NEW YORK, 25 April 2004 — Quarterback Eli Manning was taken as the No. 1 NFL Draft pick by the San Diego Chargers yesterday but was quickly traded to the New York Giants.

Manning, the 23-year-old brother of Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning, had made it clear this week he did not want to play for the Chargers.

His wish to move came true when the Giants selected quarterback Philip Rivers at No. 4 in Saturday’s 2004 draft before engineering a trade with San Diego for Manning. As well as sending Rivers to San Diego, the Giants also gave up a third round pick in this weekend’s draft and first and fifth round picks in the 2005 draft.

Ernie Accorsi, the Giants general manager, told ESPN: “We had no discussions (with San Diego) until we took Rivers. But we’re thrilled to have got Eli. He is a special player and we have been following his progress for a long time. You do not get a chance to get a quarterback like this very often.”

Manning, from the University of Mississippi, refused to explain why he did not want to play for the Chargers. Moments after NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue had announced Manning as the No. 1 overall pick by the Chargers, Manning had been booed as he took to the stage to hold up a San Diego jersey and pose for photographs.

Manning was joined on stage by father Archie, the former NFL quarterback who, according to media reports, had told the Chargers his son could sit out the 2004 season rather than play for the California franchise.

Elsewhere in the draft, the Oakland Raiders selected tackle Robert Gallery second overall and the Arizona Cardinals picked wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald third. After the Giants took Rivers, from North Carolina State University, the Washington Redskins selected safety Sean Taylor fifth.

Tagliabue opened the draft earlier yesterday with a moment of silence for Pat Tillman, the former Arizona safety who was killed in action for the US Army Rangers in Afghanistan on Thursday. Tillman, who was 27, had sacrificed an NFL career to join the military.