Mel Kiper Jr. Will Not Be On-Site for NFL Draft Due to Vaccination Status

He said his decision is based on his “personal medical history.”

ESPN’s longtime NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. announced Monday that he would not be attending this year’s draft in person because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. Instead, he will take part in the broadcast from his home studio. 

“The NFL draft is the highlight of my year and I am looking forward to taking part in my 39th this month on ESPN,” he said in the statement. “For all three days, I will appear from my home studio in Maryland rather than onsite in Vegas as I am unvaccinated from COVID-19.

I am looking forward to being part of the 2022 NFL Draft, my 39th for ESPN pic.twitter.com/C5ea9NjdqK

— Mel Kiper Jr. (@MelKiperESPN) April 18, 2022

“I completely support everyone determining what’s best for their individual circumstances and recognize the value of vaccines,” he continued. “Simply put, my Covid vaccination decision is very specific to my own personal medical history.”

Kiper didn’t specifically mention why he didn’t get vaccinated or identify what in his medical history deterred him from getting vaccinated. Nevertheless, he’ll be commentating and analyzing from Maryland while the rest of the ESPN crew is on-site in Las Vegas. 

The draft is scheduled to start April 28 at 8 p.m. ET and will run through April 30. The event can be watched on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network and ABC.