Mel KiperFeb 27, 2026

Kiper's latest mock draft, as relayed on the show, has Caleb Downs second to the Jets, Karnell Tate sixth to the Browns, Spencer Fano fifth to the Giants, Mauigoa 11th to the Dolphins, Jeremiah Love ninth to the Chiefs, Ty Simpson 20th to the Steelers, plus Makai Lemmon, Jordan Tyson and Denzel Boston in the first round.

Said on air, transcribed by us · NFL Live (podcast)Hear the original

4 of 9picks landed4 hits · 5 close calls · all settled

60The orderagainst a shuffled mock’s 50

+10Skillthe mock as a whole

81Per pickaverage, out of 100

0Went undraftedeach a miss

What Mel Kiper said

Mel Kiper's latest mock has him landing in Kansas City with the ninth pick.

Mel Kiper, the lead quote

Where it was said: NFL Live (podcast)
The episode: Cowboys Franchise Tag George Pickens; QBs Speak at the Combine
The original: Hear the original
Read it wrong?: Tell us and we will look

SaidFeb 27
GradedOct 1

Box score, round by round

HitCloseMissWaiting

Group	Hits	Close
Round 1	3	3
Picks 0–0	1	2
All	4	5

How the mock scored

9 checkable claims — 9 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.

It names 18 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

All 9 have settled, averaging 81 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls.

Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.

Mock against the draft

Across: where the mock put each player. Down: where the player went. The shaded band is where a pick earns credit, within 32 picks. Squares landed, half-squares were close and slashes missed.

The mock as a whole

60this mock’s order50a shuffled mock10better than naive1difficulty+10skill

The skill comes from how well the whole mock ordered the draft, so it is not any one pick’s score minus 50.

Every pick’s score

0a pick’s naive guess: 50100

Think a pick here is graded wrong? Tell us which.

Draft board

HitCloseMissWaiting

Round 1 · picks 1–323 hits · 3 close callsShow ▸

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Went	Score
2	NYJ	Caleb Downs	safety	11	68
5	NYG	Spencer Fano	offensive tackle	9	84
6	CLE	Carnell Tate	wide receiver	4	92
9	KC	Jeremiyah Love	running back	3	77
11	MIA	Francis Mauigoa	offensive tackle	10	96
20	PIT	Ty Simpson	quarterback	13	74

Picks 0–01 hit · 2 close callsShow ▸

Team	Player	Pos	Went	Score
BUF	Denzel Boston	wide receiver	39	74
BAL	Jordyn Tyson	wide receiver	8	100
NO	Makai Lemon	wide receiver	20	65

Who this take is about

Make your own calls.Pick every open claim on Picks →

Others on the same people

Chris Clark · Trade and Signing Calls · Nikko Remigio · Miss 0
Clark expects the Chiefs to bring back exclusive-rights receiver Nico (Remigio) and long snapper James Winchester, to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster as a cheap veteran fifth receiver, and not to bring back Hollywood Brown, Josh Dobbs-type depth, Gardner Minshew, Janarius Robinson or Mike Caliendo; they also say the Chiefs will not use a franchise tag and believes Bryan Cook won't return.
Sam Monson · Game Outcome Picks · New York Giants · Miss 0
Monson picked every Week 10 game, taking the Giants, Lions, Packers, Panthers, Colts, Texans, Bills, Chiefs, Jaguars, Seahawks, Rams, Cowboys, Bengals and Ravens, and also suggested the Chargers' only likely wins the rest of the way come against the Jets and Dolphins.
Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Miss 36
Prisco picks the Giants to beat the Commanders 23-14 on Thursday night and the Lions to beat the Patriots 30-24 in Munich.
Jared Dubin · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Close 43
Dubin picks the Giants to beat the Commanders 20-14 on Thursday night and takes the Packers over the Vikings 17-14 in a low-scoring Week 10 game.
Jared Dubin · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Close 43
Dubin picks the Giants to beat the Commanders at home on Thursday night, projecting a 20-14 final score.
Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · New York Giants · Miss 36
Prisco picked the Giants to beat the Commanders at home in the Thursday night Week 10 game, 23-14, citing New York's dominant front seven containing Jayden Daniels.

More mock draft picks

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

Chris Simms · Mock Draft Picks · Malachi Corley · Miss 11
Simms named the Bears the NFL's best overall offense and best rushing offense, the Bengals the best passing offense, Seattle the best total defense, Minnesota the best pass defense and Tampa Bay the best run defense; they also called Tristan Wirfs the league's best offensive lineman, projected Miami's Malachi Toney as a top-15 pick, and predicted a 30-14 Jaguars win in Baltimore.
Todd McShay · Mock Draft Picks · Keelon Russell · Miss 0
While breaking down LSU's offense, McShay called receiver Jackson Harris a top-50 NFL draft prospect, and later said LSU's Sam Levitt and Alabama's Keelan Russell are potential top-10 picks in a future draft.
Philip Hughes · Mock Draft Picks · Kyle Kennard · Miss 34
Evaluating edge rusher Kyle Kennard ahead of the draft, the account projected them as a Day 2 selection.
Blaine Grisak · Mock Draft Picks · Brian Thomas Jr. · Hit 84
Grisak argues the Rams should not trade a second-round pick for Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr., calling it too great a risk and too high a cost. In an embedded tweet of their own from the 2024 pre-draft period, they suggested the Rams could select Thomas at pick No. 19.
Charlie Campbell · Mock Draft Picks · Xavier Williams · Miss 0
Campbell's draft stock report projects Indiana WR Charlie Becker as a top-10 pick in 2027, Mississippi State CB Kelley Jones as a first-rounder, Tennessee DT Xavier Gilliam as a top-15 pick, and Texas OT Trevor Goosby as a top-10 pick, while suggesting Arch Manning could still be a first-rounder if they declare.
Walt · Mock Draft Picks · Fernando Mendoza · Hit 100
In a running series of coach/GM hiring and firing grades, Walt projects Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 overall pick of the Raiders in the 2026 draft and has LSU's Garrett Nussmeier going No. 2 overall in their 2026 mock draft.