After the first day of the 2010 NFL Draft, there was no bigger first round bust than ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.
by Brad Wells on Apr 23, 2010 10:59 AM EDT
in 2010 NFL Draft
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It's almost criminal that the famous "Who is Mel Kiper!" rant from one-time Colts VP of Football Operations Bill Tobin is not on YouTube. As a longtime Colts fan, I have strong memories of the 1995 NFL Draft, watching Tobin rip Kiper upwards and downwards during a candid interview. Tobin insulted everything from Kiper's resume to damn near his manhood.
Amazingly, Kiper has used that famous smack-down to his advantage, becoming the figurehead in a rather lucrative "mock draft" business. Prior to Kiper, fans and media did not hold annual mock drafts. They didn't grade prospects and scout athletes in an effort to place them on their own, private "big boards." They certainly didn't make websites (like this one) dedicated to college talent evaluation. Kiper, in many ways, was the driving force behind this mock draft movement that we all know and love.
However, make no mistake about it, last night I got the sense that, somewhere, Bill Tobin was sitting back and having a good laugh at Kiper's expense. The reason Tobin is probably smiling right now is that after Round One, no one looked more like a draft day bust than Mel Kiper Jr., who has spent the last six months telling everyone with two ears that Jimmy Clausen was a first round quarterback:
Clausen and Bradford are in the top group [of quarterbacks].
...
I think [Clausen] has a chance to be great. His accuracy is outstanding. His leadership is exceptional. People keep questioning his size and I don't understand why. What's wrong with 6-2.5, 220. That's ideal size. In addition to that, his arm strength is above average. Some have said he's maxed out physically. I don't understand that. His arm strength will improve once he gets to the NFL. That's been proven. He's tough. He played with the flu and the toe injury. He played with a team that didn't have a great supporting cast. The defense was awful. He had four games where he won on the final drive.
Kiper's employer, ESPN, has enjoyed throwing him and his nemesis, Todd McShay, into the "Draft Ring of Death" every day on SportsCenter, with both men seemingly at each other's throats over the subject of Clausen.
Earlier today on ESPN, McShay and Kiper were making "bold predictions" for the 2010 draft and, they both focused on Clausen's status.
Said Kiper, "If Clausen's not a successful starting quarterback in the NFL, I'm done."
McShay then said that Clausen will not go in the top 10 picks.
"I'll take that," Kiper said. "I'll take that one right there."
So there it is. If Clausen is taken in the top 10, Kiper wins. If he isn't McShay wins.
Clausen most certainly was not drafted in the top 10. In fact, he was passed over by all 32 teams last night, including quarterback starved Buffalo, Cleveland, and Minnesota (who traded out of the first round at pick #30... ouch!). It's important to note that Gary Wichard, Clausen's agent, is a long-time buddy of Kiper's. Just throwing that out there.
Now, in Kiper's defense, no one could foresee the Chargers, Jaguars, and Bills making the awful first day picks that they did. C.J. Spiller to the Bills at #9 started a cascade of stupidity that did not stop until the Eagles traded up with the 49ers and took Michigan's Brandon Graham at pick #13. As folks like Gregg Rosenthal and Michael David Smith are telling us this morning, teams like the Chiefs and Seahawks thought about taking Clausen early. However, for a team like the Seahawks, who picked at 14 following the disaster that was picks 9-12, they simply could not dismiss Earl Thomas just sitting there.
But, the facts are undeniable. Kiper totally hitched his credibility wagon to Clausen last night, and the kid was passed over by, literally, everyone.
"Who is Mel Kiper?" Mel Kiper is the guy with egg on his face as the second round of the 75th NFL Draft begins today.
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How did Kiper get his job?
Or McShay for that matter? What are their qualifications?
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
Kiper Created the First Mock Draft Scouting Reports and Mock Drafts in an Annual Book in 1981
and has been on ESPN doing draft coverage since 1984
by Blue Eyed Devil on Apr 23, 2010 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Corrected, thanks
Spiller at #9 was most certainly not the BPA.
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um
they already have 2 good running backs but NO offensive line, questionable qbs?
New body. Same soul.
yeah i agree with you
i was a little suprised by that
"WIth the 5th pick in the 2010 NFL draft the Kansas City Chiefs select... Eric Berry Safety Tennesee... "
Because he's on RB on an awful team?
His career will be near the end by the time the Bills are even respectable
"Mayhap a hidden door lurks nigh. Let us search the environs."
by Fearless Frog on Apr 23, 2010 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Nothing original about the Jags pick
No shock here.
The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.
Vince Lombardi
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by Brian Fullford on Apr 23, 2010 11:06 AM EDT reply actions
Jags pick
Was the worst in the first round. Absolutely awful selection for a team desperate to fill seats.
