Grading the 2022 NFL mock drafts: How did Mel Kiper, Daniel Jeremiah, Todd McShay, Peter King & other experts fare?

Pencils down!

The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone, as have the plethora of mock drafts which have inundated the adoring draft public since the minute Super Bowl 56 ended are, finally, dead and buried.

The wildly entertaining and trade-heavy first-round of the 2022 draft led to some mock drafts getting crushed faster than many March Madness brackets — but that still won't preclude the experts from getting graded here.

Mock drafts are a fun exercise, generally: It's less about predicting and more about giving people legitimate talking points leading up to the draft. Still, guesstimating is a part of the process, and experts maintain "expert" status by getting these things right, after all.

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So, how did the following draft savants pan out? Let's grade them. The following experts got points for the following:

• 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 how they all graded out:

Vinnie Iyer's mock draft (The Sporting News)

Iyer's final mock draft was released April 28:

Picks correct: 5/32

Noteworthy: The wildly unpredictable first round manifested itself on Thursday night — SN's Vinnie Iyer did have Charles Cross to the Seahawks, Trevor Penning to the Saints and Kenny Pickett to the Steelers beyond the top picks.

Mel Kiper Jr.'s mock draft (ESPN)

Kiper's latest mock draft was released April 28:

Picks correct: 4.5/32

Noteworthy: Kiper did have Kaiir Elam to the Bills — just at No. 23 overall, and not No. 25, where the Bills would ultimately make that pick. With some half-credit selections surrounding Elam, Lewis Cine (No. 32), Trevor Penning (No.  and Chris Olave (No. 11).

Todd McShay's mock draft (ESPN)

McShay's latest mock draft was released April 28:

Picks correct: 4.5/32

Noteworthy: McShay, one of the only mock drafts who had Tyler Smith going in the first round, had the player and the pick right — but not the team. The Cowboys, who needed O-line help, would take Smith in the first round, not the Texans as he predicted.

Daniel Jeremiah's mock draft (NFL Network)

Jeremiah's latest mock draft was released April 27:

Picks correct: 5/32

Noteworthy: Jeremiah was one of a few mocks listed here who had Kenny Pickett going to the Steelers. He also gets half credit for having Trevor Penning landing with the Saints, just at No. 16, not number 19.

Charles Davis' mock draft (NFL Network)

Davis' latest mock draft was released April 28:

Picks correct: 4.5/32

Noteworthy: Davis was oh so close to getting a few extra points for the Saints' picks — New Orleans' trade-up to No. 11 overall to secure Chris Olave means he gets half credit for that selection, and taking Trevor Penning at No. 16 as opposed to No. 19 also earns half credit. 

Dane Brugler's mock draft (The Athletic)

Brugler's latest mock draft was released April 28:

Picks correct: 6.5/32

Noteworthy: Brugler with a relatively strong showing, though a lot of that came from half-point picks, including the Jets taking Jermaine Johnson at No. 10 (New York traded back into the first round to select the pass rusher at No. 26).  

Peter King, NBC Sports

Peter King's mock draft was released on Monday, April 25.

Picks correct: 7/32

Noteworthy: The reigning, defending mock-draft master is back again, as King once again sets the high-water mark for correct picks in the first round.

Some of those were half-point picks, like Jordan Davis and Chris Olave. Still, King had the most right of anyone here, truly living up to his last name.