Kiper

Baltimore draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. looks at Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford and sees a little of the Broncos' Jay Cutler. Big arm, can make all the throws, but a little inconsistent. "He's inconsistent like Cutler was at Vanderbilt and still is with the Denver Broncos," Kiper said. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/ravensinsider)

Et cetera ESPN's Kiper among HOF inductees at Calvert Hall Calvert Hall announced that ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. will be inducted into the school's Alumni Hall of Fame on March 23 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront along with T. Peter Ruane , Sir Richard H. Trainor , John T. Carey , Dr. Thomas B. Smyth and Francis X. Kelly III . The event will feature live and silent auctions, music and dancing....

Want to send Mel Kiper Jr.'s blood pressure soaring? Just call him a "draftnik," or imply that his encyclopedic knowledge of all things related to the NFL draft somehow makes him a little, well, different."

The 2011 NFL draft is three weeks away, and draft analysts are making final adjustments to their mocks. Two notable experts from ESPN, Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, released their latest mocks today. Each had the Ravens selecting a cornerback at No. 26. Kiper believes the Ravens will select Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith , who has first-round talent but top-five character concerns. "With the Ravens' leadership on defense in the form of Ray Lewis still in place, Smith has a chance to be a steal if he takes direction from the vets," Kiper wrote.

ASHBURN, Va. -- What the NFL's college draft lacked in quality yesterday, it certainly made up in theater.There was a lot of wheeling and dealing in the unpredictable first round as the San Francisco 49ers traded both up and down, the Los Angeles Rams traded down twice and the Indianapolis Colts twice passed up quarterback Trent Dilfer of Fresno State.The Colts' decision sparked a debate between the team's director of football operations, Bill Tobin, and Baltimore draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. during the ESPN draft telecast.

It's not the proficiency engendered by Melvin Kiper Jr. in his specialized and highly speculative field of evaluating football playing talent that sets him apart. He turned a guessing game into a business, a broker of sorts, who has gained respect, recognition and, on occasion, been targeted with biting criticism.Kiper is in an endeavor where it's easier to be wrong than right. But his opinions, which he can't afford to keep to himself, are considered valuable to an extensive reading and listening audience.

Though on hiatus, Baltimore-area media personality Mel Kiper Jr. said he expects to continue his longtime relationship with ESPN, despite reports that he had recently split with the network and his absence from the network's radio broadcasts this month. Kiper, 44, formally left the network when his contract expired on Oct. 1. Kiper had been with ESPN for the previous 22 years, after rising to prominence as an expert on the NFL draft. During that time, he also ended up contributing to the network's magazine and Web site, which he hopes to be a part of in the future.

As far as ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. is concerned, the Ravens' top mission during the NFL draft will be to find quarterback Joe Flacco some talented receivers. Forget about a cornerback and pass rushers. Those are secondary issues. The main emphasis should be allowing your franchise quarterback to grow. There wasn't much room in that area a year ago, Kiper said. "Before the last regular season started, I went on record and said the Ravens had the worst receiving corps in the NFL," said Kiper, who resides in Harford County.

Presenting another week of sports media notes while wondering whether I can convince my wife - citing noted horticulturist Peter Griffin of Family Guy - that dandelions count as flowers: When I was a little boy, my parents took me to Radio City Music Hall. I don't recall a whole lot, other than how the restroom seemed absolutely huge and the tiles gleamed like nothing I had ever seen before in my young life. Oh, and there was a guy in a New York Jets jersey who was booing the Rockettes.

When ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. opens his mouth around this time of year, what comes out must be measured in paragraphs, not sentences. Sentences, frankly, are simply too restrictive for Kiper, even if his time, as usual, is limited. He doesn't pause for punctuation - or to draw a breath, for that matter - instead choosing to speak in a series of rapid-fire, high-volume monologues jampacked with as much information as humanly possible. Want to know who Kiper, 45, thinks will be the best player available when it's the Ravens' turn to pick in the 2006 NFL draft?

