Mel Kiper Jr. earns his stripes as NFL drat specialist
Howard Feindrich- AP
Issue date: 4/24/09 Section: Sports
For a guy who makes a living critiquing others - created a cottage industry out of it, even - Mel Kiper Jr. sounds a little thin-skinned when it comes to how others perceived him way back when.
Back before he became a first-name-suffices celebrity. Before the NFL draft felt like a made-for-TV event.
"When I started," Kiper recalled, words tumbling forth as he rocked in his chair during an interview with The Associated Press, "I had everybody telling me, 'You're crazy. You're wasting your time. It will amount to nothing.' I was, like, the point man for the draft to get ripped - and about seven, eight years ago, I noticed that all those massive critics shut up."
This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of Kiper's 1984 debut on ESPN's NFL draft coverage, and while his no-time-to-breathe delivery, polarizing declarations, and puffy hair (his wife, Kim, cuts it) haven't changed all that much through the years, his relevance and popularity sure have.
The relevance and popularity of the draft itself have increased, too. The 1984 telecast drew a 0.6 rating; ESPN has averaged better than a 4.0 rating for its past five Day 1 draft shows. In 1984, there were 10 hours of live coverage; this weekend, there will be more than 16.
"It's unbelievable to even fathom that it's become this big. And Mel's the 'Founding Father' of it all," said Kiper's ESPN colleague and on-air foil, Todd McShay, one of the new breed of "draft gurus" who owe their jobs to the original. "If you're in the NFL in any way, shape or form, you have to love what Mel has done in terms of publicity for the NFL draft. Almost single-handedly, he added two to three months to the attention the NFL gets." Football fans certainly pay attention to Kiper. They probably couldn't avoid him if they wanted to on ESPN's various TV channels, ESPN Radio and ESPN.com.
"The draft is the second-biggest day - or two days - in the calendar year, next to the Super Bowl. And Mel had something to do with that," said Ernie Accorsi, a former GM for three NFL teams who is Kiper's mentor and friend. "He also was a beneficiary."
Back before he became a first-name-suffices celebrity. Before the NFL draft felt like a made-for-TV event.
"When I started," Kiper recalled, words tumbling forth as he rocked in his chair during an interview with The Associated Press, "I had everybody telling me, 'You're crazy. You're wasting your time. It will amount to nothing.' I was, like, the point man for the draft to get ripped - and about seven, eight years ago, I noticed that all those massive critics shut up."
This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of Kiper's 1984 debut on ESPN's NFL draft coverage, and while his no-time-to-breathe delivery, polarizing declarations, and puffy hair (his wife, Kim, cuts it) haven't changed all that much through the years, his relevance and popularity sure have.
The relevance and popularity of the draft itself have increased, too. The 1984 telecast drew a 0.6 rating; ESPN has averaged better than a 4.0 rating for its past five Day 1 draft shows. In 1984, there were 10 hours of live coverage; this weekend, there will be more than 16.
"It's unbelievable to even fathom that it's become this big. And Mel's the 'Founding Father' of it all," said Kiper's ESPN colleague and on-air foil, Todd McShay, one of the new breed of "draft gurus" who owe their jobs to the original. "If you're in the NFL in any way, shape or form, you have to love what Mel has done in terms of publicity for the NFL draft. Almost single-handedly, he added two to three months to the attention the NFL gets." Football fans certainly pay attention to Kiper. They probably couldn't avoid him if they wanted to on ESPN's various TV channels, ESPN Radio and ESPN.com.
"The draft is the second-biggest day - or two days - in the calendar year, next to the Super Bowl. And Mel had something to do with that," said Ernie Accorsi, a former GM for three NFL teams who is Kiper's mentor and friend. "He also was a beneficiary."
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