The New York Giants and the QB Quandary- The Decision to Draft or Pass on a QB in the First Round
The 2018 NFL Draft is only a few months away and while the Cleveland Browns have been the main topic of this year’s draft, considering they have 1st and 4th overall picks, the other top team who should be a huge draft discussion topic are the New York Giants. The Giants hold the 2nd overall pick in the draft and they are without a doubt drafting their next franchise QB, right? Well that may not be the case as there seems to be a growing sense that the Giants may indeed pass on a QB and continue to build around their current veteran QB Eli Manning.
Now there various points to this storyline that make it so interesting, the main point being how both GM Dave Gettleman and HC Pat Shurmur view the QB situation and whether or not they have the same perspective on the matter. If Gettleman and Shurmur both have faith in Manning for at least the next 2 years, the chances of the team passing on a QB in the first round drastically rise; but if they think Manning is on his last legs and the team is in a mode to “rebuild” than they may decide to finally look elsewhere for a QB. Needless to say, the GM and HC need to be on the same page because if they’re not, the future of the Giants franchise could get lost in translation and could cause the team to slide into an even deeper hole.
The next two points to this storyline are really questions that relate to their draft pick and are a direct result of the decision that the GM and HC must make:
Point A- If they choose to draft a QB, do they prefer a week 1 starter or a developmental project to start as a backup?
Point B- If they choose to pass on a QB, do they select a player with the pick or trade the pick and if they trade the pick, who do they prefer with their new pick?
Let’s start with Point A. Let’s assume that the team chooses to draft a QB 2nd overall and with this notion the next step is to decide which type of QB they want- a QB who will start week 1 in his rookie year or a QB who will sit behind Eli Manning for a year and take over the team in 2019. If the Giants prefer a rookie starter than the top choices are USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield. If they prefer a developmental project with higher upside than Wyoming’s Josh Allen is the pick.
Now on to Point B. Let’s assume the Giants believe in Eli Manning for at least 2 more years and decide to build around him in the draft. Outside of QB, the Giant have several needs they can address including OL, RB, and LB among others and the top players like could target with the 2nd overall pick are Penn State RB Saquon Barkley, Texas OT Connor Williams, Notre Dame OG Quenton Nelson and NC State DE Bradley Chubb. Out of this group Barkley, Williams or Nelson would be the most likely options but the other decision the Giants could make before draft night or even during draft night is trade the pick. It’s no secret the NFL draft is a time for big trades, especially for teams who need or want a QB. If the Giants decide to trade the pick there are plenty of teams who would have interest nit e 2nd overall pick and the opportunity to trade one of the four QBs projected to be projected in the top 10. The top teams who I believe could have interest in trading up for a QB include:
New York Jets (6th overall pick)
Miami Dolphins (11th overall pick)
Arizona Cardinals (15th overall pick)
Buffalo Bills (21st and 22nd overall picks)
Now there may be a few more teams who are interested in a QB and may make a surprising move come draft night but these three teams are have a need at QB and may be willing to trade up. The Miami Dolphins are the least likely team on this list to trade for a QB but with Ryan Tannehill coming off a season ending leg injury they may choose to move on from the former top 10 pick. That leaves the Jets, Cardinals and Bills fighting for the pick with the Jets having the highest pick (6th overall) and the Bills with the most draft capital (6 picks in the first three rounds). The Jets must decide which QB they prefer and if they think their “guy” will get drafted before they pick, that’s where trading up might come into play. The Cardinals literally have no QBs on their roster so they might have to draft a QB and it’s no secret the Bills trust in Tyrod Taylor is questionable so they might mortgage their future to get a QB they have faith in leading to a potential blockbuster trade. This gives the Giants three legitimate trade partners but this all comes down to how much they value Eli Manning.
The Giants will have a tough decision over the next few months which could ultimately decide the fate of the franchise for the foreseeable future and could impact not just this draft but future drafts as well. If the Gants do indeed pass on a QB, make one more run at the playoffs with Manning and end up with a pick in the 17-20 range, they could be stuck in the same position as the Cardinals or Bills; outside of the range to draft a QB resulting in mortgaging the future for one. This off-season looks like it will be one of the more memorable ones with all the top level free agents and draft rumors and among the top storylines will be this one- what the Giants choose to do with Eli Manning and the 2nd overall pick.