Mel Kiper, Jr. had to pause for a minute over the phone.
It's late March and the longtime ESPN draft analyst, considered the godfather of modern-day draft coverage, is asked roughly how many prospect reports he's compiled over the years.
"Oh my gosh," Kiper told Chargers.com. "When I first started, it was 17 rounds for the draft. And then it was 12 rounds. You're talking about a lot of players. I'd have to do the math on that."
Kiper started back in 1979, meaning the 2025 NFL Draft will be No. 47 for the iconic expert.
Kiper estimates that he's done roughly 500 reports each year, which would his overall tally at over 23,000 writeups.
"That's a lot of players," Kiper deadpanned.
He then let out a laugh.
"A lot of it is that I've done it for so long. It makes it easier because you know what you're doing each year," Kiper said. "You know the schedule, you have a basis for your ratings. It helps you the more you do it.
"Heck, it seems like yesterday I was doing the 1987 book," Kiper added. "And now here we are at the 2025 draft."
Wait, 1987?
Why is Kiper worried about a draft that happened nearly 40 years ago?
Because an inquisitive mind was curious if he still had his report on a certain Jim Harbaugh.
Harbaugh, now the Chargers Head Coach, was a first-round pick by the Chicago Bears in the 1987 NFL Draft.
The No. 26 overall pick, Harbaugh was the fourth quarterback taken that season behind Vinny Testaverde (No. 1), Kelly Stouffer (No. 6) and Chris Miller (No. 13).
Harbaugh was coming off back-to-back strong seasons as Michigan's starting quarterback, leading the Wolverines to a Fiesta Bowl win as a junior before making it to the Rose Bowl as a senior.
Overall, Harbaugh went 21-3-1 in 1985 and 1986 as Michigan's starting quarterback.
So it's no surprise that Kiper's 1987 report on Harbaugh included the following:
A proven winner who just keeps the chains moving. Jim is an intelligent, experienced QB, rarely forcing the action and always taking what the defense gives. Evidence of this patient approach to the job at hand came last season when he completed almost 64% of his passes, throwing only 6 interceptions in 227 attempts.
Kiper also praised Harbaugh's ability to elevate the Michigan offense during his time in Ann Arbor.
Mobility is excellent, and he has the ability to feel pressure in the pocket, allowing him to create a big play for the offense. It was the steady development of Harbaugh that made it possible for Bo Schembechler to scrap the three yards and a cloud of dust offense for a more wide-open, diverse attack.
Sure enough, after years of running an old-school offense that primarily relied on the running game, Harbaugh's skillset allowed the Wolverines to air it out a bit when he was the starter.
Harbaugh actually led the nation in yards per passing attempt (10.1) as a senior and was second overall in passing efficiency rating behind Testaverde.
"It basically became a new era. Jim and that offense kind of changed gears to throwing the ball more and being more wide open," Kiper said.
Harbaugh was a 6-foot-2 ½ prospect who weighed 205 pounds and had clocked in at 4.76 in the 40-yard dash.
Kiper gave Harbaugh an 8.5 grade, which he said was an "early to mid-second round grade." (For reference, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert earned a 9.5 grade from Kiper in 2020).
And while Kiper said Harbaugh wasn't a perfect prospect, the draft expert liked what he had to offer, especially since he learned the game from his father, Jack.
"I liked Jim coming out and I actually had him going to Chicago in the second round. I had him going to the Bears, just in the wrong round," Kiper said.
Harbaugh spent the first seven years of his career in Chicago, going 35-30 as a starter. But perhaps his best years came in Indianapolis, which included a Pro Bowl season in 1995 when Harbaugh led the Colts to the AFC Championship.
Harbaugh earned the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Award that season and actually had the Colts in position to win on the road in Pittsburgh to get to the Super Bowl.
But Harbaugh's last-second throw in the end zone wasn't barely incomplete as the Steelers escaped with a 20-16 win.
Kiper said over the phone that Harbaugh's time with the Colts was the perfect display of his competitive gamer mentality.
"No question. He goes to the Colts and plays his best football there. He wasn't the starter and became the guy and then orchestrated some comebacks," Kiper said.
"They were one play away from going to the Super Bowl with Jim in Indianapolis," Kiper continued.
"His career in Chicago was OK but it wasn't anything spectacular. But he got to the Colts and had a couple of great years there," Kiper added. "He's actually in the Colts Ring of Honor. Indianapolis was kind of where he resurrected his career. It wasn't like he was a bust in Chicago but his best years were with the Colts."
So, who would Kiper compare Harbaugh to in today's NFL?
Kiper racked his brain for a bit…
"He had mobility so he could take off and beat you with his legs. Good in the pocket, smart," Kiper began.
He then threw out an apt comparison.
"A little Baker," Kiper said, referring to Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Kiper continued.
"Baker was the No. 1 pick but was projected to be a third-round pick before his final year," Kiper said. "Jim played with a chip [on his shoulder], so size-wise, mobility-wise … bounced around a little bit.
"Baker has kind of resurrected his career in Tampa. Baker would be a good comp. That's accurate," Kiper added.
And that's with Kiper using the exact same grading system since 1979.
Toward the end of the phone call, Kiper dove into detail about how draft coverage has simply exploded in recent decades.
Back in the day, Kiper said he spent anywhere from eight to 15 hours on the phone each week with colleges trying to get basic stats such as passing yards or sacks.
"All the basic statistical information that is at our fingertips now, I had to call every school," Kiper said. "And this was calling them and having to talk to them on the phone. Not texting.
"We're talking about picking up a landline and making a call and talking to a sports information director," Kiper added.
That would have included calling Michigan and getting the skinny on Harbaugh, who ended up playing 14 seasons in the NFL while throwing for 26,000-plus yards and 129 career touchdowns.
Even now, Kiper said he's enjoyed watching from afar as Harbaugh developed into an elite head coach.
"Wherever Jim went, Jim won. Whether it was college or the NFL, then back to college and then back to the NFL," Kiper said. "Here we are again. Jim has been a great coach at every level.
"I've respected him and admired him and his family for years," Kiper added. "But you try to be objective and not get to know too many guys because it could skew your final grade a little bit. But I always knew what Jim had from an intangible standpoint."
