If Mel Kiper Jr. is a man of his word, this will be his last time covering the NFL draft at ESPN.
On the April 19th, 2010, the network’s lead draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. was trying to get a point across to Todd McShay about how highly he had Notre Dame star QB Jimmy Clausen. In fact, Kiper even wagered his job on it, declaring a promise to leave ESPN if Clausen didn’t eventually turn out to be a successful NFL quarterback within 8 years. That 8 years is just about up.
“If Jimmy Clausen is not a successful quarterback in the NFL, I’m done. That’s it. I’m out.”
McShay asked the following question: “What is your time frame, Mel? When do we make that assessment?”
Kiper answered “I want eight years.”
McShay countered, “It will only take three years, Mel. We can tell inside three years.”
Kiper replied, “I want eight.”
Clausen, the number four rated prospect on Kiper’s board, was selected at pick 48 by the Panthers, where he stuck around for only 3 seasons. He made his way to Chicago and is currently residing in Baltimore with the Ravens. (Yep, you just learned Jimmy Clausen plays for the Ravens.)
It may be worth noting none of those years were successful. It’s about that time Mel.
