Risk and reward

Sporting News, The, March 15, 2004 by Dennis Dillon

Robert Gallery had more to lose than gain by participating in the physical drills at the NFL Scouting Combine last month. The 6-7, 323-pound tackle from Iowa already was rated the No. 1 offensive lineman in the draft and was projected as a top five pick. But Gallery elected to work out at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis instead of waiting until Iowa's Pro Day last Monday.

"Every coach, every general manager, everybody in the NFL is there," says Gallery. "If you can do it in front of the owner, I think that's going to have a little more impact than maybe just a scout or a position coach."

Gallery's 40-yard dash times ranged from 4.95 to 4.99 seconds. That's impressive for a man of his size. He was credited with 24 reps in the 225-pound bench press--an average figure for a lineman--though he thought he did more than 30. And he was surprised when NFL scouts measured his arm length at only 32 1/2 inches. "My dress shirts are 37, 38," he says.

But by working out, Gallery validated the opinions NFL scouts already had about him.

"I had him as a top guy before he worked out. I still have him as a top guy," says Eric DeCosta, the Ravens' college scouting director. "He worked out very well, and he slid well in pass protection. The way he moved around in all the drills was significantly better than all the other guys."

DRAFT DISH By THE WAR ROOM

With an estimated 150 NFL officials looking on and as many as six first-round draft picks working out, Miami's Pro Day was quite a spectacle. In an interesting twist, Hurricanes coaches brought in as many recruits as possible to watch the proceedings. With so many highly rated prospects working out before so many NFL officials, the session unquestionably was attractive to a high school player considering Miami. Of Miami's six likely first-round picks--G Vernon Carey, S Sean Taylor, ILB Jonathan Vilma, DT Vince Wilfork, OLB D.J. Williams and TE Kellen Winslow--only one failed to meet the expectations of scouts. That, oddly, was Taylor, who probably is the most talented Hurricane. Taylor, who was expected to run in the 4.4's on the fast track, ran a 4.53. He also completed only 11 reps on the bench press. The player who might have helped himself the most was Wilfork, who ran a 5.07 40 at 323 pounds. Wilfork also had completed an impressive 36 reps on the bench press at the Combine. The best workout of any Cane belonged to Williams, who ran a 4.58 40 at a solid 242 pounds and had a 38-inch vertical jump.... We're hearing the Chargers may be more interested in signing a free-agent quarterback such as Billy Volek, Jay Fiedler or Jeff Garcia than using the No. 1 overall pick on Ole Miss' Eli Manning. If they add a quarterback, the Chargers could try to trade down or draft Pittsburgh WR Larry Fitzgerald to play opposite David Boston. One reason for the rumors could be that the Chargers are trying to bait the Cardinals (who pick third) to flip-flop picks. Because everyone knows Arizona coach Dennis Green has such a strong interest in Fitzgerald, the Chargers could be starting rumors to see if they can entice Green and the Cardinals to trade up to No. 1.... Another rumor we heard involves the Browns, who are said to have fallen in love with Iowa LT Robert Gallery, which makes sense considering he's the only blue-chip prospect at their biggest position of need. If Miami (Ohio) QB Ben Roethlisberger falls to the No. 4 pick overall, the Giants will have a difficult decision to make between him and Gallery. From what we're hearing, the Browns, who pick seventh, are poking around to find out what it would take to move up to one of the top three picks to grab Gallery before the Giants can.