Kiper not only liked our draft but I thought he was excellent on the telecasts this year, particularly on Saturday. They brought McShay onto the set that day for all 7 hours. It was the best final day telecast in memory. Very animated and energetic. They continued to evaluate the prospects all the way through the end of the 7th round, instead of the recent trend of wasting time with pumpkin pie and meaningless interviews with some of the head coaches. Kiper and McShay have a natural rivalry but also a great wisecracking rapport, which elevates the telecast. Kiper always needs someone he respects alongside on set. Otherwise he tends to coast. It's the reason Kiper and Gruden were a terrific first day pairing for years.
Kiper and McShay should be paired all 3 days. It was asinine for ESPN/ABC to wait until 2021 to use McShay in a prime role for the first round, even though he would have been there last year if not for testing positive for coronavirus not long before the draft. Rece Davis is far more dedicated and knowledgeable than Mike Greenberg in the hosting role. The ESPN prime time lineup for the first round should be Davis, Kiper, McShay and then one among Riddick or Herbstreit. I guess it needs to be Riddick to have at least one player out there instead of nothing but journalists/scouts, but in terms of lively commentary I think Herbstreit fits best and would really open up alongside Kiper and McShay.