Oz Pearlman, better known as Oz the Mentalist, already attracted the attention of NFL fans when he correctly guessed Mecole Hardman's exact Super Bowl 58 prediction on "Hard Knocks," right down to the final score. His NFL Draft feat on Thursday might be even more impressive.
Pearlman, appearing on a special draft edition of "The Pat McAfee Show," said he gave McAfee a sheet of paper three minutes before the start of the draft that correctly listed each of the first 13 picks of the draft, from Caleb Williams to Brock Bowers. That included the Vikings' trade up with the Jets to select J.J. McCarthy at No. 10, as well as the Falcons' stunning selection of Michael Penix Jr.
McAfee held the paper up and read it after guest Bill Belichick confirmed the paper was sealed and unopened.
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"It's been in there the whole time. I haven't touched it," Pearlman said.
Belichick waved his arms up and down to shower praise on Pearlman as the rest of the seven-person panel expressed its disbelief. "You're a demon," McAfee told Pearlman.
Oz The Mentalist really got the first 13 picks correct 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Rc89bC8FDC
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 26, 2024
Hardman's Super Bowl prediction, echoed by Pearlman, received some renewed attention after the Chiefs beat the 49ers in Super Bowl 58. Hardman was on the Jets at the time, so his prediction that the Jets would beat San Francisco 31-21 for a championship didn't come to fruition. However, Hardman was traded back to the Chiefs in October and caught the Super Bowl-winning touchdown to beat none other than the 49ers. Close enough, right?
If Pearlman's NFL Draft prediction was as real as Belichick seemed to think it was, it's even more remarkable. Much of the top of the first round went as expected, with three quarterbacks followed by Marvin Harrison Jr. and Joe Alt to start the night, but Atlanta's selection of Penix followed by the Vikings' exact trade up to No. 10 for McCarthy were tough to see coming.
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Bowers was also popularly projected to come off the board earlier than No. 13, with the Jets a frequent mock draft landing spot for the Georgia tight end.
Pearlman wouldn't be called Oz the Mentalist if he weren't shockingly good at this very specific skill, so Mel Kiper Jr. and other NFL Draft forecasters might want to check in with him next April.
