Shutdown Corner - NFL

Shutdown Corner

Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:04 pm EDT

Why aren't any college analysts featured on NFL draft coverage?

By Chris Chase

Yesterday, MJD linked to a fine critique of ESPN's NFL draft coverage written by Adam Gertz at Fanhouse. (It focused on one of my main pet peeves: that the network ignores what happens in the later rounds in favor of an umpteenth review of what happened in the first round.) But my biggest complaint is something that ESPN and the NFL Network doesn't do. Even though it's a draft of college players, there was nary an analyst on either network's 40-person crew that works exclusively in college football.

With the exception of Mel Kiper, Todd McShay and Mike Mayock, almost everyone the two networks used was an NFL guy/gal. Of course you need NFL analysts at the draft because, duh, it's an NFL event. But their knowledge is only valuable in terms of discussing what a specific team has and/or needs. If Steve Young says the Chiefs need a defensive end to play in their new 3-4 defense, I'll take his word for it. But he doesn't have much credibility when it comes to explaining how Tyson Jackson will specifically fill that gap. Can he really know that much about Tyson Jackson?

And what insight could Herm Edwards or Jon Gruden possibly have on a defensive lineman from LSU? Do you think those guys watched any college football last year? They were too busy game planning for Sunday, the same way that Chris Berman, Tom Jackson, Cris Carter, Rich Eisen and Deion Sanders were preparing for their NFL telecasts during college games. They can't possibly know more than someone like Kirk Herbstreit or Chris Fowler, guys who live and breathe college football from September to January.

Kiper, McShay and Mayock are excellent at what they do, but they're scouts. They watch college football in order to judge which players will succeed at the NFL. So why not augment their knowledge of the college game with another analyst who is paid to know college football, not college football players.

Would it have killed ESPN to have added just one person to their ever-increasing panel who actually knows college football? Shoot, I'd have even settled for Pam Ward or Andre Ware! That's how you know I'm serious, people.

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33 Comments

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  1. tito (eight and oh)
    1. Posted by tito (eight and oh) Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:16 pm EDT

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    Fair point.
  2. alex m
    2. Posted by alex m Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:19 pm EDT

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    Nothing is ever supposed to make sense. If you want to make sense, break a dollar. teehee
  3. Scott E
    3. Posted by Scott E Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:30 pm EDT

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    Good point. But in the end: a) it's just another opinion; and b) it still won't give Dan Snyder the brains of a chick pea.
  4. Jay Mac
    4. Posted by Jay Mac Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:35 pm EDT

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    That would make WAY to much sense for the House of Mouse to ever do.
    oh and...just in case you forgot,
    Jay Mac RULES!!!!!!!!
  5. Michelle H
    5. Posted by Michelle H Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:53 pm EDT

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    Can I get an AMEN?! Seriously.
  6. InFisherWeTrust
    6. Posted by InFisherWeTrust Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:54 pm EDT

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    because you don't want to see idiots like lou holtz and the donks pictured above any more than you already have to.
  7. Mac
    7. Posted by Mac Tue Apr 28, 2009 4:00 pm EDT

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    I've wondered this for years. It's probably because they think their audience is so pea brained, that if they saw 'NFL' on something in their guide, and then tuned in and saw Kirk Herbstreit, they'd get scared and wet themselves in confusion.
  8. swanson_71
    8. Posted by swanson_71 Tue Apr 28, 2009 4:49 pm EDT

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    Goodness who would want too. We see and hear Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso talk bad about the SEC teams during the year...do we really want them talking bad about the players as well? I can't stand those listening to those fools who think they know football! That idiot Lee Corse picked Ohio State, I believe, to win the National Championship and when Florida won it all we heard is out USC and Texas got the Shaft. OH PLEASE!
  9. Phil M
    9. Posted by Phil M Tue Apr 28, 2009 4:58 pm EDT

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    Kirk Herbstreit was voicing in opinions in pre-draft coverage.
    Contrary to popular belief, even the NCAA guys only watch 5-10% of the games on each week. There are HUNDREDS of teams that play every weekend.
  10. Phil M
    10. Posted by Phil M Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:00 pm EDT

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    The NFL guys break players down by what their potential is as NFL players. They don't care about stats (unless it backs up numbers) and they don't care about the pageantry and teams in college, which is what the NCAA guys would say.
    How many games did ANY major network college broadcaster watch of ohhhhhh, Oregon State games beyond once or twice a year?
  11. Jonathan E
    11. Posted by Jonathan E Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:00 pm EDT

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    they don't know football, that's why.
  12. Don Squeek
    12. Posted by Don Squeek Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:41 pm EDT

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    After reading the article again this topic plays into another problem. Why do we only hear about the guys drafted in the first round? A college analysts would be able to give opinions on the other 192+ picks that end up getting drafted over the weekend. Its a good point, nice article.
  13. Chris C
    13. Posted by Chris C Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:56 pm EDT

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    Phil,
    I agree that the college guys barely watch all the games, but at least they're sitting in front of TVs every Saturday, as opposed to the NFL guys who are preparing for Sunday.
  14. Irish Bastard
    14. Posted by Irish Bastard Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:09 pm EDT

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    If they would get rid of Mel Kiper & his 80s hair. They should have the college boys on draft day ,Its not like the ones doing the draft follow the college players like the college analyst do.
    Kiper needs to go and hasnt got any picks right after the 4round since I dont know when.
  15. Good Guy
    15. Posted by Good Guy Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:29 pm EDT

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    What I don't get is why the NFL teams don't seem to draft winners. We get a lot of guys who put up OK numbers but really weren't that fanatstic, why not go for guys that put up good numbers? Graham Harrell had over a 70% completion percentage. Now I don't like Tech that much, but you can't ignore the accuracy there. Idk, i think there's too much focus on NOT taking the players who had really great college careers.
  16. brian b
    16. Posted by brian b Tue Apr 28, 2009 7:07 pm EDT

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    Because they are college analysts. If they were pro's, they would be nfl analysts.
  17. STEELERSGOFOR7
    17. Posted by STEELERSGOFOR7 Tue Apr 28, 2009 7:10 pm EDT

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    You would think that these Networks would utilize these college guys as much as possible, for example ESPN has reporters who cover each NFL team, they also have reporters who cover College Conferences each week, and have knowledge of players we don't see on TV, because those teams are not considered the cream of the crop.What also amazes me, is that these so called experts (Mel Kiper,Todd Mcshay), if they really had the answers to everything then why wouldn't a NFL team hire them and pay them big money to manage their teams draft picks ? The problem is, the true statistics of these players that they grade, will not be known for a few years, and by then these experts opinions are forgotton over that period. I for one, would like the statistics of these so called experts ! I want them to tell me that James Harrison will be the next star in this league, because I can assure you that Mel Kiper didn.t know who James Harrison was when he came out of college.
  18. ¾î·Ã
    18. Posted by ¾î·Ã Wed Apr 29, 2009 12:38 am EDT

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    great point i couldn't agree more
  19. Lord Calvert
    19. Posted by Lord Calvert Wed Apr 29, 2009 12:53 am EDT

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    I'm just finding it hard to believe that you had to gall to put "know more than someone like Kirk Herbstreit or Chris Fowler" in a sentence on an allegedly credible blog.
  20. squirrelyearl
    20. Posted by squirrelyearl Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:09 am EDT

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    This is a really good point. I hadn't thought about them much.
  21. BleedGreen
    21. Posted by BleedGreen Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:06 am EDT

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    That Would Make Sense
    Cause They See These Guy's Every Staurday
    & They Know The Collage Foootball Game Better Then Everyone
  22. kENNETH j
    22. Posted by kENNETH j Wed Apr 29, 2009 6:10 am EDT

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    Teleprompter,just like the president
  23. Harry T
    23. Posted by Harry T Wed Apr 29, 2009 9:39 am EDT

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    Gee, I love the college guys!! They bring enthusiasm, camaradarie, and a "fun" approach
    to a college Gameday atmosphere. It is impossible to "predict" which player will be a star
    in the NFL, too many variables, thus many failures. I just enjoy the show for the entertainment
    value and omit the "negativity". I would enjoy them on the NFL draft day once in a while, why not
    a different perspective?
  24. Cee
    24. Posted by Cee Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:39 am EDT

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    That is a good point.......but the networks dont really care about that. It doesnt matter to them what happens in the 4th round on.........just what happens in the first and maybe second round.......which is why we are subject to it for the whole two days of the draft.
  25. Irish Bastard
    25. Posted by Irish Bastard Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:51 am EDT

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    lol at .......... brian b..........Who would know more about college players going into the pros ? Would it be the guys whom watch these players or the guys whom do a 3 week study on them before the draft ?
    Brillant ...
    Maybe they can have the college boys on 1 table and the stooge Kiper and whom ever on the other and see whom knows what,it would bring ratings and bring money and isnt that what the NFL is all about ?

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Shutdown Corner is an NFL blog edited by Matthew J. Darnell. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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