ESPN's Mel Kiper

SI Media With Jimmy Traina

Sports Illustrated

Sports

4.7 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2025

⏱️ 85 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Episode 547 of "SI Media With Jimmy Traina" features an interview with longtime ESPN NFL Draft guru, Mel Kiper.

Kiper talks about what the NFL Draft was like when he started with ESPN in 1984, when he knew the Draft was going to become a big deal as a television product and when he realized he had become the name most associated with the NFL Draft.

In addition, Kiper reveals his best analysis of all time, the pick he'd most want to have back and the most shocking Draft moment.

Kiper also discusses what working the Draft is like from a television perspective, what the truth is about his cell phone usage, the famous incident with Bill Tobin, who has contacted him to complain about his analysis, how Tony Kornheiser explained his habit of ripping Kiper and much more.

Following Kiper, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins Jimmy for their weekly "Traina Thoughts" segment. This week's topics include the trend of ridiculous ballpark food, Spike Lee's Knicks fandom, the 25th anniversary of a landmark "Sopranos" scene and more.

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Transcript

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0:38.6	4667-369 welcome everyone to SI Media with Jimmy Traynor thank you all so much for
0:47.7	listening we have a phenomenal episode this week NFL draft is coming up
0:53.1	we have the draft guru mel kiper first time ever
0:56.7	that kiper has been on s i media with jimmy trainer he was outstanding really enjoyed the
1:01.8	conversation with mel i hope you do too and following kuiper we have our weekly train of thought
1:08.1	segment with my buddy solokata so we have a big one this week.
1:11.8	If you missed last week, a big one as well, very big one.
1:15.1	Iron Eagle and Bill Raftery to two-fourths of the CBS lead college basketball team that called the final four and the championship this past weekend.
1:26.2	We're on the show.
	...

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