How is Mel Kiper ESPN's Draft Expert?

[Lyfer]

From Wiki:

He attended Calvert Hall College High School and Essex Community College. He never participated in football on any level in high school or college.


His website also looks like its from 1994 (Can't afford a webmaster from all the $$$$). I heard him on the radio the other day talking about how he LOVES Nascar to death and could talk about it all day long.



So whos butt did he kiss to get the job? (I want shortcuts too)

 

[czech09]

Haha. Not to mention his "analysis" isn't very good either...

Edit: Honestly, though some people will study a sport until they understand it perfectly and keep up with it. It's the same reason some NFL/College Coaches never played the game they just learned/studied it and learned to love it.

 

[maddogchen]

No one can truly say they are a draft expert.

 

[Carbo]

Originally posted by: Lyfer. . .His website also looks like its from 1994. . .

You're not kidding! It's embarrassing.

 

[SearchMaster]

There are tons of successful football people that never played the game. Charlie Weiss comes to mind - he has a decent football mind, don't ya think?

The most important thing in the "draft expert" game is to have some sort of insider for each team to drop hints about who they might draft. I think most of them learned a lesson about "can't miss" with the Mandarich debacle, so now they concentrate more on just predicting where players will go and learning as much about the players as they can.

 

[DeepBlu]

He's a complete joke.

 

[imported_Mike]

He is their "go to" guy on ESPN. All this draft talk and the physical draft are getting me excited for FF!

 

[tfinch2]

In 1981, Mel founded Draft Publications, Inc. (now called Mel Kiper Enterprises, Inc.) The company produces the Draft Report, the Draft Preview and many other draft publications ? all of which can be ordered directly through this Web site.

People obviously bought it, and ESPN thought it was good, so they hired him in 1984.

 

[PokerGuy]

Like him or not, Kiper is *the* expert when it comes to college talent transitioning to the NFL. Yeah, every dope who thinks he knows football can talk about Bush and Vince Young etc, but can you name the 25th rated cornerback available on the board? How about the 15th best inside linebacker to take in the 4th round of the draft? ..... didn't think so.

He knows his stuff when it comes to college football and talent assessment. I often disagree with him on certain players, and since scouting is such an inexact science nobody is always right, but he knows his stuff.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: tfinch2

In 1981, Mel founded Draft Publications, Inc. (now called Mel Kiper Enterprises, Inc.) The company produces the Draft Report, the Draft Preview and many other draft publications ? all of which can be ordered directly through this Web site.

People obviously bought it, and ESPN thought it was good, so they hired him in 1984.

Yep. Mel was just in the right place at the right time when coverage of the NFL Draft was starting to become big.

 

[Accipiter22]

SO WHAT IF HE NEVER PLAYED>....what does playing have to do AT ALL with knowing the draft? You think half the gm's in the league ever played? you think even 5 of them have

 

[poopaskoopa]

It's his hair.

 

[Lyfer]

Anyone subscribe to ESPN+? I wanna compare final standings to his "predictions".

 

[LS20]

there are never experts. sports drafts provides such good fodder for journalists and writers to make tons of pointless articles to fill up their crap magazine/websites. every week they pick names out of a straw, change their "mock draft" order, to get material to write up a new article for readers to swallow up

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Originally posted by: poopaskoopa
It's his hair.

dont forget his mouth

 

[fustercluck]

Is that the guy who's been talking about the draft non stop on ESPN for the past two weeks? I think it might be Mel Kiper Jr, and i think his father was in the same business (which would explain how he got the job) but I'm not sure. Seems pretty smart to me *shrug*, not any lesser or more so than most other ESPN people. He did project Leinart going to the Cardinals too.

 

[tm37]

There is a big difference between a Great college player and A Great NFL player. Kiper was one of the first to write and talk about scouting. He has been wrong but more times than not he is right. It is the ability to see how a player translates to the next level. Scouting is an inexact science and if a player succeeds one place he may not in another. Having said that he did say the Colt should have taken Dilfer instead of Faulk

 

[Bucks]

The guy is a machine. Have you ever heard him speak on ESPN. You can tell he knows his stuff, by the amount of infomation he crams into a 30 second slot.

 

[XMan]

Originally posted by: tm37
There is a big difference between a Great college player and A Great NFL player. Kiper was one of the first to write and talk about scouting. He has been wrong but more times than not he is right. It is the ability to see how a player translates to the next level. Scouting is an inexact science and if a player succeeds one place he may not in another. Having said that he did say the Colt should have taken Dilfer instead of Faulk

He whiffed on Dwight Freeney as well.

Kiper pimps a lot of guys represented by agents he is personal friends with. Players have said as much on Dan Patrick's radio show . . .