Back in the 2004 NFL Draft, star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had some significant buzz around him that he would be one of the first players off the board. Fitzgerald wound up being taken third overall by the Arizona Cardinals, but there had been some significant trajection toward him possibly being taken by the Oakland Raiders at the second overall spot all leading up the draft.
In fact, he had recently admitted that he firmly believed that he was going to be taken by the Raiders as he had a connection with former Raiders general manager Michael Lombardo, via Jess Root of Cards Wire.
“He told me what he felt about me and the plans they would have if I were to come out there,” Fitzgerald recalled, “but when the Raiders were on the clock, Mike actually called me. I was thinking they were going to take me. He was calling to let me know they were going in a different direction and Mr. Davis decided he wanted to go in a different direction.”
However, the Raiders decided to go in another direction to add help at offensive line with offensive tackle Robert Gallery, who spent six years with the team. There was plenty of criticism with this move as Gallery was largely considered a bust because his struggles to provide consistent protection at his position.
Meanwhile, Fitzgerald has put together a Hall of Fame-worthy career as he has been one of the best wide receivers that the league has seen. His addition to Raiders would have given them a bonafide talent at the position that they could have built around in the passing game for over the last decade-plus where he could have learned under Hall of Famer Jerry Rice prior to him requesting to be traded to the Seattle Seahawks in what turned out to be his final season in the league.
It is simply one of those cases of what could have been had the Raiders gone in that direction that could have helped change the course of the franchise.
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