(Eli may well be the first quarterback chosen in the N.F.L. draft in April.)
N.F.L. scouts say he will go in the first round of the draft, will likely be the first quarterback chosen and could be among the top five picks.
They took him in the sixth round of last April's N.F.L. draft; he was the sixth quarterback chosen over all.
The quarterback chosen by the coaches was Columbia's Bruce Mayhew over Yale's Darin Kehler.
Remember, in the storied quarterback class of 1983 which featured six first-rounders, Dan Marino was the sixth quarterback chosen.
Cutler, as predicted by most, became the third quarterback chosen, after Young (3rd overall) and Leinart (10th).
The answer came Sunday, when in the fifth round the Detroit Lions made the Shelton native the 145th player and ninth quarterback chosen in the draft.
For the second consecutive season, there were no quarterback chosen in the first round on draft day.
Manning has been haunted by the development of two other quarterbacks chosen early in the 2004 draft - Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers.
He was the fourth quarterback chosen, following Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and Brian Brohm.
