5 Times Mel Kiper Jr Was Embarrassingly Wrong About NFL Draft Prospects

Anyone who calls themselves a draft analyst owes a great deal of respect to ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., as he popularized the art and helped push the trade on the masses. Having said that, even the OG of amateur draft scouting has some mind-numbingly bad predictions and takes.

There are too many honorable mentions to name, but some noteworthy ones include naming Seattle Seahawks flop Aaron Curry the top player in the 2009 draft, saying Detroit Lions bust Andre Ware would be an "excellent quarterback", and ranking Dan McGwire and Brett Favre evenly as prospects in the 1991 draft. Even with Kiper's long list of flops, these five stand out as the worst takes he's ever had.

5. Johnny Manziel, 2014

The Manziel hype was real despite the fact he lacked ideal size, arm strength, and pocket presence, to say nothing of his attitude. Kiper, however, bought in to Manziel, asserting that he should be picked No. 1 overall by the Houston Texans. The Texans got a few Pro Bowls out of Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 pick, while Manziel became the next name to find his way into the Cleveland quarterback graveyard after two subpar seasons with the Browns.

4. Mike Williams, 2005

Lions president Matt Millen famously had his heart set on Demarcus Ware in the 2005 draft, but changed his mind just minutes before Detroit was set to pick and grabbed USC receiver Mike Williams after he sat out the entire 2004 season. Kiper loved the pick, declaring Williams a "Hall of Famer" before he ever played a single game. Williams recorded just 37 catches in two years with the Lions, as his lack of great speed made him one of the most high-profile busts from the Millen era in Detroit. Certainly not a Hall of Famer.

3. Akili Smith, 1999

Donovan McNabb was a superb pick, but the 1999 draft unfortunately brought us busts like Tim Couch, Cade McNown, and Cincinnati Bengals flop Akili Smith in the first round. Kiper declared the former Oregon quarterback would be a "great NFL player" after some tremendous pre-draft workouts, but Smith's athleticism couldn't make up for poor understanding of the playbook and accuracy. He threw just five touchdowns against 13 picks in four years as a pro, which moves him into all-time bad bust territory. Maybe he should have stuck with baseball.

2. Andre Wadsworth, 1998

In this draft, Kiper had Ryan Leaf ranked fourth overall on his big board and that wasn't his worst take that year. While Leaf and Peyton Manning figured to be the first two off the board, most thought Michigan's Charles Woodson, a Hall of Famer, was the next best player in the draft. Kiper, however, asserted the No. 1 player in the draft was Florida State defensive end Andre Wadsworth, who went third overall to the Arizona Cardinals while Woodson went fourth. Knee injuries limited Wadsworth to just eight sacks and 36 games in three years, cementing him as one of the biggest busts of all time. Oops.

1. Jimmy Clausen, 2010

Perhaps his most famous bad take, Kiper declared that if Clausen, a former top recruit and star at Notre Dame who fell to the second round of the NFL draft, was not a successful NFL quarterback within seven years, he would retire. Clausen was the furthest thing from successful. He won just one of his 10 starts in Carolina, throwing three touchdowns against nine picks while completing only 52 percent of his passes. Luckily for the Panthers. Clausen's awful year allowed them to select Cam Newton with the No. 1 pick in 2011. Clausen was a backup with the Bears and Ravens before leaving football in 2015.