New York Giants: People Are Overlooking Quenton Nelson at #2

The New York Giants have fast become the team to watch when the 2018 NFL draft kicks off on April 26th. Why? Nobody knows what they’ll do.

This isn’t just because of some deception campaign. Teams around the league do that stuff all the time. No this is due more to competing agendas. A large portion of fans and experts believe the Giants have to go for a QB. Teams don’t draft #2 overall every day (if they can help it). This presents the best opportunity the organization has had to draft a successor to Eli Manning in over a decade. How can they justify not doing that when he’s 37-years old?

Well for the rumored reason that new GM Dave Gettleman seems to have. There is a belief that Manning has enough juice left in the tank for one more run at the Super Bowl. If Tom Brady can do it at 39, why can’t the guy who beat him twice? He just needs help. The Giants have pieces to work with already in the passing game. What they don’t have all too often is control of the trenches. Gettleman is an old school guy who believes strongly in heavy investments in the fronts.

So that begs the question. Why aren’t enough people considering Quenton Nelson at #2 overall?

Nelson would be an instant upgrade over anything the Giants have

Manning could never run. He’s a classic pocket passer. So one would think upgrading the guard position is a high priority for New York. In fact, they tried to do just that in free agency with Andrew Norwell. Unfortunately, he was stolen away by Tom Coughlin and the Jacksonville Jaguars. If that weren’t bad enough, starting center Weston Richburg is also gone. He signed in San Francisco. So the interior of the Giants offensive line is actually worse than where it was last season.

Thus here we are. People are actually mocking Saquon Barkley to the Giants at #2 alongside Bradley Chubb or a quarterback. Nelson is hardly mentioned even though he represented almost everything Gettleman covets. He’s big, strong, nasty and athletic. He also serves the purpose of making life for Manning easier from the moment he steps on the field. Is #2 high for a guard? Maybe it was 10 years ago, but the league is changing.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: The Patriots Call Tom Brady’s Bluff

Good blockers, regardless of position, are highly coveted. Nelson is a potentially great blocker. If the Giants truly are about winning now with Manning, then he has to be considered.