Mane attraction: Iowa tackle Robert Gallery isn't cutting any corners—or one strand of his shoulder-length hair—as he prepares for the NFL. Considering his impeccable credentials and the recent success rate of highly drafted offensive linemen, he is the most foolproof pick on the board

Sporting News, The, April 5, 2004 by Dennis Dillon

On a chilly, cloudy morning in early March, a parade of minivans creeps along the road leading to the recreation building on the University of Iowa campus. The local elementary schools are closed today because of a teachers conference, so students will exercise their bodies instead of their minds. They have come here for the Jump Rope for Heart competition that benefits the American Heart Association. And judging by the number of passengers disembarking from the vehicles, every third, fourth, fifth and sixth grader in Iowa City is participating.

Just a hop, skip and jump from the back of the recreation building is the Iowa football facility. There, in the weight room, 11 players begin a different set of physical movements.

They run through agility ladders to sharpen their quickness and coordination. They do maneuvers to improve hip strength and flexibility while wearing elastic resistance bands around their lower legs. They perform torso-stabilizing exercises by tossing 15-pound medicine balls against a wall from various positions. Finally, it's time to lift weights.

Stepping up to a platform in the southeast corner of the room, his customary spot, Robert Gallery grasps a barbell loaded with 325 pounds. He lifts it to his chest, then hoists it upward. In this triple-extension exercise, Gallery applies force against the ground using his hips, knees and ankles. Football translation: an offensive lineman exploding out of his stance and getting leverage on his opponent.

Gallery could have stayed in bed this morning. He graduated in December with a liberal arts degree in elementary education, so he doesn't have any classes to attend. He worked out and participated in all the drills at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, so with the exception of one test, he's not preparing to impress coaches and scouts at Iowa's upcoming pro day.

What's driving Gallery can't be appraised by a stopwatch, a tape measure or a Wonderlic test. None of those tools can calibrate a player's craving to be the best ever. And Gallery's desire is as big as the size-60 XL tux he wore to the Walter Camp Foundation awards dinner in January.

While NFL teams are tying themselves up in knots arguing whether Eli Manning of Mississippi or Ben Roethlisberger of Miami (Ohio) is the better quarterback, Gallery--a 6-7 1/8, 323-pound tackle who started 44 consecutive games for the Hawkeyes, gave up only one sack as a senior and won the Outland Trophy as the nation's best lineman in 2003--is the most foolproof pick in this year's draft. Recent history shows that using a premium draft choice on a quarterback is risky business, but tackles picked high have a good track record of becoming longtime offensive pillars. And Gallery appears to be a risk-free choice.

"I think Gallery is probably as prepared as any lineman I've seen coming out of college ever, other than Anthony Munoz," says an NFL assistant who has coached offensive linemen, both in college and the NFL, for more than 30 years.

Several coaches had roles in polishing this prospect. Under head coach Kirk Ferentz, an offensive line coach with the Browns and Ravens from 1993 to 1998 before taking over at Iowa in '99, the Hawkeyes run a pro-style offense. Ferentz's offensive line coaches--Joe Philbin (now an assistant with the Packers) and Reese Morgan--have emphasized the fundamentals of both pass sets and run blocking. Then there's Chris Doyle, of whom Ferentz says: "If there's a better strength coach in the country, I don't know who it is. He understands what linemen do and what's going to make them better."

Last year, three Iowa offensive linemen were drafted: guard Eric Steinbach (second round, by the Bengals), center Bruce Nelson (second, Panthers) and guard Ben Sobieski (fifth, Bills). A fourth lineman, tackle David Porter, signed as a free agent with the Packers.

Now comes Gallery, the best of them all. Some mock drafts have him going to the Giants with the fourth overall pick, but the first two teams in the draft--the Chargers and Raiders--also could use the best tackle in the nation. The Browns have a major hole at left tackle, and there have been reports that they are trying to put together a trade that would allow them to move up from the seventh spot and grab him.

Gallery is trying to make it difficult for any team to pass him up.

"I'm the top-rated lineman, but that's not good enough," he says. "I'm doing everything I can to be the first pick. That's my goal--to be on top of everyone's board."

That's why Gallery returned to Iowa for his senior season in 2003 instead of coming out last year, when he was projected to be a late first-round draft pick. That's why he stayed in Iowa City this winter after the Hawkeyes' Outback Bowl victory over Florida and continued working with Doyle. That's why he is in the weight room at 9 a.m. and will come back this afternoon to join Iowa's offensive players in a "skills and drills" session on the outdoor practice field.

And that's why he will do the bench press again on Iowa's pro day. Gallery thought he lifted 225 pounds at least 30 times at the Combine in Indianapolis, but NFL scouts credited him with only 24. He's determined to prove he's stronger than they think.