CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 30: A general view prior to the start of the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 30, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Kena Krutsinger/Getty Images)
2015By Matt Yoder on

C Grades

Mort and Schefty – With the volatility at the top of the draft, the ESPN insiders had a bit of a higher profile than years past at the beginning. But their presence waned throughout the evening. The inability to tip picks reduces the influence the two can have in draft coverage to mere bit parts. Further, the lack of any real trades or action limited the scope of what they could do even more. With that limited air time, the two seemed flustered trying to get their information out as quickly as possible. The draft is becoming an event that’s not cut out for the newsbreakers anymore, at least on television.

Suzy Kolber – I can’t believe we survived without the Bud Light Blue Room this year! Kolber was still there on stage to go through the usual questions and answers out of the draftees who were there in person. There were a couple bright moments with Danny Shelton and Laken Tomlinson, but like the reporters above, there’s only so much an on-stage interviewer can do. Kolber is a massive upgrade from NFL Network and Deion Sanders in this position, though.

D Grades

On-Site Reporters – Through no fault of their own, ESPN’s on-site reporters were a non-factor once the draft actually started. The lack of presence was surprising for multiple reasons. Why not go to Shelly Smith in Hawaii with the Mariota family right away, especially with her marking her return from her battle with cancer? Why not set the final, frantic scene with Bob Holtzman and the Titans before their pick was in at #2? Without the top two QBs in Chicago, a quick hit to on-site reporters would have provided value to viewers who didn’t tune in to the pre-draft festivities throughout the evening. But once the picks came rolling in, they all went missing.

Awkward Silences – Whether it was it being the first time the four men on the main set had worked together before or Chris Berman’s present day anchoring skills, or the communication between the league and ESPN on when picks were actually going to be announced, there seemed to be several moments throughout the evening where the main set was in awkward transitional silence.  Then at other points, it seemed as if Berman had to deliver lengthy soliloquies just to kill time until the picks were actually read.  How many minutes did we spend seeing “Pick is In” on the screen just waiting for it to actually be announced?  It might have more to do with the league than ESPN, but the flow of the evening just felt a little bit off.

E Grades (because some schools don’t believe in Fs anymore)

Chris Berman – What else would we expect? At this point Frank Caliendo doing his impression of Boomer for 3+ hours would be more entertaining than the living caricature Berman has become. The same “traditions” from recent years were evident throughout tonight’s telecast. The random changes in volume, the grunting, the dated cultural references, the constant wink-wink tipping of picks just before cutting to the podium. He even rolled out the same “[INSERT HOST CITY HERE] JUST WON THE SUPER BOWL” joke after the Bears pick that he has for years with the Jets.

https://twitter.com/memefan2000/status/194435529851420672

We’ve said it for years, the viewers would be better served by Trey Wingo anchoring the entire draft. Sadly, ESPN continues to operate on what is best for Chris Berman by insisting to give him this platform.

Overall Grade: B

The last-minute addition of Louis Riddick to the main set was found money for ESPN as he was the MVP of the network’s draft coverage throughout the evening.  Hopefully he gets to stay on the main set with Kiper and Gruden next year as that’s a very strong trio.  However, with Chris Berman in the anchor chair after all these years and the drop off between he and Trey Wingo or Rich Eisen, it’s hard to envision ESPN ever reaching “A” territory with their Round 1 draft coverage.

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