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Really..
That you base your opinion on “the need to fill seats” shows that name recognition is more valuable the performance. Do you know they could’ve traded back? Do you know they could’ve gotten him if they did? Do you know if anyone else had him pegged in round one?
Winning fills seats.The easy response is “the mocks didn’t have him that high”. Begs the question doesn’t it.
The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.
Vince Lombardi
Follow me on Twitter:
by Brian Fullford on Apr 23, 2010 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions
nope-
that would be the Donkeys pick.
by tenacious rdc on Apr 23, 2010 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions
I can't believe I'm doing this
In Kiper’s defense,
Said Kiper, “If Clausen’s not a successful starting quarterback in the NFL, I’m done.”
Not taken in the first round doesn’t mean that he won’t be a successful starter….one day.
Your Mama!
I think he's talking about the "bet"
Where Kiper bet Claussen would go in the first ten picks.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Apr 23, 2010 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Read the rest of the quote
McShay then said that Clausen will not go in the top 10 picks.
“I’ll take that,” Kiper said. “I’ll take that one right there.”
As in, “I’ll take that bet.”
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+1
Member of the Official Draft Eric Berry Fanclub
www.reverbnation.com/myfairweatherfriends
by justinmayhugh on Apr 23, 2010 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Well Carolina technically didn't pass
but yeah Kiper sucks. Mayock is the best in the buiz I think, and that’s not saying much. The draft is an effing crapshoot
I can't tell you how many times I found myself saying
“shut the hell up” out loud.
2009 Unofficial "The Phinsider" (Phinaddict's League) Fantasy Baseball League Champion
1a. Eric Berry, S, Tennessee/1b. Earl Thomas, S, Texas
1c. C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson/1d. Dan Williams, NT, Tennessee
1e. Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas/1f. Brandon Graham, OLB, Michigan
by Dave.Phuller on Apr 23, 2010 11:35 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
What tops it off
I dont know if anyone else heard this but after a commercial break or something you could hear him saying dumbass picks, probably referring to teams passing on Clausen.
No ...
It was probably referring to the stupidity that was picks 9, 10, 11 and 12.
It’s like the Raiders finally chose the best player — and one that wasn’t the fastest or strongest at the combine — and it blew the minds of all of the GMs picking after them.
Not to defend Kiper but...
I do think Clausen has all the tools to be successful. I think he slid because his toe is obviously not 100%. He threw well at his pro day but he didn’t move around at all. If he was completely healthy I think he would have gone in the 1st round.
"the kid was passed over by, literally, everyone"
Except the Panthers
by Thomas Beekers on Apr 23, 2010 12:00 PM EDT reply actions
I love that pic!!!
Bob Sanders is starting to make me rethink my SBNation ID!
by SupermanWearsBobSander'sPJs on Apr 23, 2010 12:04 PM EDT reply actions
"cascade of stupidity", lol
Too true! What Buffalo was doing by taking another running back is beyond belief as they have so many more holes than at that position. Jacksonville does not have a 2nd round pick so I find it a little curious that TA would be at the top of their list, and the Eagles overreached on Graham as that guys draft stock was based on how he abused Bulaga…not noticing the fact that Bulaga in that college game was recovering from a severe thyrod condition, lol. The Eagles may be the first team this year to out-think themselves…started with McNabb and probably will end with Reid and the whole front-office getting fired within two years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHiUqL2KLiM
Not the initial rant, but it is something at least.
Long-Standing, League-Wide Practical Joke Culminates In Sam Bradford Not Being Picked In NFL Draft
http://www.theonion.com/articles/longstanding-leaguewide-practical-joke-culminates,17306
Just some comic relief amidst all this draft excitement for you all.
Sorry, I am a Mel Kiper guy
I have purchased “The Bible” every year since I graduated high school in 1997. Is he right about everything, no. I don’t really agree with his verbal fellating of Jimmy Clausen, but the guy could still be a decent QB. He is going to go in the second round today, Just like Boomer Esiason in ‘84, and Brett Favre in ’91. If he has a career 80% as good as Esiason, he has to be considered a success, when the success rate of drafted QB’s is about 40%. While I agree, Mayock is better scout-esque analyst, Kiper is better on TV. So get off his nuts fellas.
My three favorite things in the world in no particular order: My wife, sex with my wife, and The Cincinnati Bengals
by Kabash on Apr 23, 2010 12:33 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Winners/Losers
Winners:
#1: 49ers – 2 great O-linemen
#2: Seattle – Arguably the best tackle and 2nd best safety
#3: Patriots – Pack-ratted away a ton of picks by trading down and still came away with their guy, McCourtey
#4: Cowboys – All offseason they’ve been pining for Dez Bryant in order to wash themselves of the Roy Williams debacle. The board fell unbelievably perfect for them and they got the #1 reciver in the draft at pick 24 with the only cost being swapping their 3rd rounder for a 4th.
