Let's pretend: if the first round of the real draft goes anything like our simulation, prominent players will fall, several wide receivers will wait and a lot of guys named Williams will be called

Sporting News, The, April 26, 2004 by Matt Crossman

There is no greater sign of the importance of the NFL draft than the existence of pretend NFL drafts. No other sport's draft has such cachet that fake ones are worthy of headlines. Too many high schoolers in the NBA. Too many consonants in the NHL. Baseball has a draft, but ... zzz.

The NFL draft is the greatest sports event in which no competition actually takes place. There's no field. No score. No referees. No measurable way to win or lose. The draft is really just a giant televised job fair, but it's a huge sports story nonetheless.

Why all the focus on a non-sports sports story? The NFL draft can change a franchise forever. What Chargers fan doesn't curse Leaf Day--April 18, 1998?

Then there's supply and demand, baby. You love this stuff. So do we. Which is why we bring you the SPORTING NEWS correspondents mock draft.

First, the pregame show.

* If you're wondering what's going on with the Raiders, so is the rest of the NFL. With the second overall pick, the Raiders clearly control this draft, and they're as predictable as ... Al Davis. The Raiders have so many needs that drafting second would be a waste; they could trade down several spots, still get a player they desperately need and pick up an extra pick or two. So they will trade down. But to whom? And for whom? And how many times? Nobody knows. Maybe not even Davis. They could cut a deal with the Giants, Browns or any other team craving Iowa offensive tackle Robert Gallery, Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald or Miami (Ohio) quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. You can rest assured Oakland won't pick second.

* If you're wondering whether to take seriously something with mock in the title, please do. This is heady stuff. TSN acted as the commissioner, and each of our team correspondents acted as the G.M. for his respective franchise. Our correspondents are with their teams daily, and they know their team needs, team wants and team realities. We wanted this mock draft to be as realistic as possible, which is why we tried to re-create Arizona's war room by giving the Cardinals' correspondent a monkey and a dart board. Just kidding. He had his own dart board.

* If you're wondering which player your team will pick, the safest bet is Williams from Miami. Four guys named Williams were taken in the first round of our mock draft, and six guys were Miami Hurricanes. D.J. Williams, a linebacker, fits both profiles.

* If you're wondering if Miami will set a record for most first-round pick in one year, it sure looks like it. The previous mark for most first-round selections from one school in a real draft is five, set by Southern California in 1968 and matched by the Hurricanes' class of 2002.

* If you're wondering what surprises came out of this mock draft, there are several. Wide receivers are supposed to dominate the first round, but they didn't dominate ours. There are so many good receivers available that several correspondents went for defensive players first, with the idea that the team he covers could take a wideout in the second round. For example, the Bills need help in the defensive line and at wide receiver. They chose a defensive lineman, Will Smith, in the first round, reasoning that the receiver they could take in the second round would be much better than any defensive lineman they could take in the second round.

As for players, Wisconsin wide receiver Lee Evans' stock appears overvalued. He's ranked highly by many analysts, but two knee surgeries and an arrest for marijuana possession dropped him from our first round. Other players who dropped: Oklahoma defensive tackle Tommie Harris (to 23rd) and Texas wide receiver Roy Williams (to 13th). Roethlisberger lasted until the seventh spot; it's hard to call that a drop, but he is expected to go earlier in the real draft.

That's enough pregame. Welcome to TSN's annual simulated selection meeting. The San Diego Chargers are on the clock.

1 Chargers

Eli Manning, QB, Mississippi

It would take an impressive offer to pry this pick away, and entering the week that seemed unlikely. The Chargers are listening, but if the offers don't measure up, they'd be perfectly happy to take Peyton's little brother.

2 Raiders

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh

Jerry Rice and Tim Brown won't be around forever, and Fitzgerald could step in as a nice complement to Jerry Porter. Having said that ... and not to make a pick and then take it back ... this ain't happening. The mean old commissioner of this draft ignores all trade requests, so the Raiders are forced to pick.

3 Cardinals

Mike Williams, WR, Southern California

The Cardinals really, really want Fitzgerald. When Fitzgerald was younger, he was a ball boy for the Vikings. Thus, Fitzgerald has a longstanding personal relationship with Dennis Green, who coached the Vikes then and coaches the Cardinals now. As badly as the Cardinals want Fitzgerald, they won't trade up for him. And if he's gone, they'll probably trade down. One thing is clear: This team needs playmakers. Badly.

4 Giants

Robert Gallery, OT, Iowa