2016By Matt Yoder on

One of our favorite yearly traditions at Awful Announcing is our yearly draft grades for ESPN and NFL Network recapping the first round of the NFL Draft. This is always such a big night for the networks and their football departments and aside from Louis Riddick’s addition, the crew has largely stayed the same over the last several years. So how did they fare this year?

Production: B

We say it almost every year, but the absolute unsung stars of ESPN’s draft coverage are the men and women behind the scenes. The video packages highlighting the draft picks were top notch as always and this year it seemed as if there was a more critical edge to some of them which were really enlightening.

However, there were some odd choices throughout the night that made the WWL’s coverage uneven. First, the intro video, especially the ham-fisted Jerry Jones cameo, didn’t resonate at all.

Second, there was no interview of Carson Wentz, the unknown, small-school QB prospect or Joey Bosa, one of the most recognizable faces in college football the past two years, at picks #2 and #3. And this was after Jared Goff got almost flyby treatment compared to last year’s fawning over Winston and Mariotta. Still, ESPN has to be given credit for covering the events surrounding Laremy Tunsil’s slide. (More on that later.)

Chris Berman: You know

Chris Berman is what he is at this point, so there’s really no point in assigning a grade anymore.  And at this point it’s easier to go through a laundry list of oddities coming from the broadcast….

– Berman’s recognition of St. Louis fans at the beginning of coverage, as if there were still some that were hanging on and rooting for the Rams (???), was peculiar to say the least.

– The interview with Roger Goodell which won’t be confused with Frost-Nixon anytime soon.

– Kyle “PBA” Boller?!

– Berman’s comments before the Chargers pick were tough to navigate even by his own standards… until he tipped the Joey Bosa pick. Why is it Adam Schefter isn’t allowed to tip picks but Berman constantly can every year?

– Boomer said this was the first time three players from the same school were drafted in the Top 10… but it had actually happened 12 times!

Juuuuuuuuust a bit outside. Thankfully Trey Wingo has the remaining 6/7ths of the draft for ESPN, but one wonders when the ceremonial assignment will be brought to an end so they can actually have their best NFL anchor do his job for the entire thing.

Also, how confused do you think Berman was with the Tunsil social media story when he has famously claimed to not even have an e-mail address?

Louis Riddick: A-

Riddick backed up last year’s breakout performance with another terrific turn on the main set. Riddick has the unique ability to provide perspective from the front office as a scout and decision maker. ESPN stumbled into one of their best broadcasting decisions in recent memory when he was a late substitution for Ray Lewis last year. If there’s one thing you can say about Riddick, it’s that sometimes he got lost in the Gruden-Kiper shuffle just a little bit at times.

Mel Kiper: B

Kiper again showed why he has been the boss of the draft for over 30 years and there’s not too many new things you can say about him because his persona really haven’t changed all that much in that timespan. Not even his hair has changed! In the discussion of Carson Wentz, Kiper gave a complete profile of a prospect who was unknown several months ago. He wasn’t afraid to question some picks either, especially San Francisco reaching to trade back into the first round to select G Joshua Garnett. It was also nice to see ESPN poke fun at Kiper for his comments on never selecting a running back in the first round when Ezekiel Elliott was selected by the Cowboys.

Jon Gruden: C

Over the years, Jon Gruden has surprisingly become something he never was as a coach – predictable. Off the top, Gruden was noncommittal in evaluating the Rams/Titans trade. Then, the Montana/Goff comparisons began. In the past, Gruden’s haste to put every rookie QB in the Hall of Fame has been noticeable, so maybe the out-of-this-world comparisons shouldn’t have been a surprise. There’s no doubt Gruden provides valuable insight (he was even critical of several Top 10 picks), but each year head-scratching statements tend to overwhelm otherwise solid analysis. This rant on social media was something else…

The final “surprises” were Gruden praising the pick by his brother’s team and saying he “LOVED” Denver trading for Paxton Lynch. Who would’ve thunk it?

Adam Schefter/Suzy Kolber: A

The absence of Chris Mortensen was certainly felt throughout the evening and a nice tribute before the official coverage by Mort’s colleagues was truly touching. Suzy Kolber also gave a heartfelt shoutout in her interview with Jared Goff. With only one insider on set, Mort’s colleague Adam Schefter was given more room to maneuver. While the circumstances leading to Schefter flying solo are truly unfortunate, he did an admirable job throughout the evening and seemed to be more involved than past years.

Schefter and Kolber were especially valuable covering the unfolding Laremy Tunsil drama. There was a question as to whether or not ESPN (or NFL Network) would actually cover the story as it unfolded on social media. It presented a real example of the disconnect that can sometimes occur between new media and traditional media. It was fair to ask whether it was too volatile a story for ESPN to touch. But to ESPN’s credit, they did eventually hit the story in full force, including reporting from Schefter and an interview with Kolber and Tunsil. They treated the story with the seriousness and importance it deserved as it became the major story of the evening. Ten years ago, (heck even five years ago) who would have ever imagined something like that happening on draft night?

On-Site Reporters: Incomplete

Once again, the on-site reporters were underutilized. Perhaps it’s the more rapid pace of the first round, but most of the reporters at sites around the league were completely silent outside the likes of Ed Werder and Sal Pal. Their value is seen more on Day 2 and Day 3, but undoubtedly even a 30-second hit would have been helpful at several points.

Overall: B

The presence of Riddick definitely helps ESPN’s coverage and having the real-time reporting value of Schefter and Kolber present gave ESPN a boost as they were able to handle a major story that could have never been predicted. Those things, along with the always-excellent video packages, bump up ESPN a full letter grade. However, it’s the predictability of Gruden and Berman that will always leave you thinking ESPN could serve up more on night one of the draft and keep it from getting into the A territory.

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