Big Ben could have been Big Blue: Roethlisberger recalls his draft day

PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger was the only player left in the green room, the only one of the college prospects invited to attend the 2004 NFL Draft still waiting for his name to be called. His college coach, Terry Heppner, was frustrated that his former star quarterback was still waiting. He had already thrown a water bottle across the room when the New York Giants passed on Roethlisberger with the fourth overall pick. "That was because he thought he had the inside scoop, that he talked to (the Giants) and thought I was going fourth to New York," Roethlisberger said. "When it didn't happen, he was kind of mad." At that point, Roethlisberger thought he might have to wait until the 13th overall pick, where the Buffalo Bills were looking for a quarterback. He did not think he would be drafted by the Steelers at No. 11, even though the Steelers were the only team he visited before the draft. "We didn't think Pittsburgh was an option," Roethlisberger recalled recently. "When I walked into the facility, I remember seeing (Antwaan) Randle El, and it was like, 'Why does Pittsburgh want to see me?' They had Tommy (Maddox). And I heard that (Bill) Cowher and/or Kevin (Colbert) wanted a tackle from Alabama." That tackle was Shawn Andrews, who was high on the Steelers' draft board. But, depending on which story you want to believe, something happened that changed their mind. With a little nudge from team chairman Dan Rooney, who remembered the time the Steelers passed on Dan Marino, Cowher and Colbert decided to take Roethlisberger. "When the phone rang, we were like, 'What is this?' " Roethlisberger said. "It was (agent) Leigh Steinberg who answered the phone, and I remember when he handed me the phone he looked at me and said, 'It's going to happen.' And I remember Cowher saying, 'Would you like to be a Steeler?'" But it almost didn't work out that way. Stacking their boards The Giants, with the fourth overall pick, already saw the player they coveted, Eli Manning, get selected with the first overall pick by the San Diego Chargers, even though Manning had let it be known he wouldn't play for the Chargers if they drafted him. In the weeks leading up to the draft, Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi had talked with the Chargers about a possible deal that would give the Giants the top pick and the ability to draft Manning — a record-setting quarterback at Mississippi who won the Maxwell Award as the nation's best all-around player. However, the Chargers wanted Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora as part of the return. Accorsi balked at the proposal. When he did, he never heard back from the Chargers. Undaunted by Manning's threat, the Chargers drafted Manning anyway with the first pick. Now the Giants were on the clock at No. 4. Accorsi knew the player he wanted to draft, but he was prepared to use the allotted 15 minutes before announcing the selection. That player was Roethlisberger. He had thrown for 10,829 yards and 84 touchdowns in three seasons at Miami of Ohio. He was Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2003 before leaving after his junior season to enter the draft. "Everybody thought my second choice was (Philip) Rivers, but that wasn't the case," Accorsi said in a 2016 interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Roethlisberger was." Accorsi indicated the Giants had Roethlisberger and Manning closely rated. "That was almost a jump ball with us — Roethlisberger and Eli," Accorsi said. "We scouted Roethlisberger very, very thoroughly. Both Eli and Ben's pro days were flawless. I almost froze to death sitting outside watching him at Mobile [at the Senior Bowl]. He threw four touchdowns in the first quarter or the first 20 minutes. He was on fire. I loved him. We all did. We just kinda liked Eli a little more." A doozy of a draft day Before Accorsi could announce Roethlisberger's selection, Chargers general manager A.J. Smith called him with another offer. The Chargers would trade Manning to the Giants if they would give him Umenyiora and other draft choices. Accorsi's answer was the same — no. The Giants were ready to select Roethlisberger when Smith proposed another deal, one that would shake the NFL. He would trade Manning to the Giants if they would draft Rivers and trade him to the Chargers. Such arrangements between teams are typically frowned upon by the NFL, which means it's possible the league could have nullified the deal. Plus, it's possible the Giants could have drafted Rivers and the Chargers would change their mind and call off the deal. Then the Giants would have been without both of the quarterbacks they wanted — Manning and Roethlisberger. "I would have been happy with Rivers, but I wanted Ben," Accorsi said. "I took a risk. If he would have called back and said I'm backing out of this trade, there's no Ben for me." So Accorsi drafted Rivers, per the Chargers' wishes, and traded him, along with their No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft, for Manning. The Chargers used the pick they acquired from the Giants in 2005 to take Shawne Merriman, who was the defensive rookie of the year in 2005 and became a three-time Pro Bowl linebacker with the Chargers. Thanks to Accorsi, the Chargers came away with two Pro Bowl players. And thanks to Accorsi, the Giants would win two more Super Bowls. The Steelers ended up with Roethlisberger. And so unfolded one of the most bizarre draft days in NFL history. It changed the future of three franchises. Three quarterbacks ending up with the teams they least expected, and all three playing 50 of their combined 52 years in the league with the same team. The exception was Rivers, who played his final two seasons in Indianapolis after 16 years that included eight Pro Bowls with the Chargers. The best QB class ever? The quarterback class of 2004 — Manning, Rivers and Roethlisberger — could be considered the best in history, possibly even better than the 1983 class led by John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. It is a tough argument because Elway, Kelly and Marino are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Together, they appeared in 10 Super Bowls, but Elway was the only one to win a Super Bowl (two, actually). Roethlisberger and Manning combined to appear in five Super Bowls, each winning two. Rivers never appeared in a Super Bowl, but like their 1983 counterparts, all three are destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Four quarterbacks were drafted on the first round in 2004. As Roethlisberger expected at the time, the Bills drafted one of them — J.P. Losman — with the 22nd overall selection. Losman never panned out, going 10-23 in five seasons in Buffalo. Because of the stardom at the top of the draft, often overlooked in that quarterback class is Matt Schaub, who was taken in the third round (90th overall) by the Atlanta Falcons. He eventually landed in Houston, where he spent seven of his 16 seasons and made two Pro Bowls with the Texans. Schaub even led the league in attempts, completions and passing yards in 2009. As for Andrews, he was drafted five spots later by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played five seasons with the Eagles before injuries forced him out of the league after the 2010 season with the Giants. "I would argue that it's the best quarterback draft ever," said Roethlisberger, who took the Steelers to three Super Bowls. "Everyone wants to talk about '83, but we have two more Super Bowls." Since then, though, there have been other drafts that have a chance to rival 1983 and 2004. The 2018 draft class produced Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 overall pick and two league MVPs — Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. None have yet to get to a Super Bowl, let alone win one. In 2020, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Jordan Love all went in the first round and Super Bowl champion Jalen Hurts went in the second round. Burrow was a Super Bowl participant but did not win. And the 2024 class of quarterbacks is off to a roaring start. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye went with the first three picks and Bo Nix went 12th overall. In just two seasons, they have all already won at least one playoff game. Maye took the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl. If they continue on that path, they might have a chance to match the success of the class of quarterbacks 22 years earlier.