It had become clear that Duke quarterback Daniel Jones was jumping up the draft boards in the lead up to the annual event on Thursday.
Even then, it seemed a bit absurd to believe that Jones would be selected ahead of Ohio State signal caller Dwayne Haskins. No way he was going in the top 10, right?
Apparently the New York Giants had other ideas. On the clock at sixth overall, general manager David Gettleman and Co. nabbed Jones. He’ll now be Eli Manning’s long-term replacement in New York.
This was a reach. And once again, it proved that these Giants are the worst-run organization in the NFL.
A major reach
- There’s no other way to go about it. Selecting Jones in the top six was a major reach for New York. Remember, this team also had the 17th selection — acquired from Cleveland in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.
- NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah, a respected former scout, had Jones landing to New York with the above-mentioned 17th pick.
- Jeremiah also had Jones as the 35th-best prospect following the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine.
Other options
- Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins and Missouri’s Drew Lock were both considered better pro prospects than Jones. Each of them remained on the clock when the Giants selected.
- Sure we’ve heard that Haskins might be dropping down the board some. Even then and based on the body of work we saw from each quarterback in college, this is a major reach.
- New York obviously pushed back against the idea of trading for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen. He would have cost a lot less than the sixth overall pick.
A project
- Pretty much every respected talent evaluator has Jones as a major project. This doesn’t mean the former Blue Devil can’t be a good quarterback.
- At issue here is a reliance on Eli Manning to be the Giants’ starting quarterback for likely the next two seasons. It’s something that was a possibility. It’s now become a likelihood.
- Most college quarterbacks are projects. Some are more ready than others. Jones himself is seen as a major project. You don’t spend a top-six pick on someone of that ilk.