Miami HC Mario Cristobal fuels narrative around Mel Kiper Jr.’s alleged bias for Shedeur Sanders over Cam Ward

Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal has added to the speculation that ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. was biased towards Shedeur Sanders at the NFL draft.

Kiper ranked Sanders his top-ranked quarterback and was having a meltdown on air as Sanders fell out of the first round, and once again fell out of Day 2.

“I think it’s disgusting,” Kiper said, via Yahoo. "I don’t understand what the heck’s going on with this. Fifth player on my board, it’s never happened in 47 years where a player that high has dropped this far into the fourth round at quarterback.”

Kiper claimed NFL teams don't know how to grade quarterbacks, and after the draft, Cristobal took a shot at him.

The Hurricanes' coach, who coached first pick Cam Ward last season, said that Kiper never reached out to ask about Ward when every other analyst did.

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“Never heard from him,” Cristobal said. “I don’t think I’ve ever talked to him."

McMurphy also adds that Cristobal took time to talk to whichever reporter or TV analyst wanted to speak to him about Ward, but isn't sure why Kiper didn't talk to him.

However, Cristobal says he doesn't care as Ward wasn't offended at all, as all the quarterback cared about was hearing his name called and getting to work.

Mel Kiper Jr. called the NFL 'clueless' after Shedeur Sanders' slide

The main story throughout the NFL draft was Shedeur Sanders and his slide.

However, Kiper was adding to it as, after every pick, he appeared to get angrier that Sanders was still on the board.

"The NFL has been clueless for 50 years when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks," Kiper said after Sanders was picked, via ESPN. "Clueless. They have no idea what they're doing in terms of evaluating quarterbacks. (Sanders being picked in the fifth round is) proof."

Ultimately, Shedeur Sanders will get a chance to prove all the doubters wrong that he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

But, many fans were annoyed with Kiper's coverage of the draft and how he didn't praise Ward, and instead he focused on Sanders.

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton