RANKINGS
// 2023 · Accuracy vs the real board · expand a row for the full verdict
Trust is a 0–100 score vs that year’s actual Round 1 board. The headline read is trust plus exact picks (player and team at the slot). S–D tiers use fixed trust thresholds for that season (S is rare). Optional column sorts re-order rows only; tier badges still reflect that row’s trust score. Expand a card for the verdict; when we have a stable URL for that analyst’s final mock, you’ll see a source link there too. See methodology for cutoffs and weights.
1 Dane Brugler The Athletic 82
Trust vs actual (0–100) 25/31 Exact to slot
NFL Mock Draft Database (The Athletic board) (opens in new tab)
Brugler's 2023 mock was exceptional — arguably the best in the industry that year. He correctly called the Houston trade up for Anderson at #3 (rare), nailed Witherspoon to SEA, Robinson to ATL, Wright to CHI, McDonald to NYJ, Forbes to WAS, Gonzalez to NE, Campbell to DET, Kancey to TB, JSN to SEA, Johnston to LAC, Flowers to BAL, Addison to MIN, Banks to NYG, Kincaid to BUF, Mazi Smith to DAL, Harrison to JAX, Murphy to CIN, Bresee to NO, Nolan Smith to PHI, and Anudike-Uzomah to KC. The Levis/Stroud QB-order confusion cost him some exact hits at the top, but his knowledge of the board from #10–31 was borderline perfect.
2 PFF Draft Team Pro Football Focus 60
Trust vs actual (0–100) 16/31 Exact to slot
PFF final mock (Sikkema) (opens in new tab)
PFF's data-driven model performed solidly in 2023 — they correctly called Richardson to IND at #4 (one of the few who got that right), plus Witherspoon, Wilson, Wright, Skoronski, McDonald, Forbes, Campbell, Kancey, JSN, Murphy, Bresee, Nolan Smith, and Anudike-Uzomah. Missing on Gibbs and the trade-driven positional cascade hurt them, but their player identification across the board was strong. The Richardson call at #4 was worth significant trust points.
3 Chad Reuter NFL.com 55
Trust vs actual (0–100) 16/31 Exact to slot
NFL.com seven-round Round 1 (opens in new tab)
Reuter's 2023 mock suffered from the same Levis overconfidence as everyone and a heavy trade load that didn't materialize. He correctly called picks #10, 11, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 26–31 — a strong back half. But missing Robinson and Gibbs at the top (nearly universal across the industry) and the Levis cascade hurt the exact-hit count. The chaos penalty from six speculative trades that didn't happen kept his score well below what his raw player-identification might suggest.
4 Todd McShay ESPN 52
Trust vs actual (0–100) 13/31 Exact to slot
ESPN+ final mock (opens in new tab)
McShay had a solid mid-board in 2023 but got badly hurt by the Levis-at-#4 miss and the QB cascade that followed. His player identification from #14–31 was strong — he correctly had Broderick Jones to PIT, McDonald to NYJ, Forbes to WAS, Campbell to DET, Kancey to TB, JSN to SEA, Johnston to LAC, Banks to NYG, Murphy to CIN, and Anudike-Uzomah to KC. The top-13 chaos erased a lot of potential exact hits into player-only hits. Solid analyst on a chaotic night.
5 Daniel Jeremiah NFL Network 39
Trust vs actual (0–100) 11/31 Exact to slot
NFL.com mock 4.0 (opens in new tab)
Jeremiah's NFL scouting background was on full display in 2023 — his 6 exact hits led all major analysts. He correctly called Young/Stroud/Anderson 1-2-3 AND the Houston trade up from #12, Robinson to ATL at #8, Forbes to WAS at #16, Campbell to DET at #18, Kancey to TB at #19, and Smith-Njigba to SEA at #20. Missing Levis cost him like everyone, but his breadth of player identification was genuinely impressive. A legitimate argument for best 2023 mock.
6 Mel Kiper Jr. ESPN 33
Trust vs actual (0–100) 9/31 Exact to slot
ESPN+ final mock (opens in new tab)
By his own standard and independent analysis, 2023 was Kiper's worst final mock in his 40-year career. His Levis-at-#2-to-TEN projection triggered a cascade of errors, and his five projected trades — none of which happened as predicted — cost him heavily on the chaos penalty. He correctly identified Young (#1), Witherspoon (#5), Forbes (#16), Campbell (#18), Kancey (#19), JSN (#20), Harrison (#27), and Anudike-Uzomah (#31), but the QB order disaster and trade scenarios buried his score. A cautionary tale about overconfidence in source intel when the draft is genuinely uncertain.