The 2004 NFL Draft was not without intrigue. He was one of four quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. How 2019 NFL Draft Class Could Impact Eli Manning, Joe Flacco And These 10 Other Veterans Bill Huber Former Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. 1 pick, went public, telling the San Diego Chargers, owners of the draft's first overall selection, he did not want to play for them. The Chargers legend and future Hall of Famer speaks out on Eli Manning's draft demands. The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. Another record set by the draft was the most trades in the first round, with twenty-eight trades. It is a dangerous game to play, of course. 1998 NFL Draft: This class could be closing in on four Hall of Famers -- Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson and Randy Moss are likely in, with Alan Faneca being the wild card. Eli Manning's legendary 2011 postseason run With Super Bowl week finally here, Pro Football Focus looked back at some postseason quarterback performances from the last 15 years. Antonio Gates still baffled by Eli Manning’s NFL Draft diss ... had the No. Players are identified as Pro Bowlers if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career. The Chargers held the No. Roethlisberger’s case would have been a slam dunk had the Steelers been able to win the Super Bowl this season, but even without a third Lombardi trophy, Roethlisberger’s blend of pocket awareness, arm strength, physicality, and winning at the highest level gives him the nod here. Standing at a gargantuan 6’5” and clocking in at 240 pounds, Ben Roethlisberger is among the biggest players we’ve ever seen play quarterback in the NFL. Leading up to the 2004 NFL Draft, Eli Manning, the consensus No. His value is more tied to his cool and collected demeanor against some of the greatest teams the league has ever seen, which is impressive, but ultimately not quite good enough to put him at the top either. There were 32 compensatory selections distributed among 16 teams, with the Eagles, Rams, and Jets each receiving 4 compensatory picks. That leaves Ben Roethlisberger, who basically combines the best attributes of both. […], The close of the regular season is upon us and the final few spots in the playoffs remain up for grabs with just two weekends of football left to play, which sets things up very […], The 2019 season however, was a strange one for the Steelers as it could be seen as both a win and a loss. 1 pick overall by the San Diego Chargers , who traded him to the Giants for Rivers, the No. The draft began with the San Diego Chargers selecting Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning with the first overall selection. He was somewhat unlucky from the standpoint that his career overlapped with other great quarterbacks like Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Patrick Mahomes in the AFC, but putting a ringless Rivers first doesn’t seem like the right hierarchy for this exercise. Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs were thoroughly out-coached in Super Bowl LV, Ranking all 7 of Tom Brady’s Super Bowl wins, Three issues the Chiefs must fix this offseason, How the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, Derrick Rose trade does not improve the Knicks’ playoff chances, LeBron James’ comments prove the NBA got it wrong with the All-Star game, Analyzing Danuel House’s trade market in 2021. Due to his refusal to play for the Chargers, Manning was later traded to the New York Giants for their first selection, fourth overall pick Philip Rivers of NC State. He’s also notorious for having played the 2007 AFC championship game against the New England Patriots with a torn ACL. Now it doesn’t look quite so straight forward. 2004 QB class, highlighted by Eli Manning, … […], Joe and Sam discuss the Western Conference contenders, starting with the Lakers and Clippers. Manning made clutch play after clutch play, especially in his two Super Bowl appearances against the New England Patriots. This set the stage for one of the biggest trades in NFL draft history. His most iconic throws are replayed time and time again in January and February, starting with his great escape and heave to David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII, and his no margin for error sideline throw to Mario Manningham in Super Bowl XLVI. Here are their most memorable experiences, from Eli Manning… He is also fifth in career touchdown passes, with 421 total, eclipsing his two draft classmates there as well. Former Patriots defensive end Michael Bennett was once quoted as saying that hitting Roethlisberger was like “tackling a truck”. After opening up against the defending champions New England Patriots and getting absolutely blown away, they then went into week two and lost their future hall of fame quarterback for the season due to an elbow injury. In professional sports, fans often fall in love with statistics and highlight reel plays, but in the locker room, teammates and coaches value different attributes more substantially. After watching Philip Riversin his new Indianapolis Colt’s jersey the first few weeks of the 2020 NFL season, and with Eli Manningprobably on a golf course somewhere on Sundays, it … 1 pick in the NFL Draft … On 24 April 2004, Eli Manning, the University of Mississippi quarterback and younger brother of superstar Peyton, was selected with the first overall