Fans Want Mel Kiper Removed From NFL Draft After Shedeur Sanders Rant

The NFL Draft, for better or worse, wouldn't be the same without Mel Kiper Jr. leading ESPN's telecast. That being said, fans are getting tired of his antics.

Kiper went viral during the 2025 NFL Draft for going on countless rants about Shedeur Sanders falling to Day 3. The Cleveland Browns ended the former Colorado star's slide down the draft board by selecting him with the No. 144 overall pick.

"The NFL has been clueless for 50 years when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks," Kiper said. "They have no idea what they're doing in terms of evaluating quarterbacks. That's proof. There's proof of that. They say, ‘We know exactly what we're talking about when it comes to quarterbacks.' They don't!"

Sanders had an inconsistent rookie year with the Browns, completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Although he struggled at times, he'll have the chance to win the starting quarterback job this offseason.

During this Saturday's broadcast, Kiper suggested that Sanders is already the starter in Cleveland.

"You got Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow in this division," Kiper said during a discussion about the AFC North. "You got Shedeur Sanders in this division as well."

ESPN analyst Louis Riddick couldn't help but laugh at Kiper mentioning Sanders during Saturday's broadcast. That led to this response from Kiper: "Stop laughing over there, pal."

While the rest of ESPN's panel was having fun with Kiper's rant, NFL fans were quite annoyed that he brought up Sanders for the second straight draft.

"We are in the 5th round of the draft a year later and I just turned on the TV and Mel Kiper is still making the case for Shedeur Sanders," one fan wrote on X.

"Mel Kiper continues to prove why he needs to retire. Louis Riddick respectfully putting him on blast," a second fan said.

"Dear ESPN can you please remove Mel Kiper from any and all discussion," a social media user asked.

"Mel Kiper getting rage baited about Shedeur," another fan commented. "Clown."

Browns make this situation awkward.

Less than an hour after Kiper and Riddick argued about Sanders, the Browns selected Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green with the No. 182 overall pick. The dual-threat weapon had 2,714 passing yards, 777 rushing yards and 27 total touchdowns for the Razorbacks this past season.

Immediately after ESPN announced this pick, Kiper and his colleagues had another debate about Cleveland's quarterback room.

In case it wasn't abundantly clear, Kiper isn't afraid to go to war for Sanders.

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This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 1:14 PM.