Eli Manning
Main article: Rivers-Manning Trade
Eli Manning was considered to be the top prospect prior to the 2004 NFL Draft.
He became a target of criticism for stating that he would not sign with the San
Diego Chargers, who owned the first pick in the draft, due to their recent poor
record of holdouts with high first round picks such as Quentin Jammer and
LaDainian Tomlinson.
Manning's claim was proven to be somewhat justified when the Chargers'
eventual first round player, Philip Rivers, had a lengthy contract dispute with
the team. In the past, players such as John Elway and Gary Zimmerman had also
refused to play for teams looking to draft them.
The Chargers were in discussions with several teams prior to the draft about
a possible trade, but nothing was agreed upon before the draft began. Despite
his stated intention not to play for them, the Chargers drafted Manning with the
first overall pick in the draft.
