Gil Brandt sees shades of Peyton Manning in Duke quarterback and potential New York Giants draft prospect, Daniel Jones.
One of the players in this year’s NFL Draft whose stock has been improving over time is Duke quarterback Daniel Jones.
Jones may or may not even be available by the New York Giants‘ No. 17 overall pick. With the Giants also picking at No. 6 overall, there are numerous teams between those two picks that need a quarterback. The Denver Broncos (No. 10), Miami Dolphins (No. 13) and Washington Redskins (No. 15) all are without a long-term quarterback option.
Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray is slated to be picked No. 1 overall by the Arizona Cardinals. After that, you have Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, Missouri’s Drew Lock and Jones. As far as who will be picked first, second and third in that trio: it’s tough to tell.
Each quarterback has their own unique qualities that can benefit an NFL organization.
However, former NFL Executive and current NFL Analyst Gil Brandt has his eyes set on the Blue Devils quarterback. Brandt also took the time to compare Jones to NFL legend Peyton Manning.
“I. Love. Dan Jones,” Brandt said on a teleconference for Sirius XM NFL Radio, per Ryan Dunleavy of nj.com. “I have to say this carefully: When you watch him and you go back (20) years and watch Peyton Manning, you are watching the same guy. He’s athletic. He doesn’t have a rocket for an arm, but neither did Peyton. Very smart.”
Jones has solidified himself as one of the more prolific pocket-passing quarterbacks in this year’s draft class. He’s not as mobile or athletic as Murray, but he doesn’t have to be. With a good offensive line, Jones can excel in this league for years to come.
For what it’s worth, Jones’s head coach at Duke was David Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe also coached Giants quarterback Eli Manning at Ole Miss in the early-2000s.
The NFL Draft kicks off this upcoming Thursday. If he’s available at either No. 6 or 17, and the Giants believe it’s a good fit, Jones could very well be the eventual successor to Manning. However, Big Blue general manager Dave Gettleman won’t forcefully choose Jones, as he likes to go with the best player available. But there’s a good chance that could be Jones at a certain point.
