Todd McShay's Mock Drafts Have Beaten Mike Mayock's And Mel Kiper's Four Years In A Row
We graded the 2012 Round 1 NFL mock drafts of Mel Kiper (ESPN), Todd McShay (ESPN), and Mike Mayock (NFL.com), and once again, McShay came out on top. This marks the fourth consecutive year in which McShay bested his two fellow pundits in mock draft accuracy.
We calculated a variability measure based on the difference between when each player was projected to be picked and when he was actually picked. A lower variability score is better (ranks in parentheses).
| Variability | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | Average |
| McShay | 8.7 (1) | 8.8 (1) | 6.8 (1) | 7.0 (1) | 7.8 (1) |
| Kiper | 8.8 (2) | 10.4 (3) | 7.7 (2) | 8.5 (3) | 8.9 (2) |
| Mayock | 9.6 (3) | 9.9 (2) | 9.3 (3) | 7.9 (2) | 9.1 (3) |
We calculated two additional metrics as well: (1) a "weighted variability" measure, which penalizes a pundit more for getting earlier picks wrong, and (2) a point score system, which diminishes the impact of extremely wrong predictions by capping the downside penalty. The year-to-year rankings vary materially across the three measures, but the overall story is the same: McShay ranks #1 on average, regardless of the metric used. We have also updated the major hits and misses for the group.
Republished with permission from PunditTracker.com. PunditTracker's mission is to bring accountability to the prediction industry by cataloging and scoring the predictions of pundits. The site, which is currently running as a blog, is slated to officially launch in the spring.
Conor McGregor Lets UFC Momentum Slip Away at UFC 329
Why the Trail Blazers’ Ja Morant Gamble Could Pay Off
- Spain vs. Belgium Best Bets: Three Picks for Friday's World Cup Quarterfinal
- MLB Picks Today: Jack Flaherty, Aaron Nola Strikeout Props for Phillies vs. Tigers
- France vs. Morocco Best Bets: Top Picks for World Cup Quarterfinal Clash
- Big 12 Sleeper Picks: Three Teams That Could Win the Conference in 2026
- Scottish Open Predictions: Top Bets, Longshots and First-Round Picks
- MLB Picks for Today: Why the Marlins and Yankees Offer Betting Value
- WNBA Best Bets Today: Wings vs. Liberty, Sky vs. Mercury Picks for Tuesday

