"Who the hell is Mel Kiper anyway?" - When Colts GM Bill Tobin called out NFL analyst in spectacular fashion on draft day
The Colts, after trading quarterback Jeff George to the Atlanta Falcons for a first-round pick, ended up with the number two and seven overall picks. ESPN senior analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. has been covering the NFL draft since 1984, but it was his criticism of the Indianapolis Colts and their two first-round picks in the 1994 draft that put him on the map.
This Day In 1994: The Day The NFL Draft Became Must Watch. @MelKiperESPN questions Colts pick of Trev Alberts. Colts GM Bill Tobin bashes Kiper. 24 years later, Kiper is still working the draft, Tobin was fired from Colts three years later. https://t.co/c7CbWBCxSr
With the number two pick, the Colts chose Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk. Kiper had a few negative comments about this, suggesting the team’s need for a quarterback outweighed their running back concerns.
When the Colts traded up for the number five pick, it was assumed they’d choose quarterback Trent Dilfer. When they, instead, picked linebacker Trev Alberts, Kiper unleashed a scathing verbal assault against the Colts organization.
“I mean, here’s a team that needed a franchise quarterback. There were two out there. They had a chance at two. They didn’t take it. They end up coming back into the picture to get Trent Dilfer. They take an outside linebacker."
Kiper went on to say,
"Not even a true outside linebacker, somebody who has to learn outside coverage in Trev Alberts. But to pass up a Trent Dilfer, when all you have is Jim Harbaugh, give me a break. That’s why the Colts are picking second every year in the draft and not battling for the Super Bowl like other clubs in the National Football League.”
This elicited an enraged response from then Colts GM Bill Tobin.
“Who the hell is Mel Kiper anyway?” he said to ESPN reporter Chris Mortenson.
He went on to point out that Kiper had absolutely no credentials and was no more suited to criticize draft picks than his neighbor, who was employed as a mailman.
Mel Kiper's heavy criticism of the Colts 1994 draft pick started a feud that lasted well beyond the end of the draft
Two-round mock draft is here. I have four defenders in the top four picks, which has only happened once in draft history — 1991. espn.com/nfl/insider/dr…
The feud continued after the draft, when Tobin took to the podium at a press conference and stated he’d just learned about Kiper’s ties to Baltimore and cited his anger at the Colts franchise's move to Indianapolis as the basis for his continued criticisms.
Kiper’s comments and Tobin’s response to them live on as one of the most memorable moments in NFL draft history. Even now, the clip pops up annually for new generations of football fans to get a kick out of and for those who remember to look back on fondly.