Giants fans, meet Justin Herbert, a potential Eli Manning successor

The Eli Manning era in New York Giants football needs to end. His replacement might very well be Justin Herbert of the Oregon Ducks. He’ll go pro in 2019.

The New York Giants might have made a huge mistake by taking running back Saquon Barkley No. 2 overall instead of quarterback Sam Darnold. While Barkley could be a Pro Bowl running back, Darnold now plays for the city rival New York Jets and could be their franchise quarterback for the next decade.

All the while, the Giants are living in the past with two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning under center. After falling to 1-5 on the year, the Giants need to admit it: Manning is way past due and isn’t an NFL starting quarterback anymore.

Fortunately, there is another potential star quarterback probably entering the 2019 NFL Draft. His name is Justin Herbert and he plays in the Pac-12 for the Oregon Ducks.

Herbert is 6-foot-6, 233 pounds from Eugene, Oregon. Though only a junior, he has the build and the arm strength reminiscent of Matthew Stafford. Stafford went No. 1 overall to the Detroit Lions in 2009 out of Georgia. He has become the best quarterback the Lions have had in half a century.

So what makes Herbert so special besides size and obvious arm talent? Well, he plays for Oregon, a program that has its third head coach in as many seasons. He is familiar with uptempo spread concepts, as well as playing with many receivers that aren’t going to cut it at the next level. This means he has elevated the players around him before in the last two seasons. He could translate to a pro-style system very well, too.

Herbert is a mature kid, who won’t fall to pieces in front of the intense New York media. Frankly, he’s more of a blue-chip NFL prospect over Darnold with the Jets. His arm is stronger and he doesn’t fumble the ball in the pocket when pressured.

Will Herbert be a star right away in East Rutherford? Maybe not, but he is certainly more mobile and has a stronger, more accurate arm than Manning. Youth is on his side and he could work very well with an offensive-minded head coach in Pat Shurmur.

But the question remains if the Giants are finally going to be honest with themselves and move off a rapidly decaying Manning? If they do, they should be in position to either draft Herbert No. 1 or potentially be in close enough of a position to trade up to get him.

There are other good quarterback prospects probably entering this draft like Drew Lock out of Missouri and Jarrett Stidham out of Auburn. However, Herbert is quickly becoming the consensus No. 1 player on the 2019 NFL Draft board. New York needs to pay attention to Pac-12 games because the Ducks’ star signal caller should be their next franchise quarterback. Manning is done. It’s time for Herbert in the Big Apple.