Manning, Fitzgerald shouldn't be passed on

Well, the NFL draft is only a few short weeks (and one rather large college basketball tournament) away. Take it from Mel Kiper, Jr., it's never too early to speculate about your favorite franchise's soon-to-be rookies.

Ah, NFL draft speculation time, which, of course, means spring is right around the corner. Soon, Arizona will pick its next first round bust, Kiper will be on ESPN pretending that he knows what some sixth-rounder from Western Kentucky had for breakfast last Thursday, and Minnesota will be skipped over because it didn't select a player in time.

I do love spring, but one thing I don't love is when general managers draft for need. One of the reasons why I always thought Dennis Green was a good talent evaluator with the Vikings was because he drafted the best player he thought was available at the time. Hence, he came up with a couple of stars in Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss, instead of taking defensive players when Minnesota's secondary and D-line was (and is) so weak.

Granted, the Vikings haven't made it to the Super Bowl since the late 1970s, but the point is that, when you have a chance to get a star at any position, you do it. Of course, you can't always tell who will be a star, and guys like Kiper are wrong far too often when they label players as "can't miss." The NFL draft is many times not an exact science, but in some cases, it can be.

John Elway, Peyton Manning, Michael Vick, Moss, and Deion Sanders were all true can't miss prospects out of college, just to name a few.

Elway and Manning were guys with great physical talent that also possessed those certain qualities that are so hard to find: the intangibles. They were smart, confident, had the bloodlines, were obvious natural leaders, and they were the type of guys who you wouldn't find in the newspaper for anything other than last week's game.

Moss, Sanders and Vick were just simply breathtaking athletes. Each one of those guys was the type of athlete that doesn't come along except for every few years, or longer. The type of player that is potentially the kind that could define a generation. You know, guys like Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Jimmy Brown, Barry Bonds and Walter Payton.

This year there are two players that could be in that category: Eli Manning and Larry Fitzgerald, Jr.

San Diego and Oakland should both draft one of those guys. We know about Manning's brother and his dad, why would he be any different from those guys? Eli lives and breaths football and always has. GM's would be stupid to even think of passing on Manning for Ben Rothlisberger. Manning was great in college with all the pressure and he has two of the best ever in his immediate family (yes, we can start calling Peyton one the best ever, he's that good).

As for Fitzgerald, he makes catches that no one else in the world save Moss makes. He may not be the best athletes to ever play wide receiver, but his combination of concentration, dedication, and his superior route-running, and hands make him an easy choice for a team looking for a star. Plus, he also lives for football. The guy sleeps with a football every night and is quoted as saying that he "can't remember when he hasn't."

Manning was born to be a great quarterback and Fitzgerald was born to be the next Randy Moss or Jerry Rice. Regardless of how many times they've been burned by quarterbacks in the draft, San Diego should take Manning and Oakland should take Fitzgerald. Or flip-flop the order. These guys are can't miss prospects and rarely is it this easy to tell.

Question, comments? E-mail me at bryan_horwath@yahoo.com