1998 NFL Draft
There was lot of buzz around Peyton during 1998 NFL draft. In 1998, Manning with his whole
family went to New York where the draft is held. Peyton and his family were excited and also
nervous at the same time. Among all, Peyton was very anxious to know in which team he would
land. There were rumors that Peyton would be the number 1 overall pick, but Peyton tried not
to make any assumptions. Peyton finally saw his dream in playing NFL was coming true. He
knew that number 1 pick comes with lot of pressure. The team with number 1 pick is obviously
the worst team in the NFL in previous season. In 1998, Indianapolis Colts had number 1 pick.
Another quarterback who was making lot of buzz was Ryan Leaf from Washington State University.
He was considered as another contender to be the number 1 overall pick. In fact, lots of
people thought that Leaf could be the better choice than Peyton. He did exactly the same at
Washington State University what Peyton did at University of Tennessee. Indy had to make a
wise choice to get there team out of sprawl.
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When the draft begun, Bill Polian (Colts president) took over the stage and announced they were picking Peyton Manning for their team. Peyton stood up, hugged his parents and brother and went up on the stage. Not everyone had a faith in Peyton, but Polian knew that he was the guy who can put this team on his shoulder for the next 15 years. Peyton, following the draft signed the largest rookie contract in the history of the National Football League. Peyton knew in his first press conference he would be banged with tons of question like: Could he save colts? Would he exceed his father’s career? But the first question reporter asked him was, “What are you going to with all those money?” Peyton simply replied, “I am going to earn it.” |
Peyton Manning's Draft Story |