Every year, when NFL Draft season rolls around, there are two names you absolutely need to know. No, we're not talking about Alabama and Georgia, but you're not too far off. The first is Mel Kiper Jr, whose salary and net worth are hefty for the extensive services he provides to ESPN. The other is American football television analyst Todd McShay, who represents the other half of the network's two-headed draft coverage monster.
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In the days leading up to the draft, McShay puts in countless hours watching tape, scouting college football players, and toying with orders of first round picks in his NFL mock drafts. Is Texas running back Bijan Robinson a top 10 pick? Will the Jets get Aaron Rodgers an offensive weapon or will they sure up their offensive line? Which NFL teams are under pressure and appear ready to select a franchise player, rather than chase a star in free agency? Are the Lions going to trade out of the first round with the Miami Dolphins? These are the questions that keep McShay up at night, or so we think.
Most can agree that his job as an NFL Draft analyst — something he has done since 2006 — isn't easy, and accurately identifying the hidden gem draft picks and busts in the first round of classes is a task no one has mastered.
Saying he would've passed on Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes in favor of a now third-string NFL quarterback wasn't his greatest take. He could also completely nail the 2021 NFL Draft just as easily. That's the nature of what he does.
So, how much does ESPN's Todd McShay take home for his in-depth scouting information? Let's just say it's enough to live comfortably with his wife and two children.
What is Todd McShay's Salary?
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Todd McShay is one of the most recognized faces and names in the sports media world. That's partly because he works for ESPN and partly because he's good at what he does.
Since joining the Worldwide Leader in Sports in 2006, McShay has been pumping out premium football content centered around the annual football event that takes place every April.
He makes regular appearances on a number of ESPN programs including "SportsCenter," "NFL Live," "College Football Live," "College GameDay," "ESPNU Coaches Spotlight," ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine.
Tracking down the NFL Draft and college football analyst's exact salary is no easy task, but here's what we do know: The football analyst signed a multi-year deal to stay with the company in 2016. He told ESPN's Press Room it was the right decision for him for a "number of reasons" and ESPN senior coordinating producer of NFL studio shows Seth Markman had high praise for McShay.
"Todd has an incredible skillset and work ethic, and his analysis has been an invaluable asset to ESPN's NFL and college football presentation," Markman said. "We look forward to him being a big part of our draft coverage for many more years to come."
The specific figures of the contract are unknown. However, his ESPN NFL Draft coverage counterpart Mel Kiper Jr. has an annual salary that's estimated to be $400,000 per year so it's not unreasonable to place McShay's salary in the same ballpark. There is no doubt the Todd McShay salary is a six-digit figure.
That also sounds like the salary of someone who bet Mel Kiper Jr $5,000 that Jordan Love would be drafted before Justin Hebert in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Todd McShay's Personal Life & Net Worth
Before getting into how much Todd McShay is worth, let's look at his personal life and what his road to ESPN looked like.
Born in Massachusetts, Todd Marshall McShay attended North Shore Christian School in Lynn, Massachusetts, before attending and playing high school football at Swampscott High School. He walked on to the University of Richmond's football team as a scout-team quarterback in 1995 before suffering a back injury that ended his college career.
McShay transitioned to the sidelines as an equipment manager for the Spiders before former NFL scout Gary Horton offered him an internship gig in 1998. He graduated from Richmond's Jepson School of Leadership Studies in 1999. When Horton launched start-up publication "The War Room" (bought by ESPN in 2006 and renamed Scouts Inc.) in 1999, he hired McShay as a full-time employee.
McShay has been with ESPN since 2006 and has been one of the company's lead NFL Draft voices along with ESPN college football analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ever since.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the sideline reporter and NFL Draft expert has an estimated net worth of $2 million. That's not half bad for someone who parlayed an equipment manager position into a career as one of the top ESPN draft analysts.
It's a good chunk of change for married man McShay, who is married to Lauren "Lo Lo" McShay, the owner of Boston-based LoLo Event Design. There's apparently no salary cap on talking about free agents.
Of course, that pales in comparison to Mel Kiper Jr's net worth. But Kiper has been in his role with ESPN since the 1980s, and it's not like he was making much money at first.
McShay is just 45, though, so expect plenty of draft coverage to come in the following years unless some team snatches him up and makes him their general manager.
So far, McShay remains a reliable reporter. Even through the coronavirus pandemic, McShay continued reporting on the Cardinals, Colts, New Orleans Saints, New York's Big Blue, and the Vikings. There's just no way to keep McShay away in the offseason.
This post was originally published on April 13, 2020.
