Robert Gallery thoughts
NFL Draft Mailbag
March 4, 2004
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
From: Carol Murphy
Sent: Monday, March 1, 2004 1:20 PM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: Randy Moss
There appears to be some activity regarding Moss!.Doubt the Vikes would accept any package that does not include a top 5 draft pick and much more!. Should be more shaking out as the trading season begins! Mn. Murph
Lou: Short of receiving multiple first-round picks, with one of them being a Top 5 pick in this year's draft, I think the Vikings would be crazy to trade Randy Moss. Yes, he may not have the mature demeanor of a Marvin Harrison, but Moss is an elite WR who forces defenses to game plan around him. Consider this about Moss' first six NFL seasons...
1998: 1,313 yards
1999: 1,413 yards
2000: 1,437 yards
2001: 1,233 yards
2002: 1,347 yards
2003: 1,632 yards
Are you kidding me?!? 1,200 yards in each of his first six seasons, with 1,632 and 17 TDs last year, and people are talking trade with him? If I was New England, I would trade both first rounders and both second rounders for him. Without blinking.
From: Barry Fischman
Sent: Tuesday, March 2, 2004 2:03 AM
To: Lou Pickney
The Chicago Bears with all of thie needs, there is no way after signing Desmond Clark last year they will draft Winslow......if the first 13 go as you predict, which I highly doubt the Bears pick would more likely be either DJ Williams, Kevin Jones or Vince Wilfork. that would fill a major need, they already cut Holdman, will cut Traylor and Jones would be a MAJOR upgrade over A Train.....
also the NY Giants pick of Williams WILL NOT Happen, with Coughlin their they are going to pick a cornerstone "Gallery" if he lasts to them and gets past Oakland.....could be the early surpise pick of the 1st round.
I agree with you on #'s 1,2,3,5, and 6....but Mike Williams is going to end up in Jacksonville, they need a WR for Leftwich to throw to...and a mature 6-5 230 lb reciever with great hands and pretty good spped would be a great fit there.
Lou: Obviously things have changed with the Bears since this e-mail was written, with Chicago signing Thomas Jones to likely fill the primary running back spot (until Bears management finds out that he has reverted back to his Arizona bust days).
With Winslow, people never seem to like where I end up projecting him. Then there are those who think he's listed too low. Personally, I think Winslow is the perfect candidate for the "great player who doesn't fit a need but is too great to pass up", a la the Saints with Deuce McAllister in 2001.
As for the Giants pick, I've given this a great deal of thought... The new Mock Draft will likely be up by the time you read this; despite Mike Williams' upside, I just can't see the Giants passing on Robert Gallery. That is... if he's there. I had a long discussion with a friend today who tried to convince me that the Chargers will take Gallery at #1. I find that highly unlikely (even if the Chargers sign someone like Jeff Garcia).
From: Corey Perry
Sent: Wednesday, March 3, 2004 3:32 AM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: Eli Manning
Iv been reading so much about the draft latley and i
honestly dont think that the chargers will take Eli
Manning. I saw a mock draft from an official chargers
news site and they had them picking robert gallery.
there are a lot of positions for improvement on the
chargers and ill bet you anything that they will not
take manning on draft day. let me know what you think.
Lou: If it's on the official Chargers news site, then it must be true!
Gallery would be a major boost for San Diego, no question. That team has had a sub-par offensive line for the past several seasons, and Gallery is about as sharp an offensive line prospect as you'll find. But I think need at QB supercedes any offensive tackle holes for San Diego. The tell-tale sign there was the fact that the Chargers stuck with Doug Flutie over Drew Brees down the stretch last season, even with the playoffs out of reach and Brees presumably being in a spot where they would've groomed him for the future if they had plans for him for on down the line.
Consider also how much the Chargers wanted Mark Brunell (which didn't work out, since Washington lined him up via a trade before the Jaguars could cut him), and I think it all adds up to the Chargers taking Manning at #1. And remember, if the Chargers pass on Manning at #1 and he goes to the Raiders at #2, he'll only be tormenting them for the next dozen years or so in the AFC West. Consider that...
