New York Giants: Why We Shouldn’t Sleep On The 2019 QB Draft Class

The New York Giants are in the market for a new quarterback, but how will they acquire one? Let’s get one thing out of the way first:

How many times have fans “evaluated”  a player and claimed them be bad, poor, inadequate…you name it? When it comes to quarterbacks, everybody is a critic that believes they know the secret. Remember in 2017 when the top passers in the NFL Draft were Patrick Mahomes, Mitchell Trubisky,  and Deshaun Watson?

Those three quarterbacks were projected to be busts, with Watson having the most upside but was still coined a run-first QB that is too reckless. Since those comments were made, Mahomes has blossomed into one of the most talented signal callers in the league and the potential face of the NFL for years to come…frog voice and all. The remaining two have become franchise quarterbacks and will stay put for at least the next five years.

Turning to Big Blue:

The New York Giants are in a position where they need to find a successor for Eli Manning, and while the 2019 NFL Draft doesn’t present the best options, especially when compared to 2020, there is plenty of talent and reason for excitement. Players like Dwayne Haskins, Daniel Jones, and Kyler Murray offer optimism in regard to a “weak quarterback class.”

As we stated before, it’s not appropriate to coin the men on the table as busts already, and quite frankly, I don’t take any opinions seriously until I’ve done the research myself. I can guarantee a majority of fans haven’t even watched the tape on any of the players they seem to be so informed about.

A youth agenda:

The Giants need a quarterback to sit and learn behind their veteran leader, soaking in the knowledge and expertise he presents day-in and day-out. Manning’s intangible skills are some of the most developed in the NFL, which has value in of itself. Allowing a young player to sit behind him and develop is the perfect molding strategy and one that will likely happen in the year ahead.

Whether it be Haskins, Jones, or Murray, there’s no way of telling if any of them will succeed or not. Often times, a player is suited for the specific scheme the offense runs — just ask Case Keenum who was magnificent under Pat Shurmur and was benched with the Denver Broncos for his struggles.

Alex Wilson’s take:

Personally, I’m a big Haskins fan, at least when it comes to the options available in 2019. He’s a bit heavy-footed, but his accuracy is solid and he has the necessary athleticism to extend plays and continue drives. He would potentially be the first African-American franchise quarterback for the Giants in the team’s history. That’s noteworthy.

While his ethnicity has no relevance to how he performs on the field, it’s important that we don’t assume he’s a run-first quarterback, because he’s most certainly not. Haskins has deadly vision, a fantastic deep ball, and can throw under pressure.

Take a look at the clip below:

You can see that the Ohio State QB has long strides, which can cause sloppy footwork, but his arm strength compensates for that flaw. Watch as he immediately comes under pressure and throws awkwardly on a rope to the boundary. That’s impressive and something that a lot of teams are looking for in a franchise passer.

The ability to extend plays goes beyond running, and you can see that here with Haskins’ ability to launch the ball to the sideline without planting his feet.

Now, I don’t want this article to come off as a pro-Haskins one, which it seemingly sounds like. The point is, the 2019 draft is stacked with talent, it ultimately comes down to finding the right player with the right skill-set for your offensive scheme, and the Giants will be looking for exactly that.