Honestly, why does ESPN still employ Mel Kiper? That’s a serious question. Scouts and GMs have said for years they don’t have much respect for the guy. Former Bears executive Duke Tobin even insulted outright on live TV in the mid-1990s. There are so many more credible draft experts out there these days. Why does he continue to get so many headlines?
Nostalgia is the only answer that makes much sense because it sure as hell isn’t his draft evaluations. This was a guy who thought Jordan Willis would go in the 1st round last year. Willis fell to the 3rd round. His history is full of wild misfires and misevaluations like that. If Chicago Bears fans want a reminder, they need just get a load of his 2017 draft re-grade.
He went back through the draft and every team, adjusting the initial grades he gave based on updated information. He gave the Bears a C+ last May for their work. How much did it change after a full season? Not at all. It was still a C+. Where it gets hilarious is how he tries to explain his reasoning.
Mel Kiper went full meathead in Bears 2017 draft re-grade
In order to fully appreciate this, his comments will be broken up into sections, starting with his lukewarm take on Mitch Trubisky.
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“Trubisky had only seven touchdown passes to seven interceptions and completed just 59.4 percent of his passes in his 12 starts after taking over for Mike Glennon. There’s still a lot of unknown here — we don’t know if Trubisky is the Bears’ quarterback of the future just yet.”
Really? Let’s break that down. In the first four games under Glennon, the Bears went 1-3, turned it over eight times, and were blown out by 13 points or more twice. When Trubisky stepped in they finished 4-8, turned it over 12 times,, and were blown out by 13 or more points twice. Despite experiencing the exact same conditions as the more experienced Glennon, Trubisky was far more effective and that was in the worst possible conditions.
The late gems
“Safety Eddie Jackson and running back Tarik Cohen, both Day 3 picks, were the best players in this class. Jackson started every game and had 70 tackles, two interceptions and two defensive touchdowns, while Cohen averaged 4.3 yards per carry, snagged 53 catches and was an early fantasy darling, though he didn’t put up big numbers down the stretch. He did add a punt return touchdown.”
Seriously, did Kiper even bother to do any research? Like at all? If he had, he’d have noticed there was a reason Cohen’s production dipped. HE WASN’T GETTING THE BALL. Through the first six games, he got 77 touches on offense. That number dropped to 65 over the final 10 games. A drastic reduction in his usage. It’s worth noting that the two games he got decent work he went 44 yards on nine carries and 80 yards on 12 carries respectively.
Paging Mr. Shaheen
“Adam Shaheen is a Division II tight end who faced a steep learning curve, but he had three touchdown catches. It’s notable, though, that Chicago went out in free agency and got a No. 1 tight end in Trey Burton, so maybe they don’t think Shaheen is quite ready for a bigger workload.”
Shaheen already showed he’s ready for a big workload. The previous coaching staff just refused to get him involves until late in the year. In the two games he was targeted most he caught a combined eight passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns. As for the Burton angle, that’s a nice try but no. Burton will play an expanded role of what he did in Philadelphia where he teamed with Zach Ertz, who was a Pro Bowler last year. Matt Nagy comes from the exact same school Eagles head coach Doug Pederson did.
In case you forgot, Mel.
