinals James Pearce Jr. EDGE Tennessee 17 Cincinnati Bengals Jahdae Barron CB Texas 18 Seattle Seahawks Kenneth Grant DT Michigan 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Shemar Stewart EDGE Texas A&M 20 Denver Broncos Emeka Egbuka WR Ohio State 21 Pittsburgh Steelers Shedeur Sanders QB Colorado 22 Los Angeles Chargers Matthew Golden WR Texas 23 Green Bay Packers Will Johnson CB Michigan 24 Minnesota Vikings Malaki Starks S Georgia 25 Houston Texans Tyler Booker G Alabama 26 Los Angeles Rams Nick Emmanwori S South Carolina 27 Baltimore Ravens Josh Simmons OT Ohio State 28 Detroit Lions Nic Scourton EDGE Texas A&M 29 Washington Commanders Omarion Hampton RB North Carolina 30 Buffalo Bills Donovan Ezeiruaku EDGE Boston College 31 Kansas City Chiefs Mike Green EDGE Marshall 32 Philadelphia Eagles Luther Burden III WR Missouri 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: Pick Team Player Position School 1 Tennessee Titans Cam Ward QB Miami 2 Cleveland Browns Travis Hunter WR/CB Colorado 3 New York Giants Abdul Carter EDGE Penn State 4 New England Patriots Will Campbell OT LSU 5 Jacksonville Jaguars Ashton Jeanty RB Boise State 6 Las Vegas Raiders Armand Memobu OT Missouri 7 New York Jets Tyler Warren TE Penn State 8 Carolina Panthers Jalon Walker LB Georgia 9 New Orleans Saints Mykel Williams EDGE Georgia 10 Indianapolis Colts* Colston Loveland TE Michigan 11 San Francisco 49ers Walter Nolen DT Ole Miss 12 Dallas Cowboys Tyler Booker G Alabama 13 Miami Dolphins Mason Graham DT Michigan 14 Chicago Bears* Kelvin Banks Jr. OT Texas 15 Atlanta Falcons Jihaad Campbell LB Alabama 16 Arizona Cardinals Jahdae Barron CB Texas 17 Cincinnati Bengals Mike Green EDGE Marshall 18 Seattle Seahawks Grey Zabel OL North Dakota State 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tetairoa McMillan WR Arizona 20 Denver Broncos Emeka Egbuka WR Ohio State 21 Pittsburgh Steelers Shedeur Sanders QB Colorado 22 Los Angeles Chargers Kenneth Grant DT Michigan 23 Green Bay Packers Matthew Golden WR Texas 24 Minnesota Vikings Omarion Hampton RB North Carolina 25 Houston Texans Donovan Jackson OL Ohio State 26 New York Giants* Jaxson Dart QB Ole Miss 27 Baltimore Ravens Josh Simmons OT Ohio State 28 Detroit Lions Will Johnson CB Michigan 29 Washington Commanders Shemar Stewart EDGE Texas A&M 30 Buffalo Bills Malaki Starks S Georgia 31 Kansas City Chiefs James Pearce Jr, EDGE Tennessee 32 Philadelphia Eagles Maxwell Hairston CB Kentucky 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 : Pick Team Player Position School 1 Tennessee Titans Cam Ward QB Miami 2 Cleveland Browns Travis Hunter CB/WR Colorado 3 New York Giants Abdul Carter EDGE Penn State 4 New England Patriots Will Campbell OT LSU 5 Jacksonville Jaguars Ashton Jeanty RB Boise State 6 Las Vegas Raiders Kelvin Banks Jr. OT Texas 7 New York Jets Jalon Walker EDGE Georgia 8 Carolina Panthers Walter Nolen DT Ole Miss 9 New Orleans Saints Mykel Williams EDGE Georgia 10 Chicago Bears Mason Graham DT Michigan 11 San Francisco 49ers Shemar Stewart EDGE Texas A&M 12 Dallas Cowboys Tetairoa McMillan WR Arizona 13 Miami Dolphins Armond Membou OT Missouri 14 Indianapolis Colts Tyler Warren TE Penn State 15 Atlanta Falcons James Pearce Jr. EDGE Tennessee 16 Arizona Cardinals Jihaad Campbell LB Alabama 17 Cincinnati Bengals Mike Green EDGE Marshall 18 Seattle Seahawks Grey Zabel G North Dakota State 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Will Johnson CB Michigan 20 Denver Broncos Colston Loveland TE Michigan 21 Pittsburgh Steelers Derrick Harmon DT Oregon 22 Los Angeles Chargers Kenneth Grant DT Michigan 23 Green Bay Packers Maxwell Hairston CB Kentucky 24 Minnesota Vikings Jahdae Barron CB Texas 25 Houston Texans Matthew Golden WR Texas 26 Los Angeles Rams Emeka Egbuka WR Ohio State 27 Baltimore Ravens Malaki Starks S Georgia 28 New York Giants (from Detroit) Jaxson Dart QB Ole Miss 29 Washington Commanders Donovan Ezeiruaku EDGE Boston College 30 Buffalo Bills Shavon Revel Jr.
