Love him or hate him, Mel Kiper Jr. is Mr. NFL Draft

By Rick Maese
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 19, 2010

Mel Kiper Jr. doesn't do bathroom breaks.

Perhaps that doesn't seem like an incredible feat, but it helps to realize that ESPN will broadcast a total of 15 hours of live NFL draft coverage this week, and Kiper will be under the stage lights the entire time. In 16 years as his producer, Jay Rothman has never seen Kiper sneak away for even a quick break.

Instead, he'll sit in the ready position at one end of the set, never needing to reference any notes as the 255 names are called out. The entire time, his foot will be shaking uncontrollably.

"It goes a mile a minute, and it won't stop," Rothman says. "I swear to you. As long as we're on the air, it shakes. He's high-wired. A human adrenaline rush. He totally is."

Kiper, 49, usually doesn't notice. In church back in Maryland, his daughter, Lauren, holds his leg still. At Radio City Music Hall, though, it just shakes until the draft ends. At times, he can make the network's entire elevated set wobble. Joe Theismann, a former draft sidekick, once wondered aloud whether New York City experiences earthquakes.

(More here.)