By Darin On April 24, 2004, the NFL landscape was forever altered by a draft-day drama that felt more like a Hollywood script than a football transaction. With the San Diego Chargers on the clock, the selection of Eli Manning ignited a blockbuster trade with the New York Giants, setting the stage for a new generation of quarterback royalty. From Ernie Accorsi’s “all-in” gamble to the rise of Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers, this date marks the birth of a draft class that would challenge the legendary Class of ’83 for the title of “Greatest of All Time.”
Overview
April 24, 2004: At the 2004 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers had the number one overall pick and chose Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning. As a matter of fact, our Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the Day says, “Giants Betting Future on Manning!” and that was the headline of the newspaper, the Morning Call from Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Storyline of the 2004 NFL Draft
The New York franchise truly did go “All In” on the Ole Miss QB, trading their fourth pick (Philip Rivers), the 2004 third-round pick, the 2005 first-round pick, and a 2005 5th-round selection to secure the rights to Peyton Manning’s younger brother. Then Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi said, “We all had the unanimous opinion that this was a special quarterback and you don’t get a chance very many times, for decades, to select someone like him.” Accorsi knows about special QBs taken with the top pick, too; after all, he was the mastermind in taking John Elway and Bernie Kosar.”What I saw in Manning was a classic prospect. Size, Arm, tremendous athletic ability, and feet, poise, and class. Probably more important than the obvious physical attributes you need is that he lifted his team. I always looked for that in a quarterback who made the athletes around him better.”
The Pro Football Reference website notes that this Draft class featured some very significant players. Larry Fitzgerald, the wide receiver from the University of Pittsburgh, was chosen third overall by the Cardinals; QB Philip Rivers from NC State was locked up in the fourth slot by the San Diego Chargers; and another signal caller, Ben Roethlisberger from Miami of Ohio, was the 11th overall selection by the Steelers. Other big names were Sean Taylor, Roy Williams, DeAngelo Hall, Jonathan Vilma, and Vince Wollfork. It will be interesting to see how many of these men will be enshrined in Canton in the next decade.
Some may claim this is the greatest quarterback draft class in history,, as Rivers, Manning, and Roethlisberger have each thrown for more than 57,000 career yards, each has over 360 TD tosses, and each has four Lombardi Trophies! But I think the 1983 QB Draft class, which included Dan Marino, John Elway, and Jim Kelly, certainly gave them a run for their money. The 1983 class has more Super Bowl appearances, 10, than the 2004 class, 5, and more League MVPs, 2 for 1983 and 0 for 2004, but the championship rings go to the ‘04 guys, 4 compared to 2 for 1983.
Conclusion
Whether you side with the 1983 pioneers or the 2004 titans, there is no denying that April 24, 2004, was a watershed moment for the sport. The Giants’ decision to move heaven and earth for Eli Manning resulted in two Lombardi Trophies and a decade of consistency, while the rest of the league scrambled to keep up with a class that featured future Hall of Famers at nearly every position. As these legends move toward enshrinement in Canton, we look back on this draft as the day the “poise, feet, and class” of a special group of athletes redefined the modern era of professional football.
Complete List of Players Selected in the 2004 NFL Draft
Big thanks to Pro-Football-Reference.com for the above info.
