1. The two people who generated the most attention in the sports world from Thursday to Saturday were Shedeur Sanders and Mel Kiper Jr.
It was Kiper’s constant and passionate—and sometimes over-the-top—defense of Sanders that had NFL draft viewers buzzing all weekend. (More so than the vast majority of actual draft selections.)
To say Kiper was bewildered that the Colorado quarterback didn’t get drafted until pick No. 144 by the Cleveland Browns would be the understatement of the year.
Kiper waving the flag for Sanders angered many viewers and critics. I even saw a post on X from one of those NFL aggregator accounts saying “fans” were calling for Kiper to be fired, which is laughable because 1) few things have less credibility than aggregator accounts and fans on social media and 2) ESPN probably sent Kiper a gift basket after his performance during the draft.
It seems everyone who watched the draft forgot that television and sports are entertainment. The job of people on TV is to attract eyeballs and get attention, to make people watch their product. Nobody can deny that Kiper did that in a big way on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
You may not like what Kiper had to say, and how often he said it, but you can’t deny that Kiper offered compelling TV.
This clip alone, featuring the typically calm, cool and collected Rece Davis getting fed up with Kiper, was television gold.
Wild TV here with Mel Kiper, Rece Davis, and Louis Riddick.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 26, 2025
Louis Riddick: "Mel, the draft has spoken."
Rece Davis: "Yelling at the NFL about it is not productive!"
Mel Kiper: "The NFL has been clueless for 50 years when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks! Clueless!.." pic.twitter.com/QRkSXINr67
Was there one clip from the NFL Network’s draft coverage that went viral or got any attention at all? No.
And spare me the Mel didn’t talk enough about the kids who got drafted pearl-clutching. Other ESPN panelists had the opportunity to do that. Nobody on social media was talking about some random SEC offensive lineman over Sanders. And if you were all hot and bothered over Kiper “snubbing” other draft picks, all you had to do was flip over to the NFL Network. But guess what? You didn’t do that, because you wanted to keep watching Kiper melt down over Sanders’s drop.
If anyone thinks ESPN was unhappy with Kiper this weekend, they have no clue how the television business works. Kiper did his job and did it well.
2. The Shedeur Sanders drama paid off for ESPN/ABC and the NFL Network
Friday’s coverage of Rounds 2 and 3 of the draft drew 7.3 million viewers, up more than 40% from Friday’s coverage in 2024.
Thursday’s first-round coverage brought in 13.6 million across the networks, making it the second most watched Day 1 of all time behind the 2020 COVID-19-impacted version.
3. This is pure speculation, but at some point, someone will break a story about what is really going on with this bizarre relationship between 73-year-old Bill Belichick and 24-year-old Jordon Hudson. Especially after what took place during Belichick’s interview on Sunday with CBS Sunday Morning. Something here is, to quote the great Mike Breen, wayyyyy off.
Bill Belichick talks to @tonydokoupil about his relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson defending it by saying he’s “never been too worried about what everybody else thinks.” pic.twitter.com/MV8XqjfAQx
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) April 27, 2025
4. The plans for the new Washington Commanders stadium in D.C. look very cool.
NEW: Rendering of the new RFK Stadium with a glass roof and views of the US Capitol. Timeline to open stadium in 2030. pic.twitter.com/ZJOLUf3ecy
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) April 28, 2025
5. Saquon Barkley is a Super Bowl champion, but he’s not too social media savvy.
Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, I think both sides can agree that telling people on social media to get out of your mentions with politics will have the complete opposite effect.
lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump ! Now ya get out my…
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) April 28, 2025
6. The latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with author and journalist Jim Miller.
Miller, who wrote the book on ESPN, shared his insight into numerous topics regarding the Worldwide Leader.
How will ESPN’s expected deal to acquire NFL Media, which includes NFL Network and the Red Zone channel, play out? What will ESPN’s direct-to-consumer product look like and what will the monthly cost be? After opting out of its deal with MLB, could ESPN end up signing a new deal with the sport?
In addition, Miller also weighs in on ESPN’s deal with Warner Brothers Discovery to air Inside the NBA, how ESPN’s partnership with Pat McAfee has gone and how ESPN views Stephen A. Smith’s possible presidential run.
Miller, who also wrote a book about Saturday Night Live, discusses the show’s recent 50th anniversary episode and SNL50: The Homecoming Concert.
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I know the media loves to paint Deion Sanders in a positive light, but seemingly some NFL teams didn’t draft Shedeur because they didn’t want to deal with Deion. I’m old enough to remember this.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as In Defense of Mel Kiper Jr..
