Mel Kiper Jr.(/ˈkaɪpər/KY-pər;born July 25, 1960)[1]is ananalystcoveringAmerican footballforESPN.Kiper has appeared on ESPN's annualNFL draftcoverage since 1984.[2]He has been widely credited for establishingmock draftingand is regarded as one of the firstdraftniksalongsideJoel Buchsbaum.[3][4][5][6][7]
Mel Kiper Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Kiper in 2009 | |
| Born | July 25, 1960 Baltimore,Maryland, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Essex Community College |
| Occupation | Footballcommentator |
| Employer | ESPN |
Career
editKiper said that he approachedErnie Accorsi,then-assistant general manager of theBaltimore Colts,with draft reports while still a student in high school. Accorsi told him that there was a market for draft information and suggested that Kiper convert his analysis into a business.[7][8]The original contract he signed with ESPN in 1984 was for $400.[9]
Kiper and fellow draft analystTodd McShayare often featured together and compare their mock drafts on ESPN programs.[10]Kiper compiles a "big board", on which he ranks his top 25 players every week.[11]
Accuracy
editKiper has received sustained criticism for the low accuracy of his predictions. According toCold Hard Football Facts,Kiper's accuracy for the first round of the 2005–2008 NFL drafts was 32 of 127 total picks (25.2%), which included players that had already signed or were in the process of signing with a team before the draft.[12][13]According toThe Huddle Reportin 2014, based on Kiper's final mock drafts, he had accurately predicted 23% of the first round picks in the previous five years.[9]Kiper's initial drafts were even lower, correctly predicting 17 out of 256 from 2010–2018.[4]In 2021,FantasyProsranked Kiper's final mock draft 87th of 182 andGrading the Expertsranked his draft 32nd of 38.[14]In 2023, Kiper correctly predicted only one of the 31 draftees in the first round despite updating his analysis on the morning of the NFL draft after gathering additional information.[15][16][17]
In other media
edit- Kiper voices himself as the ESPN draft expert, has his own mock draft inESPN NFL 2K5and is "unlockable" as afree agentlongsnapper.[citation needed]
- Kiper appears inNFL Head Coachas a draft expert.[18]
- Kiper appears inMadden NFL 07and08during the pre-draft workout period.[19]
Personal life
editKiper was born inBaltimore,Maryland.[20]His wife Kim, whom he married in 1989, assists him in running Mel Kiper Enterprises from their Baltimore home.[21]They have one daughter.[22]
References
edit- ^"Mel Kiper Jr".ESPN.RetrievedJuly 28,2022.
Kiper, born July 25, 1960, attended Essex Community College in Baltimore.
- ^"Mel Kiper's NFL draft hits and misses".ESPN.ESPN, Inc.RetrievedJune 29,2019.
- ^Wells, Brad (April 23, 2010)."After the first day of the 2010 NFL Draft, there was no bigger first round bust than ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr".SBNation.RetrievedNovember 9,2023.
- ^abReed, Jason (January 21, 2018)."Los Angeles Chargers: Mel Kiper's bad track record will continue in 2018".LA Sports Hub.RetrievedNovember 9,2023.
- ^McKenna, Henry (June 9, 2019)."Poor Mel Kiper Jr. isn't getting any GM interest from NFL teams".For The Win.RetrievedNovember 9,2023.
- ^Kopetskie, Tommy (May 5, 2021)."Who scored the most accurate NFL mock draft? That honor goes to an Elon alumnus".Elon University.RetrievedNovember 9,2023.
- ^abGreenberg, Doug (April 28, 2023)."Where Would The NFL Draft Be Without The Gurus?".Front Office Sports.RetrievedNovember 9,2023.
- ^Battista, Judy (April 24, 2009)."The N.F.L. Draft Is the Kipers' Family Business".The New York Times.
- ^abPeter, Josh."Meet Mel Kiper: Fallible, Parodied, Relentless, Rich, Famous, Successful".Bleacher Report.RetrievedNovember 9,2023.
- ^Kiper, Mel Jr.; McShay, Todd (April 18, 2019)."Three-round 2019 NFL Mock Draft: Kiper, McShay go head-to-head".ESPN.ESPN, Inc.RetrievedJune 29,2019.
- ^Zucker, Joseph."Mel Kiper 2019 Big Board: Nick Bosa Remains No. 1, Ed Oliver Drops Out of Top 5".bleacherreport.Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.RetrievedJuly 31,2019.
- ^Diaz, Malcolm (May 4, 2009)."Mock Draft Experts: Guess Work at its Worst".Bleacher Report.RetrievedNovember 9,2023.
- ^Staff Writer (April 5, 2009)."Hollywood ending awaits for LT Oher".The Florida Times-Union.RetrievedNovember 9,2023.
- ^Peter, Josh (May 5, 2021)."Who had the most accurate NFL mock draft? Not ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr".Yahoo Sports.RetrievedNovember 9,2023.
- ^Mel Kiper Jr. [@MelKiperESPN] (Apr 27, 2023).I agonized over this final mock draft -- I already updated with a few changes this morning. Here's what I'm hearing on Round 1 right now.Twitter.
- ^Tornoe, Rob (April 28, 2023)."NFL draft 2023: How many picks did Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, and Daniel Jeremiah actually get right?".Philadelphia Inquirer.RetrievedNovember 9,2023.
- ^Rivera, Joe (April 29, 2023)."Grading 2023 NFL mock drafts: How did Mel Kiper, Daniel Jeremiah, Todd McShay, Peter King & other experts fare? | Sporting News".sportingnews.RetrievedNovember 9,2023.
- ^Ekberg, Brian."E3 06: NFL Head Coach Hands-On".Gamespot. Archived fromthe originalon May 4, 2009.RetrievedNovember 14,2007.
- ^Arguello, Lorenzo (April 25, 2012)."How Mel Kiper Went From Controversial, No-Name Amateur Scout To The Biggest NFL Draft Guru On The Planet".Business Insider.RetrievedMay 23,2019.
- ^"Mel Kiper Jr".Allmovie.RetrievedNovember 5,2023.
- ^Sports (April 25, 2012)."MEL KIPER JR: Life Story, From Amateur Scout To ESPN's Multi-Millionaire NFL Draft Expert".Business Insider.RetrievedApril 30,2016.
- ^Kiper, Kim (April 18, 2001)."ESPN - Page2 - Mel-odramatic marriage".Espn.go.RetrievedApril 30,2016.
External links
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