Mel Kiper and Todd McShay might be running the biggest sham in sports journalism today. No doubt, countless people buy the ESPN insider access to see how high their favorite college players will be drafted, and NFL junkies will try to get a lead on which team will draft which players.
The problem is that Mel Kiper and Todd McShay are walking contradictions. Not with each other, mind you. McShay and Kiper both are horrible about trying to drag one player out of the first round for certain deficiencies while trying to enhance the value of players who have the very same problems- often times to a much higher degree. It wouldn’t be so disturbing if other draft analysts didn’t blindly jump on their bandwagon without thinking for themselves.
If you think it’s all hogwash, take a hard listen to what McShay and Kiper have to say about the quarterback draft class this year. Their favorite target to launch verbal barrages at this year seems to be Ryan Mallett, the rocket-armed quarterback out of Arkansas. Meanwhile, the tandem is pushing Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert as the great saving graces of the 2011 quarterback class. Mel Kiper still has some sort of infatuation with Jake Locker, which perplexes the mind.
According to both Kiper and McShay, Mallett is an extreme risk. That’s hard to argue as most first round quarterback picks do bring with them a degree of risk. For every Peyton Manning there is a Ryan Leaf. For every Aaron Rodgers, there is an Akili Smith. Their reasoning for why Mallett is more risky than any of the other prospects is confusing to those that study the situation more closely.
Both McShay and Kiper have noted character concerns for Mallett. The only character issue that has any real meat behind it would be a public intoxication citation received during the offseason before his sophomore year. Unfortunate, to be sure, but hardly worth a drop in draft stock. Rumors of drug use are just that- rumors. Under the highest of scrutiny, Mallett has never failed a drug test. That much was confirmed by the University of Arkansas athletic department.
Compare that with Cam Newton’s past. Evidently, Mel Kiper and Todd McShay were so awestruck by Newton’s flashy runs that they missed the obvious and proven character flaws with Auburn’s highest paid player (allegedly). First, Cam Newton was involved with the biggest recruiting scandal since SMU and the Pony Express. In 30 years, Cam Newton may well be on a “60 for 60” television documentary by ESPN.
Let’s get real for a minute. Cam Newton knowing that his father was pimping him to multiple SEC schools is far more likely than Ryan Mallett being a hard drug user.
Then of course Cam Newton was nailed with allegations regarding academic fraud while playing football at Florida. According to a University of Florida source, Newton was caught not once, not twice, but three separate times. Let that sink in for a moment. Three different counts of academic fraud.
No character issues to be concerned about here, right McShay? This is just college kids being college kids, right Mel?
As if academic fraud and probable self-solicitation weren’t enough, Cam Newton was found with stolen property. He was obviously quite proud of his “hot” new laptop. He painted “CAM NEWTON” in white paint on top of it. So while McShay and Kiper may be with Gene Chizik and go “All In” with Cam Newton, the laptop was “All Out” when Newton tossed it out of his dorm room window when the police came to investigate.
It makes one give pause to wonder why Kiper and McShay would focus on some draft targets’ potential character concerns while so blatantly disregarding obvious concerns of others. There isn’t a first round draft pick more likely to end up on Riker’s Island than Cam Newton (especially if he gets drafted by Buffalo with the third overall pick). Yet, we hear not a peep from McShay or Kiper about Newton’s shady past and present.
If the character assassination against Ryan Mallett by Kiper and McShay doesn’t get the job done, they’ll try a different tactic. Both pundits love to push the accuracy issue. Both McShay and Kiper have been harping on Mallett’s accuracy for some time. The truth of the matter is that Mallett is the most accurate passer that might get drafted in the first round. Newton might be more accurate on the bullet throws, and Gabbert more accurate on the short passes, but to all parts of the field, Ryan Mallett is clearly the most accurate passer among the three. Locker’s accuracy is so poor, he doesn’t even deserve a mention.
Of course, NFL general managers can see all of this on film, so Kiper and McShay will use the “decision making” excuse for putting Newton and Gabbert ahead of Mallett. Keep in mind that Gabbert threw 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions last year. Gabbert threw more passes than Mallett, yet Mallett outperformed him significantly. He threw twice as many touchdowns and destroyed Gabbert in the touchdown per interception ratio statistic. Oh, and Mallett threw for nearly 700 yards more than Gabbert.
Considering Newton’s biggest decision was to either run left or run right in Gus Malzahn’s spread option system, it would be very hard to consider decision making a strength. Of the three, Mallett is the only one with any significant experience in reading defenses from under center.
McShay and Kiper love to “go back to the end of that Alabama game and the Sugar Bowl” when discussing decision making with Ryan Mallett. In point of fact, if Razorback receivers catch the football against Ohio State, the Hogs win by at least two touchdowns and Mallett throws five touchdown passes and over 400 yards while completing 65% of his passes. Mallett played an excellent game in the Sugar Bowl. The Hogs threw it nearly 50 times and the vaunted Buckeye defense came away with only one interception.
I’m willing to bet that NFL front offices look at more than just the three passes that Kiper and McShay have cherry-picked to harp about.
The end result is that it becomes pretty clear that Kiper and McShay both have an agenda. Maybe Kiper’s buddy is Newton’s agent. Maybe McShay just likes to hear himself talk. Well, we know the latter is true.
One thing is certain. For every obvious contradiction, Kiper and McShay become less and less credible. For every Jimmy Clausen that Kiper says will be drafted in the top five, there is a Jimmy Clausen that drops to the second round.
