If Justin Fields is available, the New York Giants must draft him to replace Daniel Jones  

Unless Daniel Jones pulls off a miracle, the New York Giants must draft Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields if he’s available. 

It appears as though every week, Daniel Jones gives us more and more reason to believe he’s incapable of carrying the torch as the next franchise quarterback of the New York Giants.

Jones was the reason the Giants didn’t come away with the win Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The defense was great. Wayne Gallman was solid. Golden Tate made some great plays, including his fantastic touchdown catch. Darius Slayton ran some great routes. Sterling Shepard portrayed his importance to the offense. Even Evan Engram, who was awful against the Philadelphia Eagles and arguably lost the Giants the game, put his struggles behind him and played very well.

The offensive line additionally stood its ground for what seemed like the first time in forever.

Jones didn’t even need to be spectacular for the Giants to win, but he wasn’t even decent. It’s like he takes one step forward and four steps back each week.

So far, he portrays no pocket awareness, doesn’t have a high football IQ, and, last night, overthrew his receivers on multiple occasions.

Jones’ most fatal flaw has been the turnovers, and he’s been historically bad in that regard. In 20 career starts, Jones has turned the ball over a whopping 35 times.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, his 12 games with multiple turnovers since the beginning of last season are three more than any other player in that span.

Daniel Jones now has 12 games since the start of last season with multiple turnovers, 3 more than any other player in that span. pic.twitter.com/fHqyQ8raVg

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 3, 2020

Jones has turned the ball over in all but one of his career starts, and his nine straight games with a turnover is the longest active streak.

He has three interceptions this season with at least four seconds to throw, trailing only Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (four).  

I could go on and on about Jones’ atrocious stats. And yes, I get it. Future Hall of Famer and Giants legend Eli Manning was even worse than Jones in his first few seasons. Maybe giving up on Jones so soon isn’t the way to go because of examples like Manning.

But not every quarterback is going to be Eli.  

If the season ended right now, the Giants would possess the No. 2 pick in the draft. The New York Jets, who are winless, would select first and likely take Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

The Giants would thus have a big decision to make at No. 2, and if I’m the front office, I’m taking Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.

I’m a proud Ohio State alum, so you might call me biased. But it’s no secret that Fields can play.

I’ve seen him perform at an elite level game in and game out for quite some time now, and it really is a relief to see the rest of the country realize just how great this kid is. Not to mention, he’s only improving.

Ohio State always has one of, if not, the best offensive line in the country, and that contributes immensely to a quarterback’s success.

But Fields’ talent is quite clear, and he’s poised to undergo a productive NFL career. Jones is actually very mobile and good on his feet, but Fields is more athletic.

The Buckeye also sports a higher IQ, reads defenses better, and is more accurate. Fields has thrown seven incompletions in two games this season, with two having been would-be touchdown passes that were dropped.

The 21-year-old has additionally thrown six touchdowns with zero picks and his 594 yards average out to 10.8 yards per attempt.  

Unless Jones pulls off the greatest miracle we’ve ever seen and becomes a top-tier quarterback in the Giants’ remaining eight games, passing on Fields if he’s available would be a huge mistake.

Jones is regressing and Fields already seems like he’d do a better job on this Giants team if thrown in there right now.

The upcoming draft is going to be an intriguing one, especially for the Giants, who might possess a legitimate shot at finally snatching a truly excellent franchise quarterback who can be a proper heir to Manning.