Everything is 20-20 in hindsight, the 1998 NFL draft included. When the Indianapolis Colts selected Peyton Manning with the first pick, over Ryan Leaf, no one could have seen the divergent paths the two candidates have since taken.
Manning, now a future hall of famer with his name etched all over the NFL’s record books, and Leaf, a former college star whose short NFL career was followed by legal troubles, are on opposite ends of the spectrum.
But on , they were two of the same. Two elite quarterbacks who many believed could only make their respective teams better.
Many within Indianapolis’ front office believed Leaf was the better choice. But the team chose Manning, a selection former Colts coach Tony Dungy said on Monday “wasn’t a slam dunk.”
“By the end of the day, draft day, everybody was on board,” . “But it wasn’t, ‘Oh, hey, it’s a slam dunk.’ Here’s what they’re saying about Peyton, if you’ll remember: ‘He’s been brought up by his dad, he’s had great coaching, he’s been in a pro system, he’s as good as he’s going to be. He doesn’t have the great arm strength. Ryan Leaf, look at this guy, look at the body, … he’s going to be better, he’s going to improve, his ceiling is higher.’
“The Colts fought through all that. And they did all their research, and it really was the interview process. Peyton came in with his notebook and he’s interviewing them. Ryan’s a little bit late, kind of laid-back, and I think Bill Polian and that group, at that point, said that, ‘This is the leader, this is the guy we want. He’s not going to fail.’ But it wasn’t a slam-dunk process, ‘Oh, Manning was 1 and Leaf was 2 the whole way through.”
