Chargers now expected to take Manning
Updated: June 1, 2004, 3:43 PM ET
By Scouts, Inc. | Scouts, Inc.
Unless cooler heads prevail, it looks an awful lot like the Chargers will use the top overall pick in today's draft on QB Eli Manning. While there is some speculation the Chargers will draft Manning, then work out a deal to trade him, it is not very easy to make a move of that magnitude in the NFL.
We often see NBA teams trade the rights to players on draft day, but the NFL's rookie salary cap pool complicates things.
Once a team drafts a player, they are allotted money to sign him based on the pick number. The entire system works on a slotting scale, so obviously the Chargers, picking No. 1 overall, will be allotted more money to their first-round choice than will the Giants, who pick fourth.
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