Le'Veon Bell does not like Mel Kiper Jr.
Apparently, Le'Veon Bell has been holding in some bad feelings toward ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper for a while.
Bell, the Pittsburgh Steelers' star running back, was drafted in the second round two years ago. He has since blossomed to be arguably the best running back in the NFL. You'd think that he wouldn't really care what a media draft analyst had to say about him coming out of Michigan State, but you would be dead wrong.
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In a long rant from his verified Twitter account, Bell snapped on Kiper. Here goes:
I think it's so funny how Mel Kiper is just "qualified" to tlk about the draft...dude be wrong with just about everything tho...
— Le'Veon Bell (@L_Bell26) March 4, 2015
of course anybody can say anything about a "can't miss" prospect like Clowney or Peyton Manning or somethin like that...
— Le'Veon Bell (@L_Bell26) March 4, 2015
but he was WRONG about Ray Lewis, he def was WRONG about me...he has his favorites, and it's just crazy that ppl listen to that dude
— Le'Veon Bell (@L_Bell26) March 4, 2015
him and his buddy Todd Mcshey...no way they watch legitimate film on all the prospects and can understand the way to compare and contrast
— Le'Veon Bell (@L_Bell26) March 4, 2015
they both just have their favorites, and roll with they favorites all year...straight upp
— Le'Veon Bell (@L_Bell26) March 4, 2015
😂😂😂😂 see what I mean... pic.twitter.com/xHRGvya8tH
— Le'Veon Bell (@L_Bell26) March 4, 2015
just go to http://t.co/3NPEbvcETH and look what he said about my "skills" transitioning to the next level...
— Le'Veon Bell (@L_Bell26) March 4, 2015
all the things he said I "struggled" with, I'm excelling in! but of course he didn't know that cuz he didn't watch no legitimate film on me.
— Le'Veon Bell (@L_Bell26) March 4, 2015
but to all the draft prospects out there, don't even worry about what they say on TV cuz NFL coaches watch film, and I mean LEGITIMATE film
— Le'Veon Bell (@L_Bell26) March 4, 2015
Who knew he was storing that up all this time?
In fairness, draft analysts miss all the time. Team scouts and executives, whose jobs are to evaluate these players and guide the actual choices on draft day, miss all the time. It's far from an exact science. If you can predict the NFL draft perfectly, there's a heck of a job waiting for you as The Greatest NFL General Manager Of All Time. Kiper's job is to have strong opinions, and that opens him up for criticism.
Kiper wasn't even that critical of Bell. Here are two quotes from him leading up to the draft:
MLive.com, Dec. 11, 2012: "He's a very patient runner, you look at how he wears the defense down, his body lean, he gets 2 yards when you think he's stopped," Kiper said. "He's deceptively quick, he allows the hole to develop. He doesn't have a great initial burst….he's in the second-round discussion."
The State News, April 3, 2013: “He’s a build-up speed guy, he’s not quick out of the blocks, he’s deceptively quick,” Kiper said. “I think people misjudge and misread him when they get those pursuit angles going. He can catch the ball adequately, he can block adequately.”
Not too bad. And Bell's major weight loss between college and his second NFL season is a reason he looks like a totally different back than when he was at Michigan State. You can't always predict that.
But it's Kiper's job to have opinions on the draft, and the players have the right to throw it back in his face if they succeed beyond his draft prediction. We're just glad Bell got that off his chest. He'd been holding onto it for a while.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab