NFL looms large for Eli Manning

By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
Jan. 2, 2004
DALLAS One final college football game remains for Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning.
Then what?
NFL scouts, though, have been thinking about Manning for quite some time. The holder of 45 school records, Manning nearly made himself eligible for the 2003 draft after his junior season before deciding to return to Ole Miss. He was widely considered a top 10 prospect, and after his senior campaign, Manning's wait at the 2004 draft will be even shorter.
And while the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Manning's resume was impressive enough after his junior year, he became he first quarterback in Ole Miss history to have 3,000 passing yards in a season, he improved his decision making skills in 2003. He has thrown balls away more willingly instead of throwing into coverage, improved his completion percentage and lowered his interceptions total from 15 to nine.
Opposing coaches have touted Manning throughout the season. Alabama head coach Mike Shula, a former assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins, said Manning was the best quarterback his team faced including Heisman Trophy winner Jason White of Oklahoma.
When South Carolina coach Lou Holtz was asked to compare the Ole Miss senior to another quarterback, his answer was quick.
Indeed, Eli shares several characteristics with his brother, Peyton, the All-Pro quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts who was chosen first overall in 1998. Both have prototypical size, Peyton is also 6-foot-5 and 10 pounds heavier, and they both couple their quick decisions with accurate passes.
And most observers agree that Eli throws harder than his older brother did when he was drafted.
The San Diego Chargers enjoy the drafts first selection, but team president Dean Spanos said recently that the team would not draft a quarterback with its top pick. San Diego may even trade the pick.
The Chargers missed out on a chance to draft Peyton and were left with Ryan Leaf, in what became one of the biggest busts in NFL history.
If San Diego passes on Eli, the Oakland Raiders look poised to tab Manning as the replacement for aging quarterback Rich Gannon with the draft's second pick.
The Manning family will likely become the first with three first round draft picks. Eli's father, Archie, was chosen No. 2 overall by the New Orleans Saints in 1971. The clan of quarterbacks is already the only family with two members taken in the first round.
A final good impression in the nationally televised Cotton Bowl would go a long way in adding one more to that number.