2019 NFL Draft: First-round re-draft where Patriots and Steelers grab QBs

Original pick: Daniel Jones, Quarterback, Duke

The shock and hate were flying when the sixth pick of the 2019 NFL Draft was announced for the Giants. People couldn’t believe that Dave Gettleman and the Giants “reached” for this particular quarterback so early in the draft when many felt there was a better option (or two) or they could have at least waited until their next pick to select Daniel Jones.

But the front office clearly coveted the Duke quarterback, and in the NFL Draft, you have to go get your guy. People can play out what-if scenarios all they want, but New York ultimately felt that they needed to the Jones at six if they wanted to guarantee that they could bring him into the fold.

The initial plan, at least as everyone in the organization stated before the season was for Eli Manning to be the starter all season while Jones sits and learns. But the newest David Cutcliffe project must have impressed enough to take advantage of Eli’s struggles to earn the starting gig rather early in the 2019 season.

From that point, Daniel Jones’ season was a real rollercoaster. He came in and immediately impressed, both with his arm and his legs. Jones up very impressive numbers in two straight victories once he took over as QB1 in week three. In his first start, Jones threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns and added two more scores on the ground, leading the Giants to their first win of the season.

After those two quick wins? Eight straight losses and a multitude of turnovers. A more realistic expectation for a rookie quarterback on a bad team. Add in a late-season injury and a 350+ yard and five-touchdown game in the penultimate game of the season and you have a whirlwind of a season that is really hard to evaluate.

But overall, I liked what I saw from Jones throughout the year. The Giants were my favorite landing spot for Jones leading up to the draft (albeit later in the first round) and I think he showed glimpses of why he has the potential to be a great fit for the franchise moving forward.

The more experience he gains and the more he learns to take care of the ball, the more the offense and the team can grow. Provide him with some more help on the offensive line to give him more time to make better decisions and I think he can really develop into something.

While he generally may not seem worthy of a top-six pick based on his rookie season, you have to take a couple of other things into account. So far, this seems to be a rather week quarterback class, with Jones showing as much promise as any QB prospect. The team really seemed to want him, so I don’t believe his play this season would have done anything to change their opinion.

Now sitting with the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Giants have the chance to round out a solid young core on offense if they play their cards right.