The 2019 NFL Draft class has a few quarterbacks near the top of the big board. Many New York Giants fans have been eagerly waiting for their team to make the move of drafting a quarterback for a couple of years now. Giants quarterback Eli Manning has regressed with age. He turned 38 earlier this month, and was noncommittal regarding his future with the Giants.
All these factors lead Giants fans to believe that general manager Dave Gettleman will draft a quarterback with the 6th pick in the draft in 2019. Fan favorite quarterback Kyler Murray sits near the top of the board. However, there may be some reason to believe Gettleman is not interested in the Heisman Trophy winner.
Gettleman’s Criticism For Spread Offenses
Last offseason, Dave Gettleman participated in a very telling interview discussing quarterbacks. As general manager of the Panthers, in 2013, Gettleman signed Colby Cameron from Louisiana Tech as an undrafted rookie. Gettleman considered that to be a bad decision because of Cameron’s inability to run a pro-style offense.
It is important to Dave Gettleman that his rookie quarterbacks have the ability to run a pro-style offense. Dave has six key traits he looks for in quarterback prospects. He calls them “Quarterback 101 through 106.” These six traits are making a huddle call, identifying a mike linebacker, making a protection call, taking a snap from center, calling an audible and throwing a hot route. Many college quarterbacks are not required to do this, especially when playing in a pro-style system.
The issue with Kyler Murray is that he ran a spread, college-style offense. He almost never took snaps from under center. He typically always had the additional help of getting plays from the sideline and did not have to make a huddle call.
These could be red flags for Dave Gettleman. When the combine takes place in February, Dave Gettleman will certainly look to interview Murray and try to find out more about his abilities to run a pro-style offense.
A Pro-Style Prospect That Gettleman Might Enjoy
One prospect near the top of the draft board who played in a pro-style system is Dwayne Haskins. Haskins played one season as a starter at Ohio State University and absolutely lit it up. He threw 50 touchdown passes to only 8 interceptions. Haskins playing in a pro system could mean Gettleman likes him as a prospect and will consider drafting him in 2019. In the following video, Dwayne Haskins demonstrates his ability to call protections, make pre-snap reads, and read defensive coverages like a professional quarterback would:
