Mel Kiper Jr. Named ‘Biggest Winner’ Of The NFL Weekend originally appeared on The Spun.
Congratulations are pouring in for ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. on Monday morning.
No one was more upset with Shedeur Sanders dropping to the fifth round of the NFL Draft than Mel Kiper Jr. The ESPN NFL Draft analyst had Sanders as the No. 1 quarterback on his board. NFL teams, clearly, did not agree. Sanders ended up falling to the fifth round, with the Cleveland Browns taking him two rounds after selecting Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
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Kiper was incensed on ESPN’s broadcast of the 2025 NFL Draft.
“I really have nothing to say. I’m just disgusted. That’s all I can say,” Kiper said as the third round closed out of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Four months later, Kiper Jr. is looking like he was right.
KANSAS CITY, MO – APRIL 29: ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. during the third day of the NFL Draft on April 29, 2023 at Union Station in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
Sanders started in the Cleveland Browns’ preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers over the weekend. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was impressed.
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“Pleased with Shedeur, pleased with the offense,” Stefanski said. “Again, not perfect. Plenty that we can work on. But I thought the guys did a really nice job of Shedeur operating, the guys making plays. So again, a ton to teach on.”
Following Sanders’ big-time performance, NFL fans are congratulating Mel Kiper Jr. for looking good.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter named Kiper Jr. one of the biggest winners of the weekend.
“Mel Kiper Jr,” Schefter proclaimed. “I know it’s only one week. It’s a little early and we don’t want to get too carried away, but who had a better weekend this weekend than Mel Kiper Jr.? I don’t know if he was on the Chesapeake Bay or where he was in Baltimore eating crabs, but I do know that the one player that he touted all through the draft shined on Friday night.
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“Here’s the thing, it’s one game, but I will say this, he passed the eye test. Shedeur Sanders looked like he belonged. He looked like he could play. When you watch these rookies, early on, some of them — it just feels like they belong. It felt like Friday night that he did.”
NFL fans seem to agree.
It’s just the preseason, of course, but it was certainly a good showing for Shedeur Sanders – and Mel Kiper Jr.
Mel Kiper Jr. Named ‘Biggest Winner’ Of The NFL Weekend first appeared on The Spun on Aug 11, 2025
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This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 11, 2025, where it first appeared.