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

A digital clock hanging on a wall in the weight room counts down the time until Iowa's first spring practice: 22 days, 06 hours, 08 minutes. In Gallery's mind, the clock reads: 54-01-08--the time left until the NFL draft. He lies down on a bench, lifts the 225-pound barbell and pumps out three sets of 20 reps.

A three-sport athlete (football, basketball, track) at tiny East Buchanan High in Winthrop, Ia., Gallery was recruited to Iowa as a 240-pound tight end. He was redshirted in 1999, and when the 2000 season began, he weighed 270. It was just a matter of time before Iowa would move his broad shoulders to tackle, and injuries on the offensive line forced the position switch five games into that season.

"It was unfair what we did to him," says Philbin. "We kind of threw him into the fire."

After playing parts of two games at right tackle, Gallery started the final six games there in 2000. In the spring of 2001, he moved to left tackle, where he was a fixture for three seasons. Doyle worked with him on strength, conditioning and nutrition, Philbin and Morgan honed his technique, and Gallery became a student of the game. Ferentz gave him tapes of some of the best offensive tackles in the NFL. He studied Jonathan Ogden and Tony Boselli "and guys from back in the day I didn't even know, but my coach said they were the best at that time," he says.

Last season, Gallery carried a spiral notebook with him in which he kept detailed notes on his performances and what he needed to work on. On Mondays, the players' day off, Iowa coaches posted the two-deep lineup of the next opponent and Gallery studied tape of the player he was about to face. After every practice, he sat in Morgan's office, watched tape from the practice and critiqued himself.

During practice, Gallery often would run an extra 20 or 30 yards downfield after a play. One day, Morgan asked him why he did that. "Coach, there's two reasons," Gallery replied. "If there's a big play, I can get down there to make a block or recover a fumble. Plus, those extra yards I run will help get me in shape for the NFL."

One thing NFL scouts question about Gallery is the length of his arms. Gallery says he wears dress shirts with 37/38-inch sleeves, but they were measured at 32 1/4 inches--short for an offensive lineman--at the Combine. But that shouldn't deter Gallery from performing at a high level in the NFL. He compares favorably with the Rams' Orlando Pace (first overall pick in 1997) and the Ravens' Ogden (fourth overall pick in 1996) when they came out of college.

"Pace was just a real physically dominant player, probably a little more aggressive as a run blocker," says Eric DeCosta, the Ravens' college scouting director. "Ogden, to me, is just a freakish athlete. He moves like a 245- or 255-pound man. I don't think Robert is at that point yet. That being said, I think Robert is probably equal to both those guys in the way he conducts himself play to play. He's not as dominant an athlete as Jonathan or as physically powerful as Pace, but in terms of the overall picture he's pretty close."