Why isn’t Mel Kiper at the NFL Draft?

Mel Kiper Jr. will be a part of ESPN’s coverage for the 2022 NFL Draft, but he will not attend the event in Las Vegas.

Kiper Jr. announced last week that he wouldn’t be physically at the draft in Sin City, but rather broadcasting from his home studio in Maryland. According to Kiper, it’s due to him being unvaccinated from COVID-19, citing medical issues as to why he hasn’t received the vaccine.

He joins two other anchors who won’t be in attendance for ESPN, as Adam Schefter will miss the draft altogether to attend his son’s college graduation in Michigan. ESPN’s top college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit will also miss the draft due to medical reasons. Schefter and Herbstreit won’t be involved in the broadcast at all, but Kiper Jr. will still be on the broadcast, just not from Las Vegas.

Read Mel Kiper Jr.’s full statement below, which he tweeted out on April 18th.