The 2019 NFL Draft could have been a watershed moment for the New York Giants. The problem is it wasn't. Their draft falls between average to dumpster fire and anything in between.
For fans in Gotham, the number six selection of quarterback Daniel Jones from Duke is meeting significant discontent, and will likely make the 2019 season a referendum on GM Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur.
Fair or not, and it is fair, Gettleman is on the hook for a likely reach in Jones, a reach he needs to hit on. With the Giants in the fading twilight of the Eli Manning era, the pick is clearly under the microscope. Most analysts would concede Jones was a first round talent, but not a top 10 pick. Maybe it pays off, maybe it doesn't.
For now, the draft looks uneven at best and trending down. New York needed a home run but didn't get one. 2019 looks to be a turning point season.
The 2019 NFL Draft needed to reflect that but didn't.
3. Daniel Jones Under The Gun, But Has Time
If fans want to find a silver lining of sorts, it’s in the fact that Daniel Jones doesn’t need to help resurrect the Giants in his rookie season. Short of Manning suffering an injury or the bottom completely falling out, he’ll play most if not every snap.
That’s good news.
The bad news is that the way forward still goes through Manning with few offensive pieces around him.
The bottom line for New York is that if Jones is truly their guy, and being picked sixth overall he must be, then Eli is now a placeholder. The reality is that Gettleman still needs to build and present a team who can win in 2019. More difficult however might be holding Shurmur to that nearly unrealistic expectation.
One last thing to keep in mind is that the NFC East isn't the beast it once was. While Dallas is the presumed best team, question marks abound with Philadelphia and Washington.
Meaning that with even a little luck, a dumpster fire still has an outside shot.
2. After Dallas, It's a Crap-Shoot
As I just wrote, the NFC East isn't loaded as it once was. After the Cowboys, it could be anyone for second place.
The Eagles have to wonder about life after Nick Foles and the security blanket he once provided.
In D.C., the Redskins also drafted a rookie quarterback who will probably see the field as the starter much sooner than Jones could for the Giants.
What all this means is that the 2019 NFL Draft grade for the New York Giants doesn't necessarily keep them from being competitive in their division, just unlikely.
With that said, the Eagles, Giants, and Redskins could easily be fighting for second place in the East. Jones as the sixth pick may have little to no impact on that race come this season.
Whatever your feelings on New York reaching early with Jones and a draft overall that looks underwhelming, Gettleman has time to ride out his decision-making.
1. Gettleman Did The New York Giants No Favors
As I said at the beginning, the just concluded draft could have been a watershed moment for the New York Giants. It just wasn't. It's a draft filled with second-guessing, and hope in a rookie quarterback from Duke.
That won't and hasn't gone over well with the rank and file fans of Big Blue.
For the Giants, 5-11 is a record that this draft probably doesn't improve much upon. New York had a lot of holes to fill, and you get the sense that over the 10 players selected, that issue may not be entirely resolved.
It'll be tough. Even in a marginal division like the NFC East, the Giants and Manning don't seem to have enough horses over 16 games. In that sixth pick, the game-changer New York needed was left on someone else's draft board to select, and for any franchise, that will be a tough pill to swallow in coming weeks, months, and years.
In a thin field of quarterback prospects, maybe Daniel Jones surprises everyone and vindicates Gettleman. That may be a tall order, but the GM is now hoping that happens.
Just as Giants fans are hoping Jones won't be the bust pick most think he is today.
Follow Us
Subscribe