5 times Mel Kiper Jr. correctly predicted the future of an NFL Draft prospect
Mel Kiper Jr. has served as an NFL Draft analyst for nearly 40 years and is one of the most recognized "draft experts" in the world. One of the things he's most famous for are his mock drafts leading up to the NFL Draft every year. He attempts to correctly predict all the picks in each draft, which is something he has made popular, and many other NFL analysts have followed suit by attempting to do so as well.
Kiper usually releases his first official mocks each year around January or February as the NFL season winds down. He will then adjust his predictions as the NFL offseason plays itself out and the NFL Draft gets closer. Predicting some of the picks, especially towards the very top, becomes a bit easier as the draft gets closer and news comes out about which players teams are targeting.
While predicting the outcome of the NFL Draft is extremely difficult, Kiper does it just as well as anyone else. Here are five times he was correct on a specific draft pick, including player and team, in his initial official mock draft of a certain season.
5 correct NFL Draft predictions by Mel Kiper Jr. in his inital mock drafts
#5 - Marcell Dareus
Kiper correctly predicted that the Buffalo Bills would select defensive lineman Marcell Dareus as the third overall pick in the 2008 draft. Dareus had a solid run but never quite lived up to being that high of a selection, recording just one season with ten or more sacks.
Highest Total Value All-Time #Bills Contracts
1. Josh Allen, $258M
2. Von Miller, $120M
3. Stefon Diggs, $104M
4. Marcell Dareus, $96.5M
5. Mario Williams, $90M
#4 - Anthony Castonzo
Late picks are even more difficult to predict than early picks in the draft. That makes Kiper's prediction of the Indianapolis Colts selecting Anthony Castonzo with the 22nd overall pick in the 2011 draft rather impressive.