NFL Draft: 30 best No. 1 overall picks in league history: number 4, QB Eli Manning
Stats:
- 57,023 passing yards
- 366 touchdowns
- 60.3 completion percentage
Awards:
- 4 time Pro Bowler
- 2 time Super Bowl champ
- 2 time Super Bowl MVP
With his older brother, Peyton, jumping into the NFL six years earlier and not only wrecking the league in his first year, but ultimately becoming arguably the best player at the time, the expectations were high for little brother Eli Manning.
Needless to say, he failed miserably at those aforementioned expectations. At least, initially.
Manning bullied his way out of the San Diego Chargers before ever even taking a snap to force his way to the New York Giants. With the NFL world watching him, he completely flopped in his first year, throwing for a measly 1,043 yards with six touchdowns and nine interceptions. But just as critics began writing him off, Manning turned things around. He threw for well over 3,500 yards in year two and consistently passed by the 4,000 yard mark.
For the most part, Manning had issues with keeping the ball out of the hands of defenders. His 244 career interceptions rank 12th on the all-time list, highlighting just how much of an issue turnovers were throughout his career.
Despite it all, Manning will always be remembered for nabbing two Super Bowl titles against who many believe is the best player the game has ever seen in Tom Brady, including handing his New England Patriots a loss in the championship game as they attempted to reach NFL immortality with an undefeated season in 2007.