My query is, “What exactly is self-proclaimed NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.'s actual record?” Kiper has carved out a very nice niche for himself on ESPN and other sports media as one who supposedly knows the ins-and-outs of every draftable college player. Is he right more often than not, or is he just a gas-bag? I tend to think he’s a gas-bag but I haven’t done the research. Kiper’s had his gig for well over a decade now at least, so he’s had to have his share of hits and misses, but has anybody ever bothered to double-check his prognostications? Or has anybody compared Kiper’s records to any other the other alleged draft experts, whose names I have mercifully forgotten? I doubt it and I wish somebody would.
To a great degree, I suspect that Kiper’s mistakes are very easily hidden and rationalized. The players he touts can and do get hurt, just as all players in pro football get hurt. Players also don’t always get a fair chance to play, and can get stuck being backups to somebody else. Then there are players who “don’t live up to their potential.” If a player that Kiper touts stinks in the pros, shouldn’t this go on Kiper’s record as well as the player’s? Maybe Kiper overrated him to begin with. On the flip side, what players that Kiper disparaged have gone on to have successful football careers? Does anybody know?