The New York Giants failed to find their new franchise quarterback in last week’s NFL draft and will be forced to continue with Daniel Jones as their starter. For this season, at least.
“Our expectation was Daniel would be our starter and we brought Drew Lock to be his backup and Tommy is a backup, so that’s where we are and that’s how we’ll move forward this season,” general manager Joe Schoen said after the draft. “Daniel is still under contract for three more years. As it sits today, that’s where we are.”
And where they are is hoping that the player they did select with the sixth overall pick last week — LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers — can elevate Jones’ game.
“I don’t think Nabers can save him, not without (Saquon) Barkley,” an NFL executive said, via Mike Sando of The Athletic.
“Malik should help Daniel Jones because he has ability to catch short passes and make big plays,” another executive added.
The Giants attempted to trade up to the second spot, held by Washington, and the third slot, where the New England Patriots were playing hardball. Neither team budged.
“(The Patriots) were not selling, or they were selling at a premium no one was willing to pay,” another executive said. “So do you draft arguably the best run-after-catch player in the draft, or do you take the fourth quarterback and roll the dice? They must feel pretty good about where Daniel is health-wise (after ACL surgery).”
The Giants then decided to play out the string, stay in their place, and take the players they felt would best fit their roster.
“They just sat there and took good players,” a third exec said. “They got better. I thought taking (Andru) Phillips where they got him was early, but it was a reflection of the depth in this draft. You’d like (safety Tyler Nubin) to be faster, but he’s got size, he’s strong, he’s tough, instinctive, can play around the line of scrimmage and has good ball skills to make plays in coverage.”
All in all, the Giants come out of the draft slightly better than where they went in, but with the confidence that they took their swing. hey missed this time, but Schoen made the best of what had.
