Mel Kiper Jr. formally misplaced it on ESPN when Shedeur Sanders was lastly picked by the Browns. The most important icon of NFL Draft protection went on a tirade, slamming groups for being idiots when it got here to evaluating quarterbacks — with Kiper being a giant fan of Sanders out of Colorado.
“The NFL has been clueless for 50 years in relation to evaluating quarterbacks. Clueless. They do not know what they’re doing when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks. That’s proof. There’s proof. “We all know precisely what we’re doing with quarterbacks” … they don’t.”
On the one hand Kiper isn’t fallacious. Groups have been botching the quarterback place for the reason that NFL Draft began. It’s not simply the notorious tales like JaMarcus Russell or Ryan Leaf that show this both, however issues like Drew Brees falling to the second spherical, Joe Montana being a 3rd spherical choose, or Tom Brady within the sixth. There’s a historical past right here of not simply selecting busts, however letting a few of the finest gamers ever fall once they by no means ought to have.
The draft has at all times been an imprecise science. Accurately projecting a participant is damn-near not possible as a result of it encompasses faculty capacity, work ethic, group match, and offensive tendencies — then you want to roll all that up into a company’s stability, together with whether or not or not they’re on the verge of a training change.
Personally, I agree with Mel in relation to Shedeur Sanders. I get the criticism, but it surely was ridiculous to see him come off the board after Tyler Shough or Dillon Gabriel. That mentioned, as offended as Mel bought, he’s had some MASSIVE stinkers in relation to projecting QBs as properly.
Mel Kiper ought to have retired in 2018 over Jimmy Clausen
It feels historical now, however again in 2010 Kiper staked every thing on Jimmy Clausen. He slammed groups for passing on Clausen within the first spherical, vowing that he would grow to be a prime 10 quarterback within the NFL. A fresh-faced Todd McShay requested Kiper how lengthy earlier than the guess would mature, at which level Kiper mentioned “give me eight years.”
Clausen was out of the NFL by 2015. Over the course of his six yr profession he performed in 22 video games.
The opposite Notre Dame QB blunder
This one doesn’t make almost as many “worst of” lists in relation to Mel Kiper Jr. draft takes, however in 2007 he was completely mystified that the Detroit Lions took Calvin Johnson with the No. 2 general choose.
Extra critically he was hellbent that the Lions ought to have taken Brady Quinn with the second choose, solidifying themselves at quarterback. Megatron went on to be probably the greatest receivers in NFL historical past, whereas Quinn — properly, he’s certainly one of a protracted checklist of failed Cleveland QBs.
That point Jamarcus Russell was in comparison with John Elway
I’d name this a turning level for Mel. In 2007 when the Oakland Raiders took Jamarcus Russell with the No. 1 general choose Kiper made an notorious comparability, saying Russell was the subsequent John Elway.
The thought right here was that Russell was a big-armed, gunslinging QB who may throw the ball a mile. The one concern is that enjoying the place like that didn’t translate to the NFL anymore, and the woeful inaccuracy made the previous No. 1 choose a complete legal responsibility on the QB place.
Mitch Trubisky: The following Matt Ryan
Kiper was all in on Trubisky within the 2017 NFL Draft. A lot in order that he mentioned on air there was an enormous hole between the eventual Bears bust and everybody else in that class. Kiper noticed the QB out of North Carolina because the second coming off Matt Ryan, and his QB class SNAFU in 2017 was legendary,
Right here have been his QB projections that yr:
- Mitch Trubisky: High 3
- Deshone Kizer: Final 1st
- Deshaun Watson: Early 2nd
- Patrick Mahomes: Mid 2nd
Want we are saying extra?
The unimaginable love affair with Ricky Stanzi
Lots is manufactured from Kiper infamously saying the Panthers ought to take Blaine Gabbert over Cam Newton within the 2011 NFL Draft, but it surely was his love of Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi that was much more complicated.
Kiper in contrast Stanzi to Tom Brady, saying he would go on to have one of the best profession of any of the QBs taken. This was the identical draft class that had Newton, Andy Dalton. Colin Kaepernick, and Tyrod Taylor.