Mel Kiper Jr. took a few shots this weekend. Whether it was fellow media members or just dudes on the internet, his rant in the wake of Sheduer Sanders’s slide into round 5 drew some harsh rebukes. Let’s be fair to the people calling Mel out, their criticisms were not off base.
I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t think Sanders was a quarterback worthy of a day one pick. I also didn’t think Cam Ward, the consensus best quarterback in the 2025 class, was worthy of being picked on day one either. I feel like the Titans, Giants, Browns and anyone else that thinks they got their franchise QB in this draft will be doing the same dance in two years.
Sanders’s slide didn’t feel authentic, but it also didn’t feel like he was the prospect worth that much ire from Kiper. Something is getting lost in the criticism though. If you want to say Mel Kiper ruined this draft for you, fine. I think you’re exaggerating, but fine. I just hope you remember that he is the only reason any of us care about the NFL Draft in the first place.
Did Kiper Kickstart the NFL Content Machine?
I am not going to recount Kiper’s professional history. Plenty of others have written about how he went from a virtual unknown to a TV institution and along the way, did the same for the event he has dedicated his life to covering.
Earlier this month, Dan Patrick told Kiper that he intended to do all he could to make sure the ESPN draft guru is honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. To Patrick’s mind, the NFL owes Kiper a debt of gratitude. I would add that many football fans do too. As someone that would always choose to watch a college game over an NFL game, the Draft has become my favorite graduation party.
In 2025, we think of the NFL as a money printing machine. Whether it’s the draft, the combine, or the schedule release, the league has proven that it can take anything and turn it into a made-for-TV event. That wasn’t always the case though.
It could be argued that no one has done more for the NFL as a media business than Kiper. If that’s true, then no broadcaster deserves induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame than him.
When the NFL was still a regional TV product, he saw the vision of what the Draft could be. His analysis could have more value than just explaining to GMs what the best and worst traits of these prospects were. Kiper recognized there was something fans could connect with.
The NFL Draft was on TV before Mel Kiper, but it wasn’t the content behemoth that it is today. There was no industry devoted to mock drafts and tracking what analysts got the most picks right. The whole affair was contained to a single day.
Now the NFL Draft is so big that ESPN VP and Executive Producer Seth Markman once said it was part of the network’s DNA – an integral piece of what makes ESPN ESPN. That doesn’t happen without Kiper.
It’s Okay To Be Human
Mel Kiper Jr., like any mortal, is not without flaws. I can’t say what he is thinking, but I know if I had an outburst like the one he did on Saturday, I’d wish I could have a mulligan.
These flaws aren’t new. Kiper is sensitive and that lead to a string of awkward drafts in the 2010s. Watching him and Jon Gruden on TV together was like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm – entertaining, but incredibly uncomfortable.
He can also be difficult. While I have not had any interaction with him myself, the list of people that have told me Kiper can be standoffish with local press is long.
Nothing I just listed negates what Kiper has done for the NFL. Criticize him all you want. That can be valid, but the second you tell me he is irrelevant or a net negative in some way, I am tuning you out, because it’s simply not true.
The Power of the Kiper Brand
Projecting the NFL Draft is hard. Every draft insider has a phone full of sources and every single one of those sources has a vested interest in lying to them. So, of course, Mel Kiper doesn’t project every pick correctly. Neither does Todd McShay or any of the other of literally hundreds of people publishing mock drafts.
Kiper misses on evaluations. People were quick to point out the huge expectations he had for Jimmy Clausen and Jamarcus Russell after he shouted that the NFL has no idea how to evaluate quarterbacks. But again, everyone misses on evaluations. I remember the late Gil Brandt comparing Zach Wilson to Patrick Mahomes and Trey Lance to Josh Allen ahead of the 2021 Draft.
The difference is Kiper is a brand unto himself. A Kiper mock draft is treated with more weight than others.
Kiper’s blessing also carries more weight than others. ESPN has hired a slew of draft experts throughout the years. Plenty of them have shared the stage with Kiper. He and Todd McShay seemed to get along and work well together. He went to bat for Matt Miller to have him added to the ESPN draft broadcast.
The NFL Draft media world keeps getting more and more crowded. Kiper keeps getting older. He knows he won’t be doing this forever and he seems to be keenly aware of who is worthy to have this very specific niche of analysis left in their hands and he wants to give them real credibility.
We’ve all had a bad day at work. Plenty of us have been publicly corrected or challenged by our colleagues and had to figure out how to move on from the embarrassment so that we can continue living a normal life.
Kiper had a bad day. It does not tarnish his legacy or diminish his case for enshrinement in Canton one bit.
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Demetri Ravanos is a former columnist and editor for Barrett Media. He is the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host of the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
