We’ve now moved on from the NFL Draft and it’s time for rookie minicamp to happen. The New York Giants have a wide selection of new players hitting the field, ranging from number six overall pick Daniel Jones to various undrafted free agents who will fight just to make it onto the team for the coming season. It’s going to be our first chance to get a look at these players.
Whether you think the rookie mincamp matters in the long run when it comes to the upcoming season or not, there’s going to be a lot of eyes on it in recent days. One of the players with the most pressure, of course, if the first one that the Giants took in the draft this year, Daniel Jones.
Jones isn’t going to be in contention to be an immediate starter and everyone acknowledges that the pick was a move for the future, but that doesn’t mean that fans don’t want to see Jones get off to a quick start after the Giants went out on a limb and drafted him in the top ten over other potential good additions such as Josh Allen.
We can’t say for sure if Jones is living up to that, so far. But Giants head coach Pat Shurmur seems pretty confident in the team’s new draft pick.
“I thought he did a good job today. This is a very accomplished, talented and smart young man that gets it,” Shurmur said about Jones after the first day of rookie minicamp.
He elaborated on that further, praising Jones’ mobility.
“He is a guy that can execute well from the pocket but he also has a good set of legs so we can move around. Boots, snakes, things we did with Eli. Mobility is important in today’s game. Whether you use him as a runner or, typically if you are going to have a long drive and you are going to score a touchdown, the quarterback needs to do something with his legs in that drive.”
A mobile quarterback is something that fans asked for last season, but a mobile quarterback still needs to be able to beat teams primarily with their arm and that’s what can either make or break Jones when it comes time for him to play in the NFL as a starter.
“Moving the pocket, scrambling. Sometimes moving in the pocket and throwing it away or scrambling and making a play. Scramble and slide. A QB and his ability to move his legs is very important,” Shurmur continued.
But mobility isn’t the question that everyone wants to know about. Other things, including the much debated metric of arm strength, are. With one day gone from minicamp, we’ll see this week if Jones flashes any more signs showing either his potential or lack thereof in that department, as he and the rest of the rookies take to the field for the first time as NFL players.