pick of the NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. Seventeen quarterbacks went in the draft, many of them having short and … The 1998 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected … Our Customizable Draft Finder lets you slice and dice the draft in more ways than you can imagine. It’s a cliché, but “the greatest ability is availability” moniker truly is a feather in Rivers’ cap, who rarely missed games during his career. Ranking MLB’s best rotations after the Dodgers sign Trevor Bauer, Rangers and Athletics reach mutually beneficial trade. From the moment he was selected first overall in the draft by the San Diego Chargers, Eli Manning has had the attention and the target squarely on his back. 1 overall pick. It remains to be seen how much longer Big Ben will play. As of 2012, this draft also has two other records attached to it: it became the draft with the shortest time between having multiple quarterbacks being drafted and starting for Super Bowl winners (Ben Roethlisberger for the 2005 Steelers, and Manning for the 2007 Giants) and it has become the first draft ever to have produced two QBs who each won multiple Super Bowls (with Roethlisberger winning his second in 2008 and Eli his second in 2011). ... of New York Giants legend Eli Manning hanging up the ... fellow Qb from 2004 draft class … Manning and Rivers forever will be linked to one another. It’s always been an unenviable task for oncoming linebackers to bring Big Ben down to the ground, and his knack for escaping sacks and giving his usually very talented receivers an extra few seconds to get open has made a huge difference throughout his career. In the 2004 NFL Draft, Manning was the No. Eli Manning was drafted 1st overall in 2004 by the San Diego Chargers, against Eli and the Mannings will. One could argue that he’s always lived with sky high expectations, being the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and brother of the legendary Peyton Manning. While his pure throwing ability and style were not Manning’s claims to fame, he did author two of the most brilliant postseason runs in NFL history in the 2007-2008 and 2011-2012 seasons. Rivers was a member of the 2004 draft class along with Eli Manning —who was part of the trade sending Rivers to the San Diego Chargers—and Ben Roethlisberger. For Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger, not only did they wind up with their respective teams on that April day in 2004 but nearly 10 full years later, they're still playing for them. The draft was shown on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2 both days. Drafted Players. The son of Archie and brother of Peyton wanted no part of San Diego. This is because with a quarterback on a rookie deal teams can surround their young stats with 5-star talent. Even though Roethlisberger’s 2020 season ended in somewhat disappointing fashion after the Steelers started the campaign 11-0, his teams have always at least been in the mix for a playoff spot. Former New York Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning did an interview with Trey Wingo, where he admitted that he may not have held out if the San Diego Chargers didn’t end up trading him to the Giants after using the first overall pick on him during the 2004 NFL Draft. [4] The draft set several records, including the most wide receivers selected in the first round, with seven. Durability Eli Manning was coming out of Ole Miss. But which one stands above all the rest? Rivers now becomes the second member of the much-heralded first round quarterback Class of 2004 to retire, as Manning had hung up his cleats at the end of the 2019 season. It may not have been the most traditional or powerful throwing motion in NFL history, but Philip Rivers carved out a tremendous career for himself completing passes with a unique shoulder pushing delivery that may not be seen in the league again for a very long time. They both congratulated him on … [1][2][3] No teams chose to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year. The 255 players chosen in the draft were composed of: In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2004 Draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft. Big Ben has the career numbers to compare with Rivers—he’s only 26 touchdown passes away from passing Rivers’ total—and has the same number of Super Bowl victories as Manning (2). He finished in the top five in passing yards in seven seasons throughout his career, and ranks fifth all time in career passing yards, ahead of Roethlisberger and Manning. Despite all of that, the younger Manning never batted an eye, had an attitude, or viewed himself as bigger than the team, which is extremely impressive to do for as long as he did. The University of Miami set an NFL record for the most first rounders drafted with 6. Is it the end of the franchise quarterback? Big Ben was able to go the distance in two of his playoff runs, winning the Super Bowl in the 2005-2006 season and the 2008-2009 season. Still, the Giants gave up a lot to get a quarterback in Manning who PFF argues isn’t the best of the top three quarterbacks taken in that draft class. […]. Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger were tied together at 2004 draft and again this week Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is out … That’s 6 of the last 15 Super Bowls having a QB on a rookie deal starting. Should the Jets give Sam Darnold another season? But forcing a trade from the team that had the number one overall selection to play for the New York Giants in the largest media market in the world ratcheted up the pressure. The surplus of speculation about Tom Brady’s future in the NFL has stolen the spotlight, but there’s another star quarterback whose football future is in serious doubt. The 2004 NFL draft class was particularly notable for the three quarterbacks who were picked in the top 10: Eli Manning at No. Eli Manning revisits drama of the draft day that changed Giants history By Steve Serby. For less than an hour in April 2004, Eli Manning was a member of the San Diego Chargers.Despite explicitly asking the team to pass on him with the No. Since he entered the league in 2004, Pittsburgh has not finished below .500 in any season, basically guaranteeing Steelers fans that the team will be playing meaningful contests in December and January. 1 overall, Philip Rivers at No. During the last 15 years of his career, the former NC State Wolfpack star started every regular season game, amassing a total of 240 consecutive games played. Even though Rivers’ statistics from a passing standpoint are better than the other two players, it’s hard to put him at the top of the list since he was not able to win a Super Bowl. Actually, there are three. After a standout career at Ole Miss, Manning entered the 2004 NFL Draft as the presumptive No. NFL Week 16 Playoff Permutations: Six Playoff spots can be secured on penultimate weekend, Three moves the Pittsburgh Steelers need to make this offseason, Three landing spots for Marcell Ozuna in free agency, St. Louis Cardinals need to go all in on Anthony Rendon, Five teams that should make the push for Nicholas Castellanos, Super Bowl XXXVI: Where it all began for the New England Patriots, Franchise Sports Talk Basketball: Episode Nine. Many younger fans might not be aware now, but Eli Manning nearly became a member of the then-San Diego Chargers instead of the New York Giants. The quarterback class in 2004 was considered one of the best of all-time, and the end is near for this trio of signal callers. Andrew is a contributor to Franchise Sports, who believes that Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick's no look pass while being facemasked against the Las Vegas Raiders was better than any Magic Johnson assist on the fast break. The Giants drafted Chris Snee the same year they acquired Eli Manning, but since Manning was not technically a draft pick in 2004, I hesitate to include him. With Manning (57,023) now retiring, Roethlisberger (56,545) needs just 479 more passing yards to pass his draft class member on the NFL’s all-time passing yardage leader list. Due to his longevity and remarkable durability, Eli Manning’s name has cracked the top ten in a couple of hallowed statistical categories, but won’t be remembered as one of the best pure passers in NFL history. The end of Rivers’ career provides NFL fans with another relevant opportunity to rekindle a long standing debate—which quarterback between Roethlisberger, Rivers, and former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning was the superior option? With the recent retirement of Indianapolis Colts QB Philip Rivers, the active quarterbacks remaining from the 2004 NFL Draft class has been whittled down to just one—Pittsburgh Steelers signal caller Ben Roethlisberger. Ohio State set an NFL draft record having 14 total players selected through all rounds. Football Outsiders – 2004 NFL Draft: Six Years Later, 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL and CFL players, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2004_NFL_Draft&oldid=1004183031, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, = extra selection awarded to expansion team, This page was last edited on 1 February 2021, at 12:36. 1 … 4 … The draft began with the San Diego Chargers selecting Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning with the first overall selection. The top three quarterbacks taken in the draft. Players are identified as a Hall of Famer if they have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Eli Manning may have played for the Chargers. He is also fifth in career touchdown passes, with 421 total, eclipsing his two draft classmates there as well. It set in motion a trade with the New York Giants that could wind up tripping up some people on trivia quizzes. The draft was held April 24–25, 2004 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Judy Battista, Jeffri Chadiha, Michael Silver and Jim Trotter have seen many, MANY things during decades of draft coverage. He finished in the top five in passing yards in seven seasons throughout his career, and ranks fifth all time in career passing yards, ahead of Roethlisberger and Manning. Due to his refusal to play for the Chargers, Manning was later traded to the New York Giants for their first selection, fourth overall pick Philip Rivers of NC State . Going back, 1993 jumps out to me even though the Giants didn't have a first round pick (they had used it on quarterback Dave Brown in the supplemental draft). It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. For Eli Manning supporters, the answer to that question isn’t great. The 2004 quarterback class, which features New York Giants veteran Eli Manning, has been ranked as the best of the millennium. 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