CB East Carolina 31 Kansas City Chiefs Josh Simmons OT Ohio State 32 Philadelphia Eagles Mason Taylor TE LSU 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: Pick Team Player Position School 1 Tennessee Titans Cam Ward QB Miami 2 Cleveland Browns Travis Hunter WR/CB Colorado 3 New York Giants Abdul Carter EDGE Penn State 4 New England Patriots Will Campbell OT LSU 5 Jacksonville Jaguars Mason Graham DT Michigan 6 Las Vegas Raiders Ashton Jeanty RB Boise State 7 New York Jets Tyler Warren TE Penn State 8 Carolina Panthers Jalon Walker LB Georgia 9 New Orleans Saints Will Johnson CB Michigan 10 Chicago Bears Kelvin Banks Jr. OT Texas 11 San Francisco 49ers Walter Nolen DT Ole Miss 12 Dallas Cowboys Omarion Hampton RB North Carolina 13 Miami Dolphins Jahdae Barron CB Texas 14 Indianapolis Colts Armand Membou OT Missouri 15 Atlanta Falcons Mike Green EDGE Marshall 16 Arizona Cardinals Derrick Harmon DT Oregon 17 Cincinnati Bengals Shemar Stewart EDGE Texas A&M 18 Seattle Seahawks Tetairoa McMillan WR Arizona 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jihaad Campbell LB Alabama 20 Denver Broncos TreVeyon Henderson RB Ohio State 21 Pittsburgh Steelers Shedeur Sanders QB Colorado 22 Los Angeles Chargers Colston Loveland TE Michigan 23 Green Bay Packers Maxwell Hairston CB Kentucky 24 Minnesota Vikings Nick Emmanwori S South Carolina 25 Houston Texans Tyler Booker OL Alabama 26 Los Angeles Rams Josh Simmons OT Ohio State 27 Baltimore Ravens Mykel Williams EDGE Georgia 28 Detroit Lions Donovan Jackson OL Ohio State 29 Washington Commanders Matthew Golden WR Texas 30 Buffalo Bills Kenneth Grant DT Michigan 31 Kansas City Chiefs Trey Amos CB Mississippi 32 Philadelphia Eagles Donovan Ezeiruaku EDGE Boston College 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: Complete list of 2025 NFL Draft picks NFL Draft winners and losers NFL Draft grades for every team Grades for every QB pick Complete list of RBs drafted 14 best value picks, including Shedeur Sanders 12 worst value picks, including Tyler Shough Best late-round steals, including Quinn Ewers UDFA signings tracker Meet this year's 'Mr. Irrelevant' 2026 Top 50 big board Chris Simms' mock draft (NBC Sports) Simms' latest mock was released on April 21: Pick Team Player Position School 1 Tennessee Titans Cam Ward QB Miami 2 Cleveland Browns Travis Hunter WR/CB Colorado 3 New York Giants Abdul Carter EDGE Penn State 4 New England Patriots Will Campbell OT LSU 5 Jacksonville Jaguars Mason Graham DT Michigan 6 Las Vegas Raiders Armand Membou OT Missouri 7 New York Jets Kelvin Banks Jr. OT Texas 8 Carolina Panthers Jalon Walker LB Georgia 9 New Orleans Saints Jihaad Campbell LB Alabama 10 Chicago Bears Ashton Jeanty RB Boise State 11 San Francisco 49ers Shemar Stewart EDGE Texas A&M 12 Dallas Cowboys Omarion Hampton RB North Carolina 13 Miami Dolphins Will Johnson CB Michigan 14 Indianapolis Colts Tyler Warren TE Penn State 15 Atlanta Falcons Mike Green EDGE Marshall 16 Arizona Cardinals Grey Zabel G North Dakota State 17 Cincinnati Bengals Tyler Booker OL Alabama 18 Seattle Seahawks Josh Conerly OT Oregon 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Malaki Starks S Georgia 20 Denver Broncos Tetairoa McMillan WR Arizona 21 Pittsburgh Steelers Derrick Harmon DT Oregon 22 Los Angeles Chargers Colston Loveland TE Michigan 23 Green Bay Packers Matthew Golden WR Texas 24 Minnesota Vikings Maxwell Hairston CB Kentucky 25 Houston Texans Josh Simmons OT Ohio State 26 Los Angeles Rams Jahdae Barron CB Texas 27 Baltimore Ravens Donovan Ezeiruaku EDGE Boston College 28 Detroit Lions Donovan Jackson OL Ohio State 29 Washington Commanders James Pearce Jr.
