The New York Giants select Michigan edge rusher Rashan Gary and Duke quarterback Daniel Jones in latest Yahoo Sports mock draft.
Being that the New York Giants have two selections in the first round of the NFL Draft (No. 6 and 17), there are various ways they could go maneuver. With their No. 6 pick, Big Blue could go with a pass-rusher in this defensive lineman-infested draft class. Then later on in the first round, the Giants could look to take their so-called “quarterback of the future.”
The quarterback situation may get a little tricky, though.
The Arizona Cardinals (No. 1 overall), the Denver Broncos (No. 10), the Miami Dolphins (No. 13) and the Washington Redskins (No. 15) may look to select quarterbacks as well. Therefore, it’s still very unclear which quarterbacks will be available when the Giants’ second pick rolls around.
Many of the mock drafts that have been released have the Giants taking a quarterback at some point in the first round. One of the latest, put together by Eric Edholm of Yahoo! Sports, have the Giants taking the successor to Eli Manning along with a pass-rusher.
For the No. 6 overall pick, Edholm writes:
New York Giants — Michigan EDGE Rashan Gary
Let me preface this by saying I almost mocked them a QB here — and it was not Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins. If you can make it all the way to my No. 17 overall pick explanation, I’ll have more on this there.
Like [Kentucky defensive lineman Josh] Allen, Gary is a New Jersey kid who would be coming home in this scenario. Now, that’s no reason why the Giants should draft him, of course, and there’s a question about where best he might fit in James Bettcher’s defense. But there would be enough of a match here to where Gary can be a pressure/energy player up front in a few different spots.
Gary tallied 38 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks through nine games for the Wolverines this past year. His efforts earned him First-Team All-Big Ten for 2018. Gary will most likely be a top-10 selection and has solidified himself as one of the top pass-rushers in this draft class.
For the No. 17 pick, Edholm writes:
Giants (from Cleveland Browns) — Duke QB Daniel Jones
We’d be as skeptical as you might be if Jones is the pick here, as his arm talent and potential upside does not read top-20 selection. That said – going back to our dance-partner theory – it feels like a very Giants-y pick. Jones would be a safe selection, as his smarts and toughness would serve him well in the New York market.
And the Eli Manning comparisons are impossible to ignore, from Jones working with David Cutcliffe to dealing with sub-par offensive line and receiver talent holding him back in college. There’s a lot of smoke coming from the Giants-Jones connection, so we’re pegging him here even with reservations.
It’s no argument that Manning will be on his way out in the next few years. He just turned 38-years old this past January. Although he’s not the main problem for the offense, the Giants definitely need to search for his successor at some point.
Jones, as Edholm stated, was coached by David Cutcliffe at Duke. Cutcliffe also coached Manning at Ole Miss in the early 2000s.
Jones completed 60.5% of his throws for 2,674 yards, 22 touchdowns and only nine picks in 2018. If he ends up being available at the No. 17 pick, Jones could be a great fit for the Giants offense.
However, Jones would essentially have to sit and learn behind Manning for the 2019 season before becoming the starter in the future. Throwing Jones into the spotlight right away most definitely wouldn’t fit well for the Giants organization as a whole.
