An Eagle Scout Joins the Rogues’ Gallery

The Oakland Raiders took an Eagle Scout.

Dennis Green took his old ballboy.

And everybody took a University of Miami player (or so it seemed) in an unpredictable, trade-happy opening round of the NFL draft Saturday.

“I guess you could say it was weird,” said Gil Brandt, the pro scouting guru and former Dallas Cowboy executive who has been involved with the league since 1958. “I can’t remember a first round when so many unusual things took place.”

Although the No. 1 pick didn’t crack a smile -- Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning was morose until San Diego traded him to the New York Giants -- the guy taken second couldn’t suppress one.

“I’m excited,” said Iowa offensive tackle Robert Gallery, beaming after the Raiders made him the No. 2 selection. “I can’t wait to get out there. I think I’ll fit in great with the Raiders.”

Maybe so, but he isn’t the stereotypical renegade. He was senior class president in high school and a member of the National Honor Society. He also has a Kid Rock hairstyle, a pencil-thin Eminem beard, and incredibly nimble feet for a guy with an Escalade-sized body. A lot of scouts consider him the most promising prospect in the draft, a rare find who should be able to step in right away at left tackle.

The 6-foot-7, 323-pound Gallery received the highest rating in the NFL draft report of any offensive lineman since USC’s Tony Boselli in 1995.

“He has the ability to move, he’s a powerful kid, big hands, everything that Al Davis loves,” said NFL executive Art Shell, whose exploits as a Raider lineman earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame.

Immediately after Oakland took Gallery, Arizona selected Pittsburgh receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who has a long-standing relationship with new Cardinal Coach Green. Fitzgerald was a ballboy for the Vikings when Green coached in Minnesota, and Fitzgerald’s father, also named Larry, is a sportswriter who covered Green’s teams for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

The Miami Hurricanes set a record with six players chosen in the first round, more than any school in draft history, and the selection of seven receivers in the opening round set another record.

As is the case every year, there were players who went higher and lower than expected. USC defensive end Kenechi Udeze, whom some people considered a top-10 pick, wasn’t taken until No. 20 by Minnesota, presumably because teams were concerned about his having shoulder problems. Miami defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, chosen 21st by New England, and Oregon State running back Steven Jackson, who went 24th to St. Louis, waited around far longer than many people thought they might.

Buffalo, which had the 13th and 22nd selections, surprised some people by taking Wisconsin receiver Lee Evans and Tulane quarterback J.P. Losman -- both of whom were expected to go later in the first round, if not early in the second.

There were 10 trades in the first round, and among the more costly was the one Cleveland made with Detroit to leapfrog the Lions and grab Miami tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. at No. 6. The Browns gave up their second-round selection to move up one spot, but they felt it was well worth it for the son of a Hall of Fame tight end and a fiery player who caught more passes than any tight end in Miami history.

Cleveland Coach Butch Davis said the Browns and Lions had talked about it and Detroit indicated that it was going to take Winslow. “That’s why the compensation was maybe a little bit higher than people would have thought,” Davis said.

“But at that point to get the guy that we want, that fits our offense and fits our specific needs, it was worth the compensation.”

Evidently, not everyone thought of the first round as an unpredictable crapshoot. Miami of Ohio quarterback Ben Roethlisberger showed up for the draft wearing a black suit and gold tie. Then, lo and behold, Pittsburgh took him with the 11th pick.

“Yeah,” he said, “no one knew I was going here. But I knew.”

Talk about keen instincts.

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Top Schools in Draft

Colleges with the most first-round selections in NFL draft in last 10 years:

*--* Year No. Schools 2004 6 Miami 2003 4 Miami, Penn State 2002 5 Miami 2001 4 Miami 2000 3 Florida State 1999 3 Ohio State 1998 3 North Carolina, Tennessee 1997 4 Florida State 1996 3 Ohio State 1995 3 Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State

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Note: Miami’s six first-round picks broke the record of five held by USC (1968) and Miami (2002).

*--* By Conference First-round draft selections by conference: Conference No. Big East 9 Southeastern, Big 10 6 Pacific 10 3 Big 12 4 Mid-American 2 Conference USA, Atlantic Coast 1

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*--* By Position First-round draft selections by position: Position No. Receiver 7 Defensive line 6 Defensive back 5 Quarterback 4 Running back 3 Offensive line 3 Linebacker 2 Tight end 2

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