25 years ago, the NFL Draft had some players that could be successful in the league and some that would flame out and became busts.
But one exchange between a highly established draft guru and a football executive made this draft take a back seat.
The 1994 NFL Draft was held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on April 24-25. There were three prospects on top of everyone's board: Ohio State DT Dan Wilkinson, San Diego State RB Marshall Faulk and Tennessee QB Heath Shuler and other prospects that would help turn around an NFL franchise.
We will get to this more later. Now, let's see what the participants in this heated exchange.
MEL KIPER JR.
Before there was Adam Schefter and Todd McShay, there was Mel Kiper Jr. MKJ was considered the man who knew the NFL Draft. A crafty eye when it came to NFL prospects, MKJ used his bravado like voice to tell the viewer or draft junkie how a prospect could be a player who could change a franchise for years to come.....or a player who could set a franchise back for years to come. I used to joke that MKJ was ESPN's version of Santa Claus since he worked one day a year. But to the contrary, MKJ goes everywhere scouting talent for the NFL. He is what we call a workaholic. During a radio show years back, the host interviewed him and they were talking about the baseball prospects in the upcoming MLB amateur draft, and MKJ gave his two cents about that....and he actually did an excellent job evaluving baseball talent. We can't talk about MKJ without discussing his ironic hairstyle.
BILL TOBIN
Tobin started out playing both basketball and football at high school in Missouri. He would star at the University of Missouri before going to the NFL. Despite playing one season with the Houston Oilers in 1963 and a couple seasons in the CFL, Tobin's calling was scouting and the executive route of football. He would become the Director of Player Personnel for the Chicago Bears (1987-1992)' The GM of the Indianapolis Colts (1994-1996), and Director of Player Personnel for the Detroit Lions (2001-2002). If Arizona fans recognize the name, he is the brother of former Cardinals head coach Vince Tobin.
So with the #1 pick, the Bengals selected Wilkinson and thought he would be the cornerstone of that defense for years to come. He did not! Despite playing many seasons, he didn't make an impact like many expects wished.
Tobin and the Colts selected Faulk with the 2nd pick and would become a Hall of Famer. He also became a Super Bowl champion and won a MVP award. Unfortunately, he accomplished both feats with the St. Louis Rams as the Colts traded him before the 1999 season.
The Redskins dabbed Shuler with the 3rd pick and his career, like Wilkinson, was a total failure. In fact, during his rookie season, he was outplayed by another rookie QB in Gus Frerotte. Shuler had a brief political career after his playing career ended.
The Patriots (back when they were bad, remember those times?) selected USC defensive end Willie McGinest with the 4th pick. McGinest had a solid, long career winning Super Bowls with the team and is a major contributor with the NFL Network these days.
Now, we head to the 5th pick and this is where everything gets dicey. The Colts traded up to get this pick from the Rams. Obviously, these two will make a trade years later involving Faulk. So, everyone thought that Indy would take Fresno State QB Trent Dilfer. With the 5th pick, the Colts select....Trev Alberts LB Nebraska.....wait, what?! Trev Alberts? Really? So, after everyone settled down after being shocked by this surprise selection, MKJ gave his two cents about it.
MKJ ("I think it's a typical Colts move," "This is a team that needs a franchise quarterback and they take an outside linebacker, somebody who has to learn coverages. To pass up Trent Dilfer when all you have is Jim Harbaugh, gimme a break. That's why the Colts are picking second every year.")
So, apparently he wasn't happy with the pick. As minutes past, Chris Berman and the crew decide to check in with Chris Mortensen, who is at Colts Headquarters interviewing Tobin. As the interview comes to close, Mort asks about what MKJ said and this was Tobin's response.
("Who the hell is Mel Kiper anyway?" "He's a guy who criticizes everybody whoever they take. In my knowledge of him, he's never put on a jockstrap, he's never been a player, he's never been a coach, he's never been a scout, he's never been an administrator. All of a sudden, he's an expert.....Mel Kiper has no more credentials to do what he's doing than my neighbor and my neighbor is a postman.")
While this happened, they showed a close-up of MKJ's face, which had a smirk. The ESPN crew was flabbergasted about what just happened. MKJ continued calling the Colts a "laughingstock" in the NFL. Tobin would insist that the reason MKJ had a vendetta against the Colts is because of him being a Baltimore native. Yep, that might be. For days on, both men would defend their stance on the proceedings of that day until it just died.
Oh, and MKJ was right. Trev Alberts was a utter bust in the NFL. But Tobin was also right. Dilfer wasn't a franchise-altering quarterback as everyone hoped, but he does have a Super Bowl ring.
These days, MKJ is still the resident draft expert at ESPN, despite his reduced role and having younger colleagues scouting prospects, he is the go-to guy when it comes to the NFL Draft. And yes if you're asking, he still has the hairstyle. Tobin, even at the ripe age of 78 is still in the NFL business as a scout for the Bengals. It seens like everything has come full circle.
This draft did produce some great talent, many Pro Bowlers and future Hall of Famers like Kevin Mawae and Larry Allen to go along with Faulk. But 25 years ago, this draft saw two men argue over what they believed......and both were wrong or right in the process, depending how you look at it.
(Get well, Mort) (Ref: ESPN, The Washington Post, Pro Football Reference, Wikipedia)
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