2019 NFL Draft: New York Giants full mock draft
By Joe Romano
Round 1 – Pick 17
Daniel Jones, QB, Duke
This is the selection that the Giants got in exchange for Odell Beckham Jr. from the Cleveland Browns. No matter how good this selection is, that is a lofty expectation to put on a player. Beckham is a top-three wide receiver in the NFL when healthy. The player selected here is always going to be compared to him, it is just the nature of trades.
With this selection, Gettleman takes his future quarterback in Duke’s Daniel Jones. With Dwayne Haskins, Drew Lock and Kyler Murray off the board, that puts Jones in line to be the next quarterback selected. There is a pretty big drop off in talent and personally Jones is not my fourth ranked quarterback. That would be West Virginia’s Will Grier. The NFL reportedly likes Jones more and have him comfortably in this range being selected.
There are a few reasons the league likes Jones. The first is the fact he was coached by notable Manning favorite and mentor to Peyton and Eli, David Cutcliffe at Duke. Second, Jones is a solid prospect who offers good athleticism and accuracy to certain parts of the field. He’s not a big-arm player but would be best in a quick passing offense. His deep and intermediate accuracy is lacking but if he’s able to have quick reads and short drops he can excel as a starter.
New York could grab Jones and let him sit behind Manning for the future. Jones could enter his second year behind a rebuilt and strong offensive line with Barkley carrying the offensive load. That is the type of system he can thrive in. He’s not a quarterback that can elevate a ton of players around him but can be competent with a talented group in place.