EDGE Tennessee 30 Buffalo Bills Shavon Revel CB East Carolina 31 Kansas City Chiefs Kenneth Grant DT Michigan 32 Philadelphia Eagles Mykel Williams EDGE Georgia 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 Pick Team Player Position School 1 Tennessee Titans Cam Ward QB Miami 2 Cleveland Browns Travis Hunter CB/WR Colorado 3 New York Giants Abdul Carter EDGE Penn State 4 New England Patriots Will Campbell OT LSU 5 Jacksonville Jaguars Ashton Jeanty RB Boise State 6 Las Vegas Raiders Mason Graham DT Michigan 7 New York Jets Armand Membou OT Missouri 8 Carolina Panthers Jalon Walker EDGE Georgia 9 New Orleans Saints Tetairoa McMillan WR Arizona 10 Chicago Bears Tyler Warren TE Penn State 11 San Francisco 49ers Shemar Stewart EDGE Texas A&M 12 Dallas Cowboys Matthew Golden WR Texas 13 Miami Dolphins Nick Emmanwori S South Carolina 14 Indianapolis Colts Colston Loveland TE Michigan 15 Atlanta Falcons Mike Green EDGE Marshall 16 Arizona Cardinals Mykel Williams EDGE Georgia 17 Cincinnati Bengals Derrick Harmon DT Oregon 18 Seattle Seahawks Grey Zabel G North Dakota State 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jihaad Campbell LB Alabama 20 Denver Broncos Omarion Hampton RB North Carolina 21 Pittsburgh Steelers Shedeur Sanders QB Colorado 22 Los Angeles Chargers Kenneth Grant DT Michigan 23 Green Bay Packers Will Johnson CB Michigan 24 Minnesota Vikings Jahdae Barron CB Texas 25 Houston Texans Walter Nolen DT Ole Miss 26 Los Angeles Rams Josh Conerly OT Oregon 27 Baltimore Ravens Kelvin Banks OT Texas 28 Detroit Lions Maxwell Hairston CB Kentucky 29 Washington Commanders Emeka Egbuka WR Ohio State 30 Buffalo Bills Malaki Starks S Georgia 31 Kansas City Chiefs Josh Simmons OT Ohio State 32 Philadelphia Eagles Donavan Ezeiruaku EDGE Boston College 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 Pick Team Player Position School 1 Tennessee Titans Cam Ward QB Miami 2 Cleveland Browns Travis Hunter CB/WR Colorado 3 New York Giants Abdul Carter EDGE Penn State 4 New England Patriots Will Campbell OT LSU 5 Jacksonville Jaguars Mason Graham DT Michigan 6 Las Vegas Raiders Ashton Jeanty RB Boise State 7 New York Jets Armand Membou OT Missouri 8 Carolina Panthers Jalon Walker EDGE Georgia 9 New Orleans Saints Shedeur Sanders QB Colorado 10 Chicago Bears Tyler Warren TE Penn State 11 San Francisco 49ers Kelvin Banks Jr.
OT Texas 12 Dallas Cowboys Matthew Golden WR Texas 13 Miami Dolphins Will Johnson CB Michigan 14 Indianapolis Colts Colston Loveland TE Michigan 15 Atlanta Falcons Mike Green EDGE Marshall 16 Arizona Cardinals Jahdae Barron CB Texas 17 Cincinnati Bengals Walter Nolen DT Ole Miss 18 Seattle Seahawks Grey Zabel G North Dakota State 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Nick Emmanwori S South Carolina 20 Denver Broncos Omarion Hampton RB North Carolina 21 Pittsburgh Steelers Derrick Harmon DT Oregon 22 Los Angeles Chargers Emeka Egbuka WR Ohio State 23 Green Bay Packers Shemar Stewart EDGE Texas A&M 24 Minnesota Vikings Donavan Jackson G Ohio State 25 Houston Texans Tetairoa McMillan WR Arizona 26 Los Angeles Rams Maxwell Hairston CB Kentucky 27 Baltimore Ravens Malaki Starks S Georgia 28 Detroit Lions Mykel Williams EDGE Georgia 29 Cleveland Browns (via Commanders) Jaxson Dart QB Ole Miss 30 Buffalo Bills Trey Amos CB Ole Miss 31 Kansas City Chiefs Josh Conerly OT Oregon 32 Philadelphia Eagles Jihaad Campbell LB Alabama 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 A pril 23 Pick Team Player Position School 1 Tennessee Titans Cam Ward QB Miami 2 Cleveland Browns Travis Hunter WR/CB Colorado 3 New York Giants Abdul Carter EDGE Penn State 4 New England Patriots Will Campbell OT LSU 5 Jacksonville Jaguars Ashton Jeanty RB Boise State 6 Las Vegas Raiders Kelvin Banks Jr.
