New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman made one thing apparent during his press-conference on Thursday – if he doesn’t “love” a quarterback in the draft, he’s simply not taking them. The Giants’ second-year GM mentioned that he had Josh Rosen graded as a first-round pick in 2018. The simple truth is that Rosen would be the top passer in this year’s draft by a long-shot.
That doesn’t bode well for any of the signal callers looking to join Big Blue next Thursday. In fact, it further promotes a defensive selection, specifically a pass-rusher. This would also imply that Eli Manning remains the starting quarterback for the extended future.
If Dave Gettleman had a QB rated as a first-round talent, is there any reason he’d wait until 17 to take him? “Depends upon who’s available. If you’d have asked me that last year, I’d tell you we’re taking Saquon (before a QB).”
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) April 18, 2019
What the New York Giants could do at quarterback:
I would anticipate that Manning spends the next two years with Big Blue, finally being replaced in 2021 by a player like Clemson’s, Trevor Lawrence.
The Giants or any team would be lucky enough to snag Lawrence, a prototypical passer with elite athleticism. However, it would likely cost a ton of capital to move that far up in the draft. A pipe dream at this point in time. Nonetheless, the team seems dedicated to Manning who showed improvement in the second half of the season after the claiming of right guard, Jamon Brown.
Bringing in Kevin Zeitler, a Pro Bowl level talent at RG, and getting center Jon Halapio back from injury should prove to be influential. Manning has always required time to operate at a high level, and he hasn’t had that pleasure for quite some time. As long as he can physically make all the throws there’s no question he can still function competently.
If the Giants do, in fact, decide to pass on a young quarterback to learn behind Manning, they will be committed to him for at least two more seasons. Probably not the reality most fans have imagined, but the Giants finished 2018 as the top scoring NFC East team, a truth most are ignorant to.
An interesting factor:
One of the more mentionable comments from Gettleman this week was:
“You’ve got to have a mental toughness to play the position here in New York.”
That’s something Manning has and young options might not. The increased social media presence of players makes them more susceptible to direct feedback and emotional distress.