Head-to-head comparison between Kiper and Mayock

	Mel Kiper Jr, left, and Mike Mayock, right, used to be co-workers at ESPN. Courtesy of ESPN and NFL Network.
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Even those who ply their trade in the comparison business are occasionally subject to comparisons. Just don't expect Mel Kiper Jr. and Mike Mayock, the NFL draft television gurus of the moment, to file a scouting report on each other. "The comparisons are ridiculous," says Kiper, who has covered the NFL draft for ESPN since 1984. "Mike does what he does, and he does it the way he does it. I do it the way I do it. Zillions of others do it the way they do it. I don't have anything negative to say about anybody out there who puts out a draft report or covers the draft. They are obviously working hard. To see Mike Mayock and other people out there, I applaud that. I applaud that Mike Mayock is in the business.''

"Right around this time last year everybody wanted to pit me against Mel,'' says Mayock, who joined the NFL Network in 2005. "I guess that's a natural thing for the media and fans to do. Mel has a much bigger stage at this point than I do. Here's what I respect about Mel: I respect for 20-something years, when the seventh round of the draft hits and Jo Jo The Dog Face Boy From XYZ College gets picked, he still knows every stat off the top of his head.''

We're not sure where Jo Jo is slotted this year but we know where Kiper and Mayock will be this weekend:The NFL Network and ESPN will air 72 hours of draft coverage from Radio City Music Hall over two days. Below, we preview the prognosticators:

Age

Kiper: 46. Mayock: 48

Home

Kiper: Baltimore. Mayock: Philadelphia.

Televisions owned

Kiper: 16. Mayock: 5

Number of Results in Google search

Kiper: 1,140,000. Mayock: 66,800

On the other guy

Kiper: I know Mike very well. He used to work at ESPN with me. We did the Senior Bowl together for a couple of years and we drove to the airport together. And I remember him as a cornerback at Boston College. Do I like his work? Mike is a very knowledgeable football man. He played the game. He was a very good player at Boston College and he played in the NFL. He's a great guy. I have great respect for Mike Mayock both professionally and personally.

Mayock: I was the sideline reporter in, maybe, 1995 for the Senior Bowl at ESPN and he was the draft analyst, That was the first time we met. We have gotten along over the years. He's an acquaintance. We don't talk to each other unless we see each other somewhere, but we'll give each other a hug when we do.

The Top 5 On His Draftboard

Kiper: Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, JaMarcus Russell, Brady Quinn.

Mayock: Calvin Johnson, JaMarcus Russell, Adrian Peterson, Joe Thomas, LaRon Landry.

Children's Draft Knowledge

Kiper: My daughter (Lauren, 12) would know Brady Quinn because he's Notre Dame and I'm a huge Notre Dame fan.

Mayock: "My son would even know some of the third rounders."

Bold 2007 Prediction

Kiper: A guy who I think could be defensive rookie of the year is [defensive end] Anthony Spencer of Purdue. He'll probably be a late first-round or early second-round pick.

Mayock: JaMarcus Russell's ceiling is as high as any quarterback I have seen coming out of college since John Elway.