Coverage of the 2022 NFL Draft will look a lot different without Mel Kiper in person but now another major cog of the broadcast has revealed that he will be missing the draft altogether due to a health issue.
ESPN's top college football anyalst Kirk Herbstreit released a minute-long video to his followers on Twitter Monday, telling everyone that he will be missing out on this year's draft due to a blood clot.
Herbie states in the video that he will be skipping the trip to Las Vegas this week on the advice of his doctors, warning the 52-year-old to air on the "side of caution."
"Unfortunately, I will not be able to come out to Vegas and be a part of this year's coverage," Herbstreit said. "Doctors have recently found a blood clot in my system. Very fortunate to have really good doctors who I trust. I feel good. "But out of an abundance of caution, I'm gonna take a step back from this year's draft coverage."
Herbie, who is in his 26th year with ESPN, has had a big role in the three-day event. It was announced last month that he will also call NFL games for Amazon Prime alongside Al Michaels for the 2022-23 season.
Although Herbistreit didn't provide any further information on his condition, Herbstreit assured his followers that he will be back for next year's draft.
"I'm just sad I will not be able to be out there. But I will be watching, like everybody else. … I will see you guys at next year's draft."
Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
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