#5: Packers – They never dreamed a top-4 offensive tackle would fall to them but it did and they didn’t hesitate to snatch up a great prospect for an area of great need for them.
Losers:
#3: Giants – C.J. Spiller and Rolando McClain got snatched up before them and they got tantilizingly close to beefing up their secondary before Earl Thomas went right before them. They seemed to get stuck in a hole in their board, couldn’t get a trade down, and took a guy in Jason Pierre-Paul that I don’t think anyone in New York is completely sold on for their team.
#2: Jaguars – Pass on Earl Thomas and Anthony Davis to select a DE not named Brandon Graham, Derrick Morgan, and Jason Pierre-Paul
#1: Denver – Sacrificing the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th picks in an amazingly deep draft to get a 3rd string QB behind Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn that was projected to go in the 3rd round? Wow wow wow.
by Blue Eyed Devil on Apr 23, 2010 12:41 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Solid write-up
Recced
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can't argue..
I still don’t think I’m sold on it yet.
But this is sort of the point of the draft..you never know.
JPP is a a never know amongst never knows..but hell….there’s a reason his potential is as high as anyone in the draft, including those DT’s at the top of the draft.
He fulfills that potential…the Giants got the best player in the draft. Pass rushers trump all…the Giants proved that in 2007.
by FreeBradshaw on Apr 23, 2010 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Clausen falling out of the 1st is absolute lunacy.
Anyone who gets him in the 2nd is getting nothing short of the best steal in the draft. Franchise QB here with a chip on his shoulder, guys.
"Mayhap a hidden door lurks nigh. Let us search the environs."
Schefter is reporting Rams' phone is ringing
There’s a number of teams that need a QB.
I think McCoy and Clausen are gone in the first 10 picks today.
by Blue Eyed Devil on Apr 23, 2010 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
This is a dumb post
Clausen’s play will prove who is right. Rubbing it in right now makes no sense.
2009 BTB Fantasy Champ... Deal with it
+1
In 2 or 3 years, no one will care that Kiper thought Clausen would go in the top 10. What they will care about is if Clausen’s play proved his evaluation right. And I think in the long run, it’s Mel that’ll have the last laugh.
"'Tis a bird I love, with its brooding note, And the trembling throb in its mottled throat; There's a human look in its swelling breast, And the gentle curve of its lowly crest; And I often stop with the fear I feel-- He runs so close to the rapid wheel." Nathaniel Parker Willis, "The Belfrey Pigeon"
95?
try 94 with dilfer / trev alberts…couldn’t have meant that much to you if you can’t even remember which yr…just messin
Bitter much?
Who pissed in your cheerios? Mel’s last Mock Draft is darn close to what actually happened. I don’t see how Mel’s stock fell at all when he picked the first six picks on the money. The only one he’s way off on is Clausen, but I personally don’t think he’s wrong about Clausen. I prefer him to Bradford at QB. The way the draft has gone, I think the biggest losers are the Rams. They’d be sitting pretty with Suh in the first and being able to pick up Clausen in the second…
My problem with Kiper
He gets obsessed with certain players (Tebow) who play one position in college (quarterback) and insist they play at positions they have no experience at (H-back? Tight End? What’s next, Kiper, Linebacker?!).
Witty's madness once again comes in HTML format at Witty's Draft PREview so stop on by and glower at my chaotic decision-making...
My problem with Clausen
Is his off-field issues: scouting has him as arrogant. While you want a QB to be confident, arrogance is something worse, especially if you can’t back it up. I get the feeling Clausen reminded some scouts of Ryan Leaf. And for all the issues Tebow has with throwing mechanics, Clausen’s negative is that he holds onto the ball too long. I’m not really surprised he slipped to Second. Someone will take him, but as a developmental player who won’t start right away…
Witty's madness once again comes in HTML format at Witty's Draft PREview so stop on by and glower at my chaotic decision-making...
he was passed over by all 32 teams last night
False
Scientific research has proven that you lose exactly 5.37 billion brain cells every time you listen to Todd McShay.
by TheRealSlimShady on Apr 23, 2010 5:09 PM EDT reply actions
Baltimore?
Carolina? Chicago?
Carolina..maybe, but I doubt if the other 2 were in the first round that story changes.
by FreeBradshaw on Apr 23, 2010 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions
True
Chicago and (especially) Carolina didn’t trade up to get him. Hence, they passed on him.
Thanks for playing, smart guy.
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