Mel Kiper Jr. is a sports television miracle. With Wolfman Jack hair and a voice that would make Michael Buffer blush, he burst onto the scene in 1984 as the first ever NFL Draft expert. Kiper’s original draft report was a pamphlet. For those of you under the age of 50 who have never used that word, Google it. It was a few pieces of paper, full of data and information, but still just sheets of paper.
From this, he has become the single biggest star in the NFL Draft universe. Kiper is a trailblazer, innovator, pioneer, architect, and originator. Do you want more synonyms? How about creator, initiator, and catalyst? You pick the word.
Suffice it to say that the NFL Draft and ESPN did not create Mel Kiper Jr. Indeed, it was just the opposite. Kiper created the popularity of the draft and the non-stop coverage of the draft. Believe it and accept it.
And here is a directive to Daniel Jeremiah, Field Yates, Todd McShay, Lance Zierlein, Bucky Brooks, Peter Schrager, and any other person who makes a buck doing mock drafts. Open your Venmo app and send a huge chunk of change to Mel Kiper. In the What’s this for? box, just write “Thank you” because you would not be making dime one if not for Kiper.
On ESPN, Kiper dissects the draft like a frog in a biology class, and this dude goes deep. Sure, in this year’s draft, Kiper told you that his top picks were Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and Marvin Harrison, Jr. Great, any dude with a smartphone could tell you that. But ask Kiper about the top nickel safety in Round 6, and I’m sure he could have given you ten names to research.
Kiper is the King of the NFL Draft. He is Elvis Presley, except instead of Kentucky Rain, he sings about Kentucky linebackers. The 63 year-old Baltimore native attended Calvert Hall College High School and the Community College of Baltimore County.
He first joined ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage in 1984 joining the likes of George Grande, Paul Zimmerman, and Chris Berman. Forty years later, it is not a stretch to say that Berman and maybe Dick Vitale are the only chaps more associated with ESPN than Kiper.
Kiper is a regular on Sports Center, NFL Live, ESPN Radio, and numerous podcasts. While in college in 1981, he founded Kiper Enterprises and solicited NFL general managers to read his draft reports. Kiper Enterprises? It sounds like a fake business from Seinfeld a la Vandaley Industries. Since then, he has hooted, hollered, and huffed about thousands of NFL prospects, but Kiper’s modus operandi is not mere bluster.
This cat watches a myriad of college games every week. In addition, he swats away throughout the college football season having lengthy discussions with coaches at all levels. Like Punxsutawney Phil, Kiper usually emerges from the darkness in early February.
Is he always correct in his selections? Of course not. Is the current batch of sports betting “experts” on television always putting money in peoples’ pockets? Same answer. A lot of critics like to take shots at Kiper, citing that he has never worked for a college football program or NFL franchise. So what? The bloke does his homework and remains entertaining as hell to watch.
Let’s face it, NFL mock drafts might be the most useless segments in all of sports TV. It is 50% speculation and 50% straight up BS, but we love it. The NFL Draft on ESPN has become damn near as anticipated as the Super Bowl, and Kiper’s analysis of the perceived top three quarterbacks in the draft was telling.
He loved Caleb Williams’s playmaking ability and uncanny throwing prowess. With Jayden Daniels, Kiper harped on the versatility of his game both as a passer and runner, and with Drake Maye, it was about NFL-level accuracy and mobility.
Let’s be real. Beyond the preparation, work ethic, humble beginnings, and explosion into amazing notoriety, it is the odd aura that surrounds Mel Kiper Jr. that makes him so phenomenal. I have seen clips of his first NFL Draft on ESPN in 1984. Kiper looked absolutely frightened to be on television. He sat there next to Chris Berman, measuring every word, talking softly, and nearly perspiring as each syllable left his mouth.
He was wearing a bargain basement sport coat, white shirt, and striped tie. Dude looked like he should be managing a supermarket – more suited to packing peppers than picking players. You could tell that he was wondering to himself, “What the heck am I doing here?”
Fast forward four decades. Kiper, now graying at the temples like Grandpa from The Munsters, wearing a tailored suit and designer glasses, is an absolute stick of dynamite on television. He doesn’t just answer questions, he detonates them. He’s got a confidence that comes with experience. His voice has volume and vigor. The days of choosing his words carefully and sweating through a segment are long gone.
Like any great television personality, Kiper dominates the screen. He truly believes that if you don’t hear what he’s about to say, your world will end. The aforementioned draft experts who have followed Kiper are all talented, diligent, and prepared, but they will never be the icon that is Mel Kiper Jr.
There are few areas of sports media where one person is completely synonymous. Mel Kiper Jr. is exactly that to the NFL Draft, and his watershed moment has been well documented. It was ESPN’s coverage of the 1994 Draft. The Indianapolis Colts and General Manager Bill Tobin had the 5th pick overall. Kiper stated that Indy should select quarterback Trent Dilfer. Instead, the Colts stunningly selected linebacker Trev Alberts from Nebraska.
Kiper went on an absolute rant, calling the Colts a laughingstock. Tobin fired back in an interview with Chris Mortensen uttering the famous line, “Who in the hell is Mel Kiper anyway?”
Sadly, Tobin passed away on April 19 of this year, and the classy Kiper sent condolences to his family via social media. Tobin asked a key question and I will endeavor a response. Who the hell is Mel Kiper? Quite simply, he is the man who made the NFL Draft.
It wasn’t blue chip top picks like Peyton Manning nor players who dropped in the draft like Dan Marino or Aaron Rodgers. It wasn’t charismatic stars like Deion Sanders or players who challenged the system like John Elway. It wasn’t even successful Mr. Irrelevants like Brock Purdy.
The man who made the NFL Draft what it is today is Mel Kiper Jr. For 40 years, he has drawn in viewers and created fans. He does the work, presents himself powerfully, and is a stone-cold legend. Perhaps the best way to close is with a Kiperesque scouting report: Mel Kiper, ESPN – hard worker and versatile, well-versed on top picks and late round surprises. Always comes through in the clutch and never disappoints. A top pick for sure.
John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