OT Texas 7 New York Jets Armond Membou OT Missouri 8 Carolina Panthers Mason Graham DT Michigan 9 New Orleans Saints Mykel Williams EDGE Georgia 10 Chicago Bears Tyler Warren TE Penn State 11 San Francisco 49ers Grey Zabel OT North Dakota State 12 Dallas Cowboys Tetairoa McMillan WR Arizona 13 Denver Broncos (via Dolphins) Colston Loveland TE Michigan 14 Indianapolis Colts Shemar Stewart EDGE Texas A&M 15 Atlanta Falcons Jalon Walker EDGE Georgia 16 Arizona Cardinals Emeka Egbuka WR Ohio State 17 Cincinnati Bengals Donovan Ezeiruaku EDGE Boston College 18 New York Giants (via Seahawks) Jaxson Dart QB Ole Miss 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matthew Golden WR Texas 20 Miami Dolphins (via Broncos) Malaki Starks S Georgia 21 Pittsburgh Steelers Shedeur Sanders QB Colorado 22 Los Angeles Chargers TreVeyon Henderson RB Ohio State 23 Green Bay Packers Maxwell Hairston CB Kentucky 24 Minnesota Vikings Derrick Harmon DT Oregon 25 Houston Texans Tyler Booker OG Alabama 26 Los Angeles Rams Omarion Hampton RB North Carolina 27 Baltimore Ravens Kenneth Grant DT Michigan 28 Detroit Lions Donovan Jackson OT Ohio State 29 Washington Commanders Jahdae Barron CB Michigan 30 Buffalo Bills Trey Amos CB Ole Miss 31 Kansas City Chiefs Josh Conerly Jr. OT Oregon 32 Philadelphia Eagles Jihaad Campbell LB Alabama 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 A pril 24 : Pick Team Player Position School 1 Tennessee Titans Cam Ward QB Miami 2 Cleveland Browns Travis Hunter WR/CB Colorado 3 New York Giants Abdul Carter EDGE Penn State 4 New England Patriots Will Campbell OT LSU 5 Jacksonville Jaguars Ashton Jeanty RB Boise State 6 Las Vegas Raiders Kelvin Banks Jr.
OT Texas 7 New York Jets Mason Graham DT Michigan 8 Carolina Panthers Armand Membou OT Missouri 9 New Orleans Saints Jalon Walker EDGE Georgia 10 Chicago Bears Tyler Warren TE Penn State 11 San Francisco 49ers Mikel Williams EDGE Georgia 12 Dallas Cowboys Tetairoa McMillan WR Arizona 13 Miami Dolphins Will Johnson CB Michigan 14 Indianapolis Colts Colston Loveland TE Michigan 15 Atlanta Falcons Mike Green EDGE Marshall 16 Arizona Cardinals Josh Simmons OT Ohio State 17 Cincinnati Bengals Walter Nolen DT Ole Miss 18 Seattle Seahawks Grey Zabel G North Dakota State 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jahdae Barron CB Texas 20 Denver Broncos Matthew Golden WR Texas 21 Pittsburgh Steelers Omarion Hampton RB North Carolian 22 Los Angeles Chargers Tyler Booker G Alabama 23 Green Bay Packers Shemar Stewart EDGE Texas A&M 24 Minnesota Vikings Nick Emmanwori S South Carolina 25 Houston Texans Josh Conerly Jr. OT Oregon 26 Los Angeles Rams Carson Schwesinger LB UCLA 27 Baltimore Ravens Malaki Starks S Georgia 28 Detroit Lions Donovan Jackson G Ohio State 29 Cleveland Browns (via Commanders) Shedeur Sanders QB Colorado 30 Buffalo Bills Maxwell Hairston CB Kentucky 31 Kansas City Chiefs Kenneth Grant DT Michigan 32 Philadelphia Eagles Donovan Ezeiruaku EDGE Boston College 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: How Shedeur Sanders fits in Cleveland Winners and losers in Shedeur Sanders draft drama Can Shedeur Sanders fulfill NFL dreams in nightmare QB situation? Browns QB depth chart after 2025 NFL Draft Is Kevin Stefanski on hot seat after Shedeur Sanders pick? Comparing Browns rookie QB's Dillon Gabriel & Shedeur Sanders Reactions to Shedeur Sanders draft fall, from Trump to Stephen A. What we know about Shedeur Sanders' 'unprofessional' pre-draft interviews Shedeur Sanders' wild post-draft celebration.