A s far as ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. is concerned, the Ravens' top mission during the NFL draft will be to find quarterback Joe Flacco some talented receivers. Forget about a cornerback and pass rushers. Those are secondary issues. The main emphasis should be allowing your franchise quarterback to grow. There wasn't much room in that area a year ago, Kiper said. "Before the last regular season started, I went on record and said the Ravens had the worst receiving corps in the NFL," said Kiper, who resides in Harford County.

As far as ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. is concerned, the Ravens' top mission during the NFL draft will be to find quarterback Joe Flacco some talented receivers. Forget about a cornerback and pass rushers. Those are secondary issues. The main emphasis should be allowing your franchise quarterback to grow. There wasn't much room in that area a year ago, Kiper said. "Before the last regular season started, I went on record and said the Ravens had the worst receiving corps in the NFL," said Kiper, who resides in Harford County.

Baltimore draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. looks at Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford and sees a little of the Broncos' Jay Cutler. Big arm, can make all the throws, but a little inconsistent. "He's inconsistent like Cutler was at Vanderbilt and still is with the Denver Broncos," Kiper said. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/ravensinsider)

Presenting another week of sports media notes while wondering whether I can convince my wife - citing noted horticulturist Peter Griffin of Family Guy - that dandelions count as flowers: When I was a little boy, my parents took me to Radio City Music Hall. I don't recall a whole lot, other than how the restroom seemed absolutely huge and the tiles gleamed like nothing I had ever seen before in my young life. Oh, and there was a guy in a New York Jets jersey who was booing the Rockettes.

Mel Kiper Jr., who has been plumbing the mysteries of the NFL's annual rite of passage from boola-boola to the pros for more than 25 years, really wants the Ravens to pick a quarterback in the NFL draft. Kiper was on the telephone yesterday with about 50 reporters from around the country answering questions about players from the obvious to the obscure. As always, Kiper can give height, weight and 40-yard dash time on virtually anyone who wore pads in college without taking a moment to cogitate or inhale.

There is a lot of suspense surrounding the Ravens' first-round pick in the 2008 draft. Will it be a cornerback or an offensive tackle? Or will general manager Ozzie Newsome stick to his philosophy of taking the best player available? The second round has even more excitement because the Ravens will probably select a quarterback from among Louisville's Brian Brohm, Delaware's Joe Flacco and Michigan's Chad Henne. "Kyle Boller set them back, what, how long has he been with the team, five years?"

Over the years, I've had a few things to say about ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. And, yes, most of them have had to do with his hair. I once wrote: "Kiper's hair has loomed over the draft telecast like smoke billowing from Mount Etna." He answered the question directly another time: "Mel, what's with the hair? `It's my hair, and I have nothing negative to say about it,' Kiper said." I even referred to him as "head of the Committee to Preserve the Pompadour." But as we enter ESPN's 28th year of NFL draft coverage, consider how the landscape has changed - even if Kiper's hair hasn't (sorry, couldn't resist one last time)

"The sports page records people's accomplishments," former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl "The Pearl" Warren once said, "the front page nothing but man's failure."I can well understand how the beleaguered reader turns to his sports section seeking solace from the travails of everyday life. Or at least seeking sentences that don't juxtapose the words solace and travails.In any case, sports journalists believe we also can provide substance. Let pundits ponder peripheral piffle pertaining to potential presidents.

Over the years, I've had a few things to say about ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. And, yes, most of them have had to do with his hair. I once wrote: "Kiper's hair has loomed over the draft telecast like smoke billowing from Mount Etna." He answered the question directly another time: "Mel, what's with the hair? `It's my hair, and I have nothing negative to say about it,' Kiper said." I even referred to him as "head of the Committee to Preserve the Pompadour." But as we enter ESPN's 28th year of NFL draft coverage, consider how the landscape has changed - even if Kiper's hair hasn't (sorry, couldn't resist one last time)

Last year's NFL draft, stocked with pop-idol personalities, crackled with a celebrity cachet that nearly made the pro football spring rite more the stuff of Entertainment Tonight than ESPN. For instance, even before he was drafted into the pros, former Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart was on People magazine's list of "100 Most Beautiful People." Not to be outdone, USC running back Reggie Bush did a beefcake photo shoot for GQ. And a Sports Illustrated cover featuring former Texas star Vince Young hailed him as "Superman."