Mel Kiper Jr. Fires Back At Mario Cristobal For Criticism Over Cam Ward Treatment

NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. is certainly known for having opinions. The ESPN analyst is a centerpiece figure during the NFL's signature offseason event, and Kiper received a ton of press and attention for his pounding of the table for Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, whose slide to the fifth round certainly drew millions of clicks from thousands of articles covering the subject.

However, according to Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal, an alleged absence of conversation from Kiper is emerging.

According to college football insider Brett McMurphy, Cristobal spoke to many media members about his former quarterback Cam Ward, excluding one: Kiper.

The Canes coach went on to say both he and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson never spoke to Kiper, who drew lots of backlash for detracting from Ward's moment of being selected first overall and instead gave a lot of conversation to Sanders.

Mario Cristobal claims he spoke to a million people about Cam Ward, yet the one he didn’t speak to, being me, had Ward ranked higher (6th on my Big Board) than any of the other draft experts. Interesting isn’t it. And oh by the way, I didn’t speak to Deion about Shedeur either. I… https://t.co/bCfZbqBenV

— Mel Kiper Jr. (@MelKiperESPN) May 14, 2025

“Never heard from him,” Cristobal said via McMurphy. “I don’t think I’ve ever talked to him. ... The only reason I would be disappointed was if Cam was. But knowing Cam, he just wanted to hear the name & exactly where he was going & get to work.”

Kiper fired back at Cristobal, noting he had Ward slotted higher on his big board (sixth) than any other draft expert. Kiper also added that he didn't speak with Deion or Shedeur Sanders.

Ward was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The 22-year-old joins the Tennessee Titans and is the team's presumed starter this season.

During ESPN's draft coverage, after Ward was selected, very little time was spent discussing him as the conversation continued to be steered toward speculation on when Sanders may end up being drafted. It's also worth noting that the No. 2 pick was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars from the Cleveland Browns just moments after Ward's selection. 

With so much happening in a condensed period of time, Kiper and ESPN were under a microscope, as the media was saturated by Sanders' fall on Day 3 of the draft.

Despite being an integral part of ESPN's annual draft coverage and a household name among NFL fans, Kiper has a minimal media footprint beyond his annual ESPN duties. He isn't known for appearing at or covering college football or NFL games, as he isn't a traditional sports journalist. 

Kiper doesn't conduct interviews or gather quotations from players and coaches for print media, so it shouldn't be surprising that he didn't speak to Cristobal or dozens of other coaches and players.

In 1984, ESPN hired Kiper after he began a scouting business that provided reports on college football prospects for a fee. He has covered the draft for the network every year since.

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