Pro's:

Kiper - I know that a lot of people are down on him for his antics over the years, but I think that he has really toned down the whole "in your face attitude" that was so prevalent in years past. He was actively trying to include the other memebers of the team, and there wasn't a name that rolled around that he hadn't done his homework on.

Case in point, when Tennessee rolled that small school guy out from nowhere, the NFL Draft board didn't even have him listed. In fact, they questioned whether he was a real guy. Kiper immediately started giving stats, strengths and weaknesses on the guy. Yeah it's his job, but he is always prepared to do his job.

The NCAA vs. NFL Booth - I don't think that they pulled it off right because they had Herbstreit on there and I really just want him to go away. However, I like the idea that they have guy who has knowledge of how a guy has played in the NCAA (Herbstreit) and then compare that to how he is going to have to play on Sundays (Jaworski).

Wingo - I don't know why, I just like the guy. I think he brings a lot of energy to the booth, and he keeps it light. He isn't over the top serious about it.

Con's:

Too many people - Dear God,they had six people in the booth on both days! How many opinions do I need to hear? I like the idea of three (four at the most), people in the booth, and you can rotate by round if you want to keep it fresh. Have your Draft Guru there with the host, a former player/coach, and maybe even a fourth for opinion, and have a guy on remote working the phones. It was just too many people there.

Timing -  I think that the new time limits really caught them off guard, at least I hope that's what that was. It seemed like they were talking over the top of the picks and that they felt that their opinions were more important than what was actually happened. When I watch the draft, I want to know about the players.

Too much 'stuff' going on - I understand that they are trying to turn into the 'Oprah' of sports, but the studio time was just lame. No way in h-e-double hockey sticks does Reali deserve to host anything besides a drag party. I just want to watch the draft, not listen to 4 journalists that I've never heard of get insulted and prodded by Reali. Yuck.

Go heavy early. You do not maintain perfection, you work for it everyday.

Back during those days, the draft was 12 rounds, on Tuesdays, and ESPN only covered the first round or so.

I was a teenager then, and used to skip school to watch the draft.

It's as if I grew up watching ESPN's coverage.

This year was the first time I've watched NFL Network's coverage.

Without question, NFL Network's coverage was superior, even though I am not as accustomed to the talking heads there.

First, there is far more substance to the NFL Network coverage.  Mayock usually went steps further in his analysis than Kiper typically does in his.  Mayock went into specific technique discussion and showed how bad technique (i.e. hand placement, hip turns/flipping) led to bad results for the player.  Usually, to get that level of analysis in ESPN's coverage, they'd have to switch to Jaws.  This led to a more efficient broadcast.  The NFL N highlights showed bad plays for a player, too. ESPN has, recently, added a lot of fluff pieces to their coverage to pass time.  NFL Network avoided that and generally stuck to the picks and the teams on the clock, with only the occasional interview with a coach or player.

Secondly (and I know this will irritate some), but the anti small market bias that seemingly has become an unfortunate trademark of ESPN's coverage was notably absent from NFL Network's coverage.  One of the reasons I tried NFL Network's coverage this year is because I got sick of ESPN cutting to commercial or some interview of Jerry Jones every time the Jaguars were on the clock.  I got sick of all the "yeah but" jokes when the Jaguars finally did make the pick.  Watching NFL Network's even handed coverage of all the teams was refreshing.

NFL Network did have its share of problems.  The shorts in the microphones early on were particularly annoying.  And from what I can recall, I don't remember the NFL Network crew trashing any pick (Aside from jamie Dukes criticising the Pats for the QB in round 3).

Furthermore, it was kind of odd listening to someone other than the ESPN crew on draft day.

But if substantive draft coverage is the ideal, NFL Network is the better choice.

""Let us rid ourselves of the fiction that low oil prices are somehow good for the United States," -**** Cheney, 1986. Rot in Hell, Jesse Helms.  William Buckley, too.

that made no sense.  i agree.  some of those people were basketball guys.  that girl on the right was just dead.  the one thing they  did have was that really knowledgable physical therapists who understood how every football movement impacts every joint and every potential injury or soft tissue issue and how that would impact a player.  she was great.   

We will all have to make the choice between what is right, and what is easy. Give freely unto others, be brave in the face of your enemies, love those who hate you for those who hate you will only win if you hate them back, be generous with praise-it costs nothing, love all men, and fear not for he will come.  There will come a day when the courage of good men will fade away and the tyranny of the weak will destroy mankind..., but today does not have to be that day! remembe this day men, for it is the curse of man that they forget...

Kiper vs. Mayock - Push
Although I think Mayock was a lot closer on his picks and anylisis than Kiper, I just thought he was too possitive on every pick. I don't mind Kiper telling it how it is sometimes.

Chris Berman vs. Rich Eisen - Push
I can only take so much of either of those guys.

ESPN vs NFL net production - advantage NFL net
I just thought they were cleaner, less background noise, and had cameras everywhere. They also seemed to have exclusive interview rights.

I guess it's a push for me. I'll probablt do the same thing again next year and wach them both.

-------------------------------------------------- "He’s on the ground and I’m still running. You can see his chinstrap and my hand is all inside his helmet and chin, and his face is snapped back. I’m still in stride and he is holding on for dear life. Posterized." -Fred Taylor

"I've never been one to run from a problem.  I deal with them.  Weak people don't have problems, only tough people have problems" - Bobby Bowden "Boys do what they want to do, men do what they have to do." - Jimbo Fisher