Courtesy USA Today

(April 27, 2009) Draft yak never really dies. Saturday, ESPN's Mel Kiper offered this tip as you fill in your 2012 mock draft: Incoming USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley "will be the No. 1 pick in the draft three years from now."

While on-air reporting and analysis of the draft seems more over-the-top each year, so are its ratings: The made-for-TV event's viewership climbed 62% over the past six years.

But with ESPN and the NFL Network pushing each other in what had been exclusively ESPN's, the viewer hardly needs NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to go to the podium to formally announce picks and produce a sound bite for each team's local TV news. Thanks to reporting as well as cameras pointed on players wherever they are — ESPN alone had 19 remotes Saturday — viewers saw draftees with cellphones celebrating before getting official word. Said ESPN's Chris Berman, after a shot of Alabama's Andre Smith showed he already knew Cincinnati would make him its first-round pick: "These guys can't keep a secret. And why should they?" (Assume by next year, Twittering will make Goodell's proclamations even more ceremonial.)

This year's big first-round flare-up came with Oakland taking Maryland receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who's speedy but didn't have a lot of catches, with the seventh pick overall. NFLN draftnik Mike Mayock had him there in his mock draft. But Kiper, along with ESPN draftnik Todd McShay had Heyward-Bey projected as the 17th pick. Kiper said he was "shocked." And dismayed: "I've got to give it an F."

Promising NFLN rookie Jon Gruden, helped his TV prospects with his draft — noting early Saturday he'd covered all the angles by getting "an $84 haircut." But when it came to the Heyward-Bey hubbub, missed the big picture of TV draft yak by saying Raiders owner "Al Davis could care less what we're all saying about this."

ESPN rookie Herm Edwards showed he can avoid coachspeak with this novel take on Minnesota first-round draftee Percy Harvin: "This is one of those guys, whether he's driving a Ferrari, Cadillac or Volkswagen — even if he goes to Disneyland and drives the little cars that run on rails — he's going to have a wreck. So, you better have a good body-and-fender man."

(Harvin tested positive for marijuana at the NFL combine, according to two league executives who saw Harvin's name on the report released to NFL teams but are not authorized to discuss the subject and spoke on the condition of anonymity).

There was plenty of usual on-air draftspeak, but the clichés seemed to face better blocking schemes this year. There were also some light moments, such as NFLN's Steve Mariucci on the risks of short defensive backs — "those guys that are short and have never seen a parade, they make me nervous" — and NFLN's Rich Eisen on Pittsburgh third-round pick Mike Wallace — "Does this make Hines Ward the Morley Safer of that receiving crew?" Said NFLN's Charley Casserly: "I have new respect for Jerry Lewis."

And viewers won't have to go cold turkey. Monday NFLN, says spokesman Dennis Johnson, will formally announce that it will air Draft Journey Tuesday (8 p.m. ET) — showing how top players prepared before being picked Saturday.