The entire offseason, New York Giants fans have been told to be patient because General Manager Dave Gettleman has a plan. Some fans have listened to that advice more than others, with some calling for Gettleman to be fired after moves such as the Odell Beckham Jr. trade and others claiming that it would be unfair to judge a General Manager this early, especially after Gettleman performed fairly well last year in the role.
And for that plan, which Gettleman himself has spoken about at length, the NFL Draft would be one of the most important moments. This year’s draft, for better or worse, is going to have an effect on the team for years to come. If the draft class tanks, it could set the Giants back for even longer. If the Giants aced the draft, it could help with performing a quick turnaround.
So now that two picks are in the books and the Giants have selected Daniel Jones and Dexter Lawrence, is it still too late to judge Gettleman’s plan?
One cannot build a good plan on a fatally flawed foundation and it looks like passing on Dwayne Haskins Jr. or even waiting until their second pick and selecting Drew Lock at number 17 overall, could be that fatal flaw in the plan’s foundation. The team management clearly believes that Daniel Jones is the future of the quarterback position for the Giants, and yet, there’s very few others who would agree with that assessment.
It was somewhat reasonable to ask the fans to have faith in Gettleman’s plan before. After all, Gettleman entered this offseason following the draft which brought in Saquon Barkley, a move which obviously turned out well. Other moves such as taking Will Hernandez in the second round and bringing in defensive back Grant Haley as an undrafted free agent even turned out well, too, as well as this offseason’s move to send off underperforming outside linebacker Olivier Vernon.
But the Beckham trade was questionable and now, it looks like Gettleman has burnt down whatever goodwill was remaining by taking a player that is typically only considered the third or fourth best prospect at the position. Not only that, but quarterback is an important position, perhaps the most important.
If this pick goes the way that many believe it will, it could result in the Giants quarterback problems continuing not just over the next couple of years, but for the next four to five years until the team eventually pulls the plug on Daniel Jones. Assuming Jones takes over for Manning eventually as the full-time starter and lasts at least a couple of years in that role.
After taking a turn like this and showing where the much spoken about plan is heading, Giants fans shouldn’t feel bad about looking at their general manager with a critical eye. Gettleman’s plan, after all, might leave the Giants stuck in the league’s quarterback basement well into the 2020s.