Inside Frank Caliendo’s preparation for his ESPN Best Of the NFL special debuting tonight

Frank Caliendo becomes ESPN analyst Mike Ditka. (Zack Budman/ESPN)

With the help of makeup experts, comedian Frank Caliendo prepared for another impersonation to be seen in his ESPN special. (Zack Budman/ESPN)

Frank Caliendo becomes ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper. (Zack Budman/ESPN)

Frank Caliendo prepares to become ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden. (Zack Budman/ESPN)

Like great athletes, comedian and Sunday NFL Countdown contributor Frank Caliendo has his own highlight reel. Sort of.

Tonight, ESPN airs a special 30-minute show, Frank Caliendo’s Best of the NFL (7 p.m. ET). It’s a compilation of Caliendo’s best impersonations from 2013 – like the 30 for 30 mockumentary on Seattle Seahawks star Richard Sherman – along with some new material inspired by ESPN’s NFL Draft telecast.

“The big key was [ESPN NFL Draft analysts Mel] Kiper and [Jon] Gruden on the set at the same time,” Caliendo told Front Row. “I saw an interesting relationship there and that’s what I’ve built on with this. Had a little fun with Gruden’s love for [Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback] Johnny Manziel. It’s almost like Brett Favre love from John Madden. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Yesterday, Caliendo visited ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., campus and appeared as a guest on TV and radio shows: His reading on Mike & Mike of a portion of LeBron James’ letter to Cleveland in actor Morgan Freeman’s voice went viral. A video recap of his visit is posted on ESPN.com: Best of Caliendo at ESPN.

Editor’s note: ESPN2 will re-air Frank Caliendo’s Best of the NFL on Thursday, July 31, (7 p.m.), Sunday, August 3, (2:30 p.m.), and Tuesday, August 26 (7:30 p.m.). Next week, Front Row will have an exclusive interview with Caliendo about the transformation process and his thoughts on the upcoming